Maids?

The short answer is - there are no rules!

The long answer is - its upto you and the maid to agree on matters such as work load, salary, work timing, time off, etc. Needless to say, you should try to be reasonable with your requirements.

Hiring the right maid is like hitting the jackpot. Some of them are good, but most are not upto the mark. Its really not easy to give a list of "things to avoid". Each case is different.

Try to have a maid with a free visa, ie the ones you don't need to sponsor. It's much less of a hassle in the long run, so I've heard.

Why incase they abscond or get in trouble ?
I've never had a live in maid. But I'm considering it, we would treat her well pay her well etc
I'm just worried about being taken advantage of.
Moving to bahrain in a few weeks from Dubai and I've heard some horror stories from people who've had maids

A lot of maids are on a free visa and that is better for you because yes some do get in to trouble.

Go to a facebook page called Mum's in Bahrain Classifieds and Mum's in Bahrain and post on there that you need a live in maid etc and you will get recommendations from women here which is the best way.

A live in maid is usually paid between BD150 - BD220 a month. Depending on whether you buy her food, toiletries and the hours she works etc.

The more you provide and the less hours she works then the less you pay as she can get a part time job elsewhere too.

After 2 years of service you are expected to give them a months vacation time and pay for their return flights home, then annually thereafter. You should (but a lot don't) take out maids medical insurance for them too.

If the maid is on a free visa you usually pay her more as she has to pay for that visa (approx (BD500 for a 2 yr visa) Probably best to ask her when her visa expires, get a copy of her visa, cpr and passport for your records too.