Nannies in the UAE

Her day is built around your children. MaidMatch describes the typical duties of a nanny as:

• Supervising babies and children, at home and when you are out together
• Feeding and hygiene, from meals and snacks to bath time
• Planning activities and managing routines, such as play, naps and homework time
• School preparation and child safety, from getting them ready in the morning to keeping them safe around the home

A nanny if your children are the main job, a maid if the home is. A nanny usually makes sense when your children need someone focused on them for most of the day, such as a baby or toddler at home. A live-in maid may be enough when the children are at school or nursery for much of the day and the home is the bigger job.

One helper can do both if you agree it before she starts. Our guide to choosing between a maid, a nanny, a caregiver and a housekeeper compares the roles. For a baby, see newborn and baby care, and for a child with special needs, MaidMatch has a page for helpers who list that specialisation.

Experience with children of your children's ages matters most. Choose on skills and experience, not nationality: compare helpers on what they have done. MaidMatch suggests looking for:

• Childcare experience, ideally with children the same age as yours. When you compare helpers on MaidMatch, you can see the age groups each one has looked after: newborns, toddlers, preschoolers or older children.
• A calm way of communicating, with the children and with you.
• Basic first-aid knowledge, and a clear idea of what she would do in an emergency.
• Strong references from families she has worked for.

Ask how she would handle real moments in your children's day, not only what she has done before. For example:

• Which ages has she cared for, and for how long in each job?
• What does a good day look like for a child of your child's age?
• How does she handle tantrums, fussy eating or a child who won't sleep?
• What would she do if your child had a fever, a fall or an allergic reaction?
• How does she keep you updated during the day?
• Is she happy to follow your rules on screens, food and discipline?

Yes, if you agree it before she starts. Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, the UAE's law on domestic workers, has two rules on the work a helper does, and MOHRE (the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) sets the standard contract form:

A domestic worker's contract must be on MOHRE's standard form and state, among other terms, the nature and place of the work and the worker's total pay and how it is paid. An employer may not give a domestic worker a different kind of work from the contracted job unless the worker explicitly agrees and the new job is one of the listed domestic occupations.

So agree the whole job up front, housework included, and make sure her contract states it. We found no official page that says which everyday tasks count as a different kind of work, so talk any later change through with her first.

The same rules as for every domestic worker, under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law. Plan her day, and any evening babysitting, around them:

• A domestic worker is entitled to at least 12 hours of rest a day, of which at least 8 must be consecutive.
• A domestic worker is entitled to one paid day off a week.

It depends on her experience and the job. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile. When enough helpers match this page, it shows the median and middle range of their asking salaries, so you can see what nannies on MaidMatch ask before you contact anyone.

Her title doesn't set her pay: what she asks depends on her experience and skills, and on whether she lives in or out. The official fees for her work permit and residence come on top, and our guide to hiring a maid in the UAE sets them out.

In five steps, with no agency in between:

1. Browse the helpers with childcare experience on this page or, for a baby or toddler, narrow the helpers page to helpers who have looked after babies under 2.
2. Watch their video CVs and shortlist the helpers whose experience matches your children's ages.
3. Contact her directly. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile.
4. Agree the job in writing: her duties, her hours and her day off.
5. Arrange her visa. Sponsorship is the employer's responsibility; families can manage the visa themselves or ask MaidMatch to connect them with its visa partners.