Marblue Job offer :we are looking for a female Housekeeper/min age 25,and a male Prep chef/Kitchen helper,please call 965 3408

What is the normal salary range for such a job?

Do hotel, villa, and guest house workers receive at least the Jamaican minimum wage, or does the law cover them? What about tips - do they go to the person who receives them, or are they pooled and shared? Do employers take taxes out of the worker's pay and send these to the government? I realize this is probably none of my business but I am concerned about the workers in the hospitality industry, especially those in the place I visit annually.

All of the answers would vary for each establishment. I would assume most establishments would discuss all of this with their potential employees, but would not want to discuss this on a public board.

There are employments laws and regulations here which are in place to protect the employee.

As Rebecca said, the answers vary from establishment to establishment.

For instance, some salaried household workers get paid less if the establishment for which they work have no guests for a particular week or weeks; and their salary is increased while there are guests at the establishment. Some establishments pool and divide tips; others allow the employee receiving a tip to keep what has been given to them. Some employers deduct taxes, and others pay the taxes in addition to the salaries.

The minimum wage for household workers for a 40-hour week is JA$3,700. At the current rate of exchange, this translates to US$1.22 an hour (prior to any taxes being deducted). If an employee is paid in USD, that insulates them from currency fluctuations in the Jamaican dollar. (The employee now making US$1.22 an hour was making US$1.32 an hour a few months ago.)

The point of the above explanations has nothing to do with which establishments pay what -- or how they pay their workers. Quite frankly, we do not know what most establishments pay.

What we do know after having been in Treasure Beach for more than 20 years is the residents have an exceedingly strong work ethic, whether salaried or self-employed. We also know a large percentage of those who work hard have a difficult time affording the cost of school, especially above grade six, for their children. That was the reason Treasure Beach Foundation decided to award competitive scholarships to students.

In three years we have awarded 17 scholarships to very bright students, some of whom might not have been able to attend high school without this assistance. Our scholarships cover all necessary costs including transportation (the most expensive out-of-pocket expense), uniforms, shoes, books, school supplies, lab fees, lunches, and so forth. TBF scholarship students are currently in grades seven, eight, and nine at four excellent high schools.

If any readers are so inclined, we would dearly appreciate contributions toward this effort. Please see http://www.rainbowtreevillas.com/foundation.html
for details. Any amount is welcome. Perhaps you might donate in someone's honor as a holiday gift.

If I give a contribution in someone's honor is there a minimum I have to donate? Is there a time limit to give by?

Felecia, we ask for a $10 (US) minimum if donating in someone's honor.

We do our best to get thank-you letters out on a timely basis, but everything is done by volunteers.

You may donate at any time. If you want something in time for an acknowledgement letter by Christmas, then the answer is donate online now. If you want to be able to take a 2008 tax deduction, then be sure the money is physically in our hands by midnight on December 31. (If you donate online, we get an almost-instant notification of that; when we receive that notification, we consider the donation made for tax purposes.)