Finding a Maid Agency, or Going Straight to the Candidate
Searching for a maid agency usually means one thing: you need a housekeeper, nanny, cook, carer, driver, gardener or general helper, and you want to start talking to real candidates without wading through a dozen separate agency websites.
You don't have to pick one agency and hope its shortlist has what you need. Sponsors across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman use this platform to search profiles from licensed agencies and from workers who have registered themselves, side by side, and contact whichever one fits — directly, without a broker sitting in the middle of the conversation. This has been running since 2019, with a regional office in Dubai.
That's the practical difference worth understanding before you go further: an agency shows you its own candidates. Here, you're searching across agency-listed and self-registered profiles at once, then dealing directly with whoever's profile matches — the agency, or the worker herself.
What a Maid Agency Does — and What Happens Here Instead
A traditional maid agency recruits candidates, manages their paperwork, and places them with a sponsor, usually for a fee built into a package. The agency is the point of contact throughout.
On this platform, the process is shorter because there's no package to select first:
- Search — filter by role (housemaid, nanny, cook, cleaner, caregiver, driver, gardener, general helper, babysitter), nationality, and experience band (no experience, 1–2 years, 3–5 years, 6–10 years, or 10+ years).
- Review profiles — including ones listed directly by agencies and ones the workers have built themselves.
- Contact the match — message the agency or the worker directly through the platform.
- Agree terms — arrangement, hours, contract length and pay are settled between you and the other party.
Workers on the platform are mainly Ethiopian, alongside Filipino, Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Kenyan and Ugandan candidates.
Because this is an introduction service and not a recruitment agency, there's no placement fee charged by the platform, no salary set by the platform, and no visa handled by the platform. What you're getting is faster, wider access to who's available — the arrangement itself is between you and them.
Live-In, Live-Out, or Something in Between
Instead of fixed "