• 在美国的华人保姆，有些是前来探亲的父母， 把子女的孩子照顾大了，来看望子女之余正好挣些“外快”。也有通过各种渠道从国内来美国打工的人， 还有一些是旅游探亲，最后为挣钱就“留”了下来。

    来自湖南的安娜，在美国做家政工作已有十几个年头了。她英语流利，做事稳妥，深得雇主喜欢，最令人瞩目的是她的薪酬待遇—年薪10万美元左右，医疗保险、带薪假期样样俱全，她还有自己独立的住所，当然，她供职的并不是一般的美国家庭。

    《第一财经日报》记者近日对美国保姆市场的走访显示，不仅为富豪之家工作的保姆收入甚至有时候能够超过华尔街的初级白领，而且，保姆这一在中国看似卑微的职业，在美国却甚至可以影响到部长任命，更不必说一个劳动者需要的体面和尊严。

    Some Chinese nannies in the United States are parents who came to visit their children and ended up caring for their grandchildren while earning extra money. Others came to the US through various channels to work, and some initially came for tourism or family visits but stayed to earn money.

    Anna, from Hunan province, has been working in domestic service in the US for over a decade. She is fluent in English, reliable, and highly valued by her employers.  Most notably, her salary and benefits are impressive—around $100,000 per year, including health insurance and paid vacation. She also has her own independent accommodation. Of course, she doesn't work for an average American family.

    A recent investigation by the *First Financial Daily* into the American nanny market revealed that not only do nannies working for wealthy families sometimes earn more than entry-level white-collar workers on Wall Street, but this seemingly humble profession in China can even influence ministerial appointments in the US, not to mention providing the dignity and respect that every worker deserves.

    年收入5万～15万美元

    Pavilion Agency是纽约一家专门针对高端保姆市场的家政公司，其副总裁格林伯格（Seth Norman Greenberg）对本报记者表示， 在这个行业中， 年收入在5万～15万美元之间，而很多从Pavilion Agency介绍过去的保姆收入都在10万美元以上。

    “当然，这需要很多的经验， 每一个家庭、每一种工作的要求都不一样。”格林伯格说，“有良好的推荐很关键。”

    踏入这个圈子，干好第一份工作至关重要。

    安娜当初便是经过类似于Pavilion 这样的中介公司找到的第一份保姆工作， 那是纽约赫赫有名的富豪之家， 女主人的挑剔也人尽皆知。

    安娜的任务是在庄园里做管家，女主人的床单每天都需要更换，且要熨烫。 庄园里养了很多猫狗，但是住所里却不能看见动物的毛发。甚至冰箱里的饭菜，她也需要琢磨女主人的喜好而选择留下还是倒掉。

    也是安娜上述这般用心体贴，很快她赢得了女主人的信任，甚至可以经常邀家人来庄园玩耍，她一年的薪水也从最初的5万美元翻了快1倍。

    更重要的是，有了这样的经历，安娜后来在富豪家庭的保姆生涯就顺畅多了。谁比那样的女主人更挑剔呢？经过那样调教出来的保姆谁又会不愿意用呢？

    安娜的第二任东家是个黑人影星，和前一任东家相比，好伺候得多。安娜收入还有所增加， 做起事来自然是游刃有余。而和那位挑剔的女主人，和她后来的雇主，虽然有着各种要求，但对她都很尊重，她也觉得这是一份需要全心付出的职业。

    想进入高端保姆的行列并不容易， 向Pavilion Agency求职的保姆80%都会被拒绝。

    格林伯格表示，这个行业往往要求幼教、心理学或者老师的执照。当然也不尽然，经验是最被看重的。有些家庭要求保姆知道怎样打理古董家具， 还有的要求保姆举止优雅、谈吐得体，要知道怎么帮助家人用餐， 怎么招呼接待客人和家庭成员。

    当然，英语要流利，但是现在如果能说中文，尤其是普通话，那么，英文的要求可以相对降低。格林伯格补充介绍道：“很多富豪家庭希望自己的子女在小的时候能够接触中文，”“有些中文基础， 将来会比较有竞争力。与中国有关的一切都越来越重要了。”

    Annual Income: $50,000 - $150,000

    Pavilion Agency, a domestic staffing agency in New York specializing in the high-end nanny market, told this reporter that annual incomes in this industry range from $50,000 to $150,000, and many nannies placed by Pavilion Agency earn over $100,000.

    "Of course, this requires a lot of experience, and the requirements of each family and each job are different," said Seth Norman Greenberg, Vice President of Pavilion Agency. "Good recommendations are crucial."

    Entering this field, doing well in your first job is paramount.

    Anna found her first nanny job through an agency similar to Pavilion. It was with a well-known wealthy family in New York, and the mistress of the house was notoriously demanding.

