Housekeeper (ART)

When everyone is out from morning till night, a house gets messy fast. Laundry piles up for the weekend, the fridge is empty and your day off disappears into sweeping and mopping. A housekeeper takes that work off your hands so your time at home goes to rest and family. In Indonesia she's called an ART (asisten rumah tangga) or, more casually, a pembantu, and many expats simply say maid or helper.

Daily housework

• Sweeping, mopping, dusting, bathrooms and the kitchen
• Washing, drying, ironing and folding clothes
• Cooking to your family's taste, market runs included
• Dishes and a clean kitchen at the end of the day
• Locking up when you're out, and feeding pets if agreed

In a two-story house or a big family, a weekly schedule helps a lot. Sheets get changed on Monday, the fridge is cleaned out on Thursday, windows are wiped on Saturday. She doesn't have to guess, and you don't have to keep reminding her.

Live-in or live-out?

A live-in housekeeper stays in your home, so you'll need to provide a room, meals and an agreement on rest hours. This suits households that often get home late or need help very early in the morning. A live-out (non live-in) housekeeper comes at agreed hours and then goes home. That works well for apartments or houses without staff quarters, as long as she doesn't live too far away.

Salary range

Salary is agreed directly between you and the housekeeper and paid to her directly. As a guide, live-in housekeepers in Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) usually earn Rp2.5–3.5 million a month. The final figure depends on experience, workload and location. If you'd also like her to look after your children, consider a housekeeper with childcare so the duties and pay are clear from the start.

Ahead of Lebaran

Many housekeepers go home to their villages for Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr). Talk about her leave dates and when she plans to come back well ahead of time, and put them in your written agreement, so you can plan how the house will run while she's away.

A short process

We find candidates who have already been interviewed and ID-checked, and then you interview them yourself. The employment agreement is made directly between you and the housekeeper. Placement fees, the replacement guarantee and the optional Workforce Care Membership are explained in the FAQ. Start with this form, or first read 5 things to check before hiring a housekeeper.