Job post offering $10 an hour for childcare, cooking and cleaning sparks backlash

An AI-generated image of a childcare helper. [Created using ChatGPT]

A job listing offering 14,000 won ($10) an hour for someone to pick up two preschool-aged children, bathe them, prepare meals and handle household chores — all within three hours — has sparked debate online, with many users saying the workload is far too heavy for the pay.

On Wednesday, screenshots of the listing, originally posted on the secondhand trading platform Karrot, began circulating widely across online communities and social media.

A screenshot of the after-school helper job listing posted on Karrot. [Captured from social media]

The poster is looking for someone to help pick up a 7-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl from their early childhood institution after school.

The position covers weekday afternoons from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. — roughly three hours a day — at 14,000 won an hour. Core duties include picking up the children, giving them baths, preparing dinner and handling basic household chores.

The poster, who said both parents work, wrote that the ideal candidate should arrive about an hour before the children come home to finish cleaning and other housework, then help the children shower and prepare their evening meal once they return. "Someone with good stamina would be preferred," the post added.

The listing also spelled out a lengthy set of preferred qualifications: a woman in her 50s with childcare experience, prior work at a kindergarten or daycare center, a residence close enough to commute easily, and a non-smoker. The poster called for someone who does not hold another job during the day and who would be available for additional hours on short notice.

The worker must also agree to the installation of closed-circuit television cameras for child safety and submit a health examination certificate and a criminal background check before starting.

The poster further asked the helper to refrain from using a mobile phone or watching television while on duty to stay focused on the children, closing with a note that they were "waiting to hear from a warm-hearted person who will care for the children with love."

Online reaction was sharply critical. "If they have to handle meals and housework on top of the school pickup, this is basically a full housekeeper," one user wrote. Others called the conditions exploitative — "they're not looking for a helper, they're looking for a servant" — and argued that even foreign domestic workers would not take on this much for such pay. Several users also took issue with the idea of entrusting two children to one person at a single-child rate.

South Korea's minimum wage stands at 10,320 won an hour this year and rises to 10,700 won next year, according to the Minimum Wage Commission. The Seoul Metropolitan Government's living wage, which applies to public-sector jobs in the city, is 12,121 won an hour this year.

jshan@heraldcorp.com