    Anna's job was to be a housekeeper in the mansion. The mistress's bedsheets needed to be changed and ironed daily. The estate had many cats and dogs, but no animal hair was allowed in the house. Even the food in the refrigerator required her to consider the mistress's preferences before deciding whether to keep it or throw it away.

    Because of Anna's attentiveness and thoughtfulness, she quickly gained the mistress's trust and was even allowed to invite her family to visit the estate frequently. Her annual salary almost doubled from the initial $50,000.

    More importantly, with this experience, Anna's subsequent career as a nanny for wealthy families became much smoother. Who could be more demanding than that mistress? And who wouldn't want to hire a nanny trained by such a demanding employer?

    Anna's second employer was a Black movie star, much easier to work for than her previous employer. Anna's income increased, and she naturally handled her duties with ease. Although both the demanding mistress and her later employers had various requirements, they all treated her with respect, and she felt that this was a profession that required complete dedication.

    Getting into the ranks of high-end nannies is not easy; 80% of nannies who apply to Pavilion Agency are rejected.

    Greenberg said that this industry often requires licenses in early childhood education, psychology, or teaching. Of course, this is not always the case; experience is the most valued. Some families require nannies to know how to care for antique furniture, while others require them to be elegant and well-spoken, knowing how to assist family members during meals and how to greet and entertain guests and family members.

    Of course, fluency in English is a must, but now, if a nanny can speak Chinese, especially Mandarin, the English requirement can be relatively lower. Greenberg added, "Many wealthy families want their children to be exposed to Chinese at a young age," "Having some basic Chinese skills will make them more competitive in the future. Everything related to China is becoming increasingly important."

    保姆难“伺候”

    富豪之家毕竟是少数，大部分中产阶层都无法负担上述昂贵的超级保姆费用。 而对于父母都工作的现代家庭来说， 最重要的是能找到照顾好婴儿的保姆。

    纽约地区的保姆价格一般是15美元/小时。这样算下来，如果是钟点工还不算什么，但是保姆住家的话，一个月的薪酬就非常昂贵了。

    丽莎（Lisa） 和她的丈夫都是出色的金融界人士。她的丈夫在曼哈顿一家著名的基金任主管，她本人也已经在一家中等规模的基金升任董事总经理，家境相当富有。

    3年前，丽莎夫妇的儿子出生，请的保姆每周住家6天，休息1天，价格一个月是6000美元。“你要是按15 美元一小时，差不多也是这个价格了。”丽莎说。丽莎夫妇付给保姆的是现金，这样就避免了另外交税、社保、医疗等其他费用。

    事实上，富豪阶层一般拥有企业，他们就把保姆算作是企业中的雇员，进而来支付包括医疗、社保、税收等费用。而这种方式，对于其他家庭，则是一个更加昂贵的选择。即便是富有的家庭，大部分也是现金交易，但严格意义上，这并不合法，如果查出来，代价可能会很大。

    2004年，纽约前警察局长克里克被美国前总统布什提名为美国国土安全部部长，就在他意气风发正准备上任时，他却发现自己遇到了麻烦。

    克里克不久前雇用的一名家庭保姆兼管家有非法移民之嫌，他也没有替她交纳应缴的社会保险费，由于担心此事引发调查，克里克不得不忍痛辞掉提名。

    而在克林顿时代，律师佐薇·贝尔德曾经是司法部长第一人选，但由于后来她被披露没有按照法律规定给她的管家支付社会保险税，最后不得不放弃了提名。

    克林顿在耶鲁大学的同学拉尼·吉尼尔原本被指定担任司法部民事部门的负责人，结果也是因为她没有给家中的一个保姆交税而未能如愿。

    上述这些由保姆而起的事件，甚至还流传着这样的笑话：“如果不给家里的保姆交税，你就当不了司法部长。”

    而像丽莎那样的家庭，也是属于美国前0.1%以内的富有阶层。每个月6000美元的保姆绝不是一般家庭可以负担。即便是找通勤的保姆，如果一天工作8～10个小时，价格也要在2400～3000美元之间。

    与之相对应， 美国的幼儿园接收出生刚刚六周的宝宝。大部分母亲不放心将小婴儿放到幼儿园里，美国人一般也不会让父母住在家里帮忙带小孩，而保姆价格又如此昂贵，所以很多母亲在生完孩子后， 会辞职在家一两年， 专心育婴。

    伊丽莎白（Elisabeth）在曼哈顿的一家酒店工作，大儿子7岁的时候她又生下小儿子。在3个月产假要结束的时候她算了一笔账：如果请个通勤的保姆来照顾小儿子， 一个月要2000多美元，同时还要请人每天接送大儿子上、下学，及送各种才艺班学习，这又要45 美元一天，两项加起来，已经占她收入的一半以上，而且，家住新泽西的她要早出晚归，一天在路上的时间都要将近3小时，见孩子的时间也很有限。

    最终，伊丽莎白忍痛辞掉了很有前途的工作，自己在家照顾两个孩子，等小儿子2岁后再考虑重回职场。

    Nannies Are Difficult to Manage

    Wealthy families are a minority; most middle-class families cannot afford the expensive super-nannies mentioned above. For modern families where both parents work, the most important thing is finding a nanny who can take good care of the baby.

