# Employment of a Maid



## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

I would like to hire a maid for 2 days a week for light cleaning only. Are there any good agencies that I can contact? Does anyone know how much? Please advise. Thanks.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

These threads should help:

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/185746-maid-help.html
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/149946-maid-marina.html


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## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

Dubai prices currently are roughly 35dhr/hour minimum of 4 hours. They suggest the amount of hours based on the size of your abode.

When we hire maids for a thorough clean (every month or two as we have dogs), we tend to get 2 maids just to halve the amount of time they spend at ours. We then tip HEAVILY. It wouldn't be unheard of me to tip at least 50dhr per maid per 2/3 hour slot (where it doesn't seem much, their reactions say otherwise), more if they do a great job. The heartbreaking thing is that having seen their gratitude, I dread to think what other people leave...

As for agencies, I've tried a few now. I think I'd return to Eco Maids as she didn't tell me I had to buy bleach every time she came over, she did a good job and tolerated my overexcited puppy well. The only downfall to them is their manager. He was a bit of a t-word.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

saraswat said:


> These threads should help:
> 
> http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/185746-maid-help.html
> http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/149946-maid-marina.html


Thanks!


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

IzzyBella said:


> Dubai prices currently are roughly 35dhr/hour minimum of 4 hours. They suggest the amount of hours based on the size of your abode.
> 
> When we hire maids for a thorough clean (every month or two as we have dogs), we tend to get 2 maids just to halve the amount of time they spend at ours. We then tip HEAVILY. It wouldn't be unheard of me to tip at least 50dhr per maid per 2/3 hour slot (where it doesn't seem much, their reactions say otherwise), more if they do a great job. The heartbreaking thing is that having seen their gratitude, I dread to think what other people leave...
> 
> As for agencies, I've tried a few now. I think I'd return to Eco Maids as she didn't tell me I had to buy bleach every time she came over, she did a good job and tolerated my overexcited puppy well. The only downfall to them is their manager. He was a bit of a t-word.


Thanks! Monthly is a good idea.


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## zatapa (Jun 21, 2013)

The situation is much worse for live-in maids. Our maid is in touch with one of her family members who also works in dubai as a maid. She has to pay everything herself, from her already very low salary. Soap, toilet paper, tooth brush, phone and the calls home, everything. She takes care of a family of seven and after all costs deducted, she's left with aed 600/month. But still, she's probably lucky because the unlucky ones get exported to Saudi (you can easily spot the indonesian maids in wafi mall at the saudi visa department). It is illegal by indonesian law for maids to go to saudi and they are well informed by their government before they head for middle east. But once they arrive here, the maid agencies will threaten to send them home if they don't cooperate. In other words, no choice as their families count on them bringing in money. In such cases, they are often considered property of the men in the house which can mean that they expect more than just cleaning. It's modern day slavery. Many of these maids are very young, from rural areas without any knowledge of the world. Like our maid, they often leave kids behind as they simply need the money.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

zatapa said:


> The situation is much worse for live-in maids. Our maid is in touch with one of her family members who also works in dubai as a maid. She has to pay everything herself, from her already very low salary. Soap, toilet paper, tooth brush, phone and the calls home, everything. She takes care of a family of seven and after all costs deducted, she's left with aed 600/month. But still, she's probably lucky because the unlucky ones get exported to Saudi (you can easily spot the indonesian maids in wafi mall at the saudi visa department). It is illegal by indonesian law for maids to go to saudi and they are well informed by their government before they head for middle east. But once they arrive here, the maid agencies will threaten to send them home if they don't cooperate. In other words, no choice as their families count on them bringing in money. In such cases, they are often considered property of the men in the house which can mean that they expect more than just cleaning. It's modern day slavery. Many of these maids are very young, from rural areas without any knowledge of the world. Like our maid, they often leave kids behind as they simply need the money.


That's both sad and crazy. smh


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

IzzyBella said:


> Dubai prices currently are roughly 35dhr/hour minimum of 4 hours. They suggest the amount of hours based on the size of your abode.
> 
> When we hire maids for a thorough clean (every month or two as we have dogs), we tend to get 2 maids just to halve the amount of time they spend at ours. We then tip HEAVILY. It wouldn't be unheard of me to tip at least 50dhr per maid per 2/3 hour slot (where it doesn't seem much, their reactions say otherwise), more if they do a great job. The heartbreaking thing is that having seen their gratitude, I dread to think what other people leave...
> 
> As for agencies, I've tried a few now. I think I'd return to Eco Maids as she didn't tell me I had to buy bleach every time she came over, she did a good job and tolerated my overexcited puppy well. The only downfall to them is their manager. He was a bit of a t-word.


Yes, when you pay an agency 35/hr, the maid gets less than 10...
a 50/AED tip really will make their day.

We use the neighbour's maid, and pay her 25 / hr. It's all hers.
She does this, and a couple of others, with the blessing of her employer, and has managed to send her daughter to University in Sri Lanka, as a result.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

I think there's a whole list of domestic help agencies in the sticky titled "read before you post." Depending on where you live, prices vary and they also have a minimum call out charge.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I am just going to point this out so that you know the rules of the game. It's illegal to hire a part time maid off the streets, such as hiring your neighbour's maid for a few hours' cleaning. The authorities do take it seriously and if caught you will be fined 50,000 AED, plus the maid gets deported. 

There's only two legal ways to have a maid: sponsor a maid yourself, or hire a cleaner via one of the official maid agencies as the agencies are the sponsors of the maid. It's up to you to decide how to proceed.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

vantage said:


> Yes, when you pay an agency 35/hr, the maid gets less than 10...
> a 50/AED tip really will make their day.
> 
> We use the neighbour's maid, and pay her 25 / hr. It's all hers.
> She does this, and a couple of others, with the blessing of her employer, and has managed to send her daughter to University in Sri Lanka, as a result.


But it is illegal and you are depriving some agency of some much needed money by doing this illegal arrangement


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## zatapa (Jun 21, 2013)

Tropicana, that's not the point. It's important that everyone realises that it's against the rules. No one here defends maid agencies. I paid a huge amount to a maid agency as well and it made me feel very awkward. We don't like them, we don't like the industry as a whole, yet we seem to be sponsoring then by being their customer. On the other hand, we have prevented one maid from potentially being abused, we enjoy her company and especially our youngest loves her a lot. I fear the day that she has to go back to Indonesia, because it will feel like losing a family member. We share one thing though: we also have an indonesian background.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

But is vantage doing the right thing or not by hiring a non-agency maid who gets to keep what vantage pays her, rather than hand over the majority to some agency which would have been the case with a agency maid ?

As in so many situations, the answers from a legal perspective and a humanitarian perspective are 180 degrees apart


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