Domestic helper and college graduate Li Jia (left) trains others on the right techniques in caring for a baby during a class in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Saturday. [Photo/for China Daily]

BEIJING - A housekeeping firm from Southwest China's Sichuan province and an auction company in the capital are getting together to hold the first-ever auction of domestic helpers next month in an attempt to feed Beijing's hunger for high-end help.

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All 10 housekeepers, who will be the lots at the auction, will have at least a college education, promised Song Rui, general manager of Sichuan-based Chuanmeizi Housekeeping Co Ltd.

Song said his company has put the word out that it is looking for domestic workers for householders in Beijing and has already started to receive applications.

His company plans to pick and train the best 30 applicants and select 10 from those to take part in the auction.

"It will be a new option for grads who are seeking a job," Song told China Daily.

He said the domestic helpers will earn at least 40,000 yuan ($6,000) a year and predicted that bidders at the auction might end up paying a lot more than that because "there is a huge demand for high-end housekeepers in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai."

Elsewhere in China, domestic helpers earn around 2,000 yuan a month, he said.

Those who make the grade must have a useful major and other skills that mean they can help families with such things as early childhood education and medical support as well as fulfill the roles of personal assistants and family secretaries, he said. "They will also be trained to meet the different needs of different families."

Cooking meals and doing the laundry will not be major tasks for the "high-end" helpers, he said, but they will likely be asked to help out with those tasks as well.

Song's company will sign labor contracts with the 10 who get jobs in the capital and take 20 percent of their wages in commission fees.

"Male grads are also welcome to apply," Song said.

Li Jia, 21, a graduate from the Urban Vocational College of Sichuan who is now a trainer with Chuanmeizi Housekeeping, hopes to be among the 10 at the auction.

"I majored in housekeeping," she said. "I think college students who choose the career of a domestic helper can not only put what they have learned in college into practice, but can also earn a comparatively high salary compared to many other jobs."

She said some people are tempted to look down on domestic helpers but those who do a good job can earn the respect and trust of the people they work for and bring home a good wage.

Zhao Xiaokai, general manager of Beijing Jiashikai Auction Co, said he knows there is a strong demand for housekeepers who have a bachelor's degree and he believes the auction is a good way to satisfy that need.

"High-end domestic helpers are luxurious resources that an ordinary family is not able to afford because it can cost 50,000 to 60,000 yuan a year," he said.

Peng Xin, who is also with Jiashikai Auction Co, said her firm gets plenty of calls from customers wanting to snag a domestic worker with a degree.

Zhao said his company will work with Chuanmeizi Housekeeping again in future and stage more auctions in the capital if the first one is a success.

"We also plan to extend the business to other big cities where there is a strong demand for such a service," Zhao said.

Song said he will also be looking for housekeepers with good English skills so they can work for foreign families in China.

He said only about 5 percent of housekeepers have degrees because few graduates are attracted to the job because of the lack of protective laws and regulations.