    In the New York area, the average price for a nanny is $15 per hour. While this might not seem like much for hourly work, the monthly cost for a live-in nanny is very expensive.

    Lisa and her husband are both successful professionals in the financial industry. Her husband is a director at a well-known fund in Manhattan, and she herself has risen to managing director at a medium-sized fund; their family is quite wealthy.

    Three years ago, when Lisa and her husband's son was born, they hired a live-in nanny who worked six days a week and had one day off, at a cost of $6,000 per month. "If you calculate it at $15 an hour, it's roughly the same price," Lisa said. Lisa and her husband paid the nanny in cash, thus avoiding additional taxes, social security, and medical expenses.

    In fact, wealthy individuals often own businesses, and they classify their nannies as employees of their businesses to cover expenses such as medical care, social security, and taxes. This method, however, is a much more expensive option for other families. Even wealthy families mostly use cash transactions, but strictly speaking, this is not legal, and if discovered, the consequences could be significant.

    In 2004, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik was nominated by former President Bush to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. Just as he was preparing to take office, he found himself in trouble.

    Kerik had recently hired a nanny/housekeeper who was suspected of being an illegal immigrant, and he had not paid her the required social security taxes.  Fearing an investigation, Kerik had to reluctantly withdraw his nomination.

    During the Clinton administration, lawyer Zoe Baird was the first choice for Attorney General, but after it was revealed that she had not paid social security taxes for her housekeeper as required by law, she had to withdraw her nomination. Lani Guinier, a classmate of Bill Clinton at Yale University, was originally slated to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, but she ultimately failed to secure the position because she hadn't paid taxes for her household nanny.

    These incidents involving nannies even led to a joke: "If you don't pay taxes for your nanny, you can't become Attorney General."

    Families like Lisa's belong to the wealthiest 0.1% in the United States. A nanny costing $6,000 a month is definitely not affordable for the average family. Even for a live-out nanny working 8-10 hours a day, the price would be between $2,400 and $3,000.

    In contrast, American daycare centers accept babies as young as six weeks old. Most mothers are hesitant to leave their infants in daycare, and Americans generally don't have their parents live with them to help with childcare.  Since nannies are so expensive, many mothers quit their jobs for a year or two after giving birth to focus on raising their children.

    Elisabeth worked at a hotel in Manhattan, and she had her second son when her eldest son was seven years old. As her three-month maternity leave was ending, she did the math: hiring a live-out nanny to care for her younger son would cost over $2,000 a month, and she would also need someone to pick up and drop off her older son from school and various extracurricular activities, which would cost $45 a day.  ​​These two expenses combined would take up more than half of her income.  Furthermore, living in New Jersey, she would have to commute for nearly three hours a day, leaving her with very little time to spend with her children.

    Ultimately, Elisabeth reluctantly quit her promising job to stay home and care for her two children, planning to return to work when her younger son turned two.

    中国保姆在美国

    而在纽约华人圈里活跃的中国保姆，因为大部分不会说英文， 也不能独立开车，相对于美国保姆还是便宜很多。

    目前纽约地区华人的住家保姆大约是80美元/天, 包括带孩子、做饭，有时间的话打扫卫生。一个月下来，差不多也有1700美元左右的收入，当然，这都是现金交易。

    在美国的华人保姆，有些是前来探亲的父母， 把子女的孩子照顾大了，来看望子女之余正好挣些“外快”。也有通过各种渠道从国内来美国打工的人， 还有一些是旅游探亲，最后为挣钱就“留”了下来。

    纽约的中国保姆市场并不是很大，因为华人家庭大部分会请父母来美帮着带孩子，请保姆的是少数。而美国的劳动力少，做保姆一般也没有年龄上的要求，60多岁做保姆司空见惯。

    李奶奶在新泽西做保姆已经10年了。当初她把自己外孙女带大就踏上了这条保姆之路，算下来，她带过的孩子也已有十几个了。 虽然今年她已经68岁了，但是依然有好几个家庭在等她的空档。

