Helper/Maid- how to hire?

Not sure about wages here in Bahrain for them..

pro's: Clean and tidy house, potentially someone to make you lunch/dinner. It does get dusty very quickly here.
Cons: Someones always there and you become very lazy.

I had live in maids for years, but I refuse to now. I love not having anyone pottering around the house so I can walk around in my underwear in the morning and have my morning coffee in peace. Plus, its a major trust issue..too often you hear horror stories about maids who steal from you..let alone know the stories they tell about you to their friends..and with the advent of the internet..imagine they post their stories online..like here. Lol.

Hi Knut and thank you for your reply.

Do you know how to go about getting a part timer? or full timer in Bahrain? I too prefer a live out for privacy reason as you mentioned. We have a helper here in Japan but not a live in. However in Bahrain I thought it would be different because she would have her own entrance and shower. Another question: How do expat usually arrange for her food. For instance does she share the meals with the family? Does she do her own shopping and her own cooking? When the family is away on holiday, do we lock the house?
I remember a friend story when she returned from holidays she learned that her maid had a party and on top of that she "borrowed" her employers clothes and happily took pictures. Of course I thought it was a funny story because it did not happen to me maybe

Thank you for your input.

Hi comingatyou,

At our place we have a cleaner come around as part of the services provided by the building services, but we asked not to have them come. Check the classifieds both on here and the local newspaper, gulf daily news.

As for food, shopping etc..I'd say do as you please really. We've always paid our maids a decent salary and expected them to take care of themselves. Some people are quite restrictive with their maids, and offer them very little. I've found this tactic to be counter productive and has generally lead to more disloyal behaviour.

As for locking your house..it's down to trust. I know my maids have been using our house, watching the tv, etc..but I have not taken issue with this. I've had 1 or 2 thefts from maids, and they have been promptly asked to leave. But again, I'd say you treat them well they tend to be loyal. But its all hit and miss really. I'd also suggest going for someone who isn't too young, they lack experience and can sometimes behave a bit oddly, i.e not knowing boundaries and personal space. I'd also suggest to check their experience, former employers. Knowing your cultural background is a big bonus for them, getting along gets easier if they understand your behaviour.

Filipino's which there are plenty of here, I have always had good experiences with. But I don't have much experience with maids here in Bahrain really, it seems its not as common as in many other countries.

I've also heard some horror stories akin to the one you describe. We had a maid who we gave alot of money to help her sister, gave her plenty of leave to deal with some family matters. She came back, demanded more mney and more leave..we said no, she quit in a rage and left. A few months later she came crying and pleeding to get her job back. She had been treated quite badly by her next employer, but alas..she was not taken back in. She had destroyed the trust.

Hi comingatyou,

If you look to move into a compound, the first thing you will have, it's 10 maids and 20 car washers knocking at your door to offer their services ;o)
If you want a part time maid you will have to pay by hours. I pay 2 BHD per hour for mine but if you really want to you can find cheaper.
Maybe it's cautious to find someone recommended ?
Usually, maid living in the house are there to take care of the kids as well as the house. A lot of local, and specially Saudis are relying on maids to raise their kids.
As far as the visa is concerned, I personally find it easier to hire someone here on their own visa. Easier, cheaper, and less strings attached !
Most of the maids I've seen are Indian, Sri Lankan or Indonesian.
Of course it happens that a maid misbehaves, but in the Gulf, I've unfortunately heard more stories about employers abuses...

Hope it was helpfull

Cheers

Olivier

Thank you very much Olivier and Knut!

Much appreciated

Dear olivier,
Is it legal to hire a maid who has this so-called 'free visa'? There are many different opinions on that on the different forums. We are looking to hire a live-in maid but preferably one who already has a working visa, however we cannot really get a clear picture on the legality of such structure.

jos_goris wrote:

Dear olivier,
Is it legal to hire a maid who has this so-called 'free visa'? There are many different opinions on that on the different forums. We are looking to hire a live-in maid but preferably one who already has a working visa, however we cannot really get a clear picture on the legality of such structure.

Hi there. I am taking the liberty to respond.

It is illegal to hire anyone on a "free-visa". That is the law.

However, since the practice of hiring "free-visa" workers is so rampant, it appears the authorities do not enforce the rules too much. It almost appears legit because of this lack of enforcement.

Trust the above is clear.

Hiring a maid under a proper visa sponsored by you is a process. It comes with a cost - cost of visas and permits are not much, but the charges and expenses to hire one are huge. On the other hand, a "free-visa" worker has already done all of that and hence your costs are just the wages you agree with them.

This is, briefly, how things happen in this business. As to which method you prefer is a choice you have to make. Let us know if you have any further questions.

Dear Farhaz,
Thanks for your spontaneous reply, it is most helpfull.

You can also have a look at hiring a maid from an agency. There was a topic on Mums in Bahrain regarding maid hiring agencies with some useful phone numbers. Maybe it's worth having a look.

Dear all

am looking for house maid full time site in home for only french chef good salary seef district

Hi Eric Cochard - I will invite you to post an advert in the Personal and household services jobs in Bahrain section please