    李奶奶身体硬朗结实，带孩子非常尽心，而且勤快麻利，还烧得一手好菜。被周围熟悉的人称为“超级保姆”。她一周工作5天，目前她的东家吴珊每个月付她1750美元的工资。

    吴珊对李奶奶非常满意，她对本报记者说：“与那些美国人家里花五六千美元请的住家保姆相比，李奶奶一点都不差。有些事情你还没想到，李奶奶就已经做到了。” 周围的朋友都已经预约，等吴珊的孩子上幼儿园后，要李奶奶去当保姆。

    10年干下来， 李奶奶不仅在河北的老家买了新房子，她还给在国内的儿子也买了房子。

    据吴珊介绍，她是在新泽西当地的中文报纸上打广告找到的李奶奶。一个小广告， 就有八九个人打电话过来应聘。为了确保安全， 吴珊选了其中比较靠谱的两人面试，最后选中了李奶奶。

    Chinese Nannies in the United States

    Chinese nannies active in New York's Chinese community are significantly cheaper than American nannies because most of them don't speak English and can't drive independently.

    Currently, live-in nannies in the New York area charge approximately $80 per day, which includes childcare, cooking, and cleaning when time permits. This translates to an income of around $1700 per month, all paid in cash.

    Some Chinese nannies in the US are parents visiting their children, who take care of their grandchildren and earn some extra money during their visit. Others come to the US through various channels to work, and some initially came for tourism or to visit relatives but stayed to earn money.

    The market for Chinese nannies in New York isn't very large, as most Chinese families invite their parents to the US to help with childcare, making hiring a nanny less common. However, due to the shortage of labor in the US, there are generally no age restrictions for nannies; it's common to see nannies in their 60s.

    Grandma Li has been a nanny in New Jersey for 10 years. She started this career after raising her own granddaughter, and she has cared for over a dozen children since then. Although she is 68 years old this year, several families are still waiting for her availability.

    Grandma Li is healthy and strong, very dedicated to childcare, diligent, and efficient, and she's also an excellent cook. She's known as a "super nanny" by those who know her. She works five days a week, and her current employer, Wu Shan, pays her $1750 per month.

    Wu Shan is very satisfied with Grandma Li. She told our reporter, "Compared to the live-in nannies that American families hire for five or six thousand dollars, Grandma Li is just as good.  She anticipates needs and takes care of things before you even think of them."  Friends have already booked her services for when Wu Shan's child starts kindergarten.

    After 10 years of work, Grandma Li has not only bought a new house in her hometown in Hebei province, but she has also bought a house for her son in China.

    According to Wu Shan, she found Grandma Li through an advertisement in a local Chinese newspaper in New Jersey. A single small advertisement attracted eight or nine applicants. To ensure safety, Wu Shan interviewed two of the most reliable candidates and ultimately chose Grandma Li.

    也有很多人通过纽约的中介来找保姆。

    法拉盛是纽约新兴的唐人街， 保姆职业介绍所生意兴隆。一家职业介绍所的老板告诉本报记者，如果应聘的保姆干净整洁，让人感觉有爱心， 很容易会找到工作。而被聘的保姆大部分来自纽约、新泽西州和康涅狄格州的华人家庭，价格每天基本在80～90 美元之间，由东家来支付保姆的来往车费。

    吴珊不太喜欢法拉盛职业介绍所推荐的保姆， 她觉得还是打广告，然后到保姆家里去面试更为放心。而从新泽西到纽约的火车票往返也要20多美元， 选择法拉盛也就意味着，一个月又会多出100美元左右的支出。

    安娜后来又离开了那位黑人影星家，来到了一位老太太家里，老太太也是富豪世家，一个人有两三个保姆照顾， 安娜的工作很轻松， 但是因为和其他保姆经常有矛盾， 被老太太“炒了鱿鱼”。

    不过，安娜并不太担心， 她已经进了这个圈子，找到下一份工作不过是时间早晚的问题。

    Many people also find nannies through agencies in New York.

    Flushing, an emerging Chinatown in New York, has a thriving nanny placement industry. The owner of one such agency told our reporter that if a prospective nanny is clean, tidy, and appears caring, they can easily find a job. Most of the hired nannies come from Chinese families in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and the daily rate is generally between $80 and $90, with the employer paying for the nanny's transportation.

    Wu Shan didn't particularly like the nannies recommended by the Flushing agencies. She felt it was safer to place an advertisement and then interview the nannies at their homes. However, a round-trip train ticket from New Jersey to New York costs over $20, so choosing Flushing would mean an extra expense of about $100 per month.

    Anna later left the home of the Black movie star and went to work for an elderly woman. The woman was also from a wealthy family and had two or three nannies caring for her. Anna's job was easy, but because of frequent conflicts with the other nannies, she was fired by the old woman.

    However, Anna wasn't too worried. She was already in the industry, and finding her next job was just a matter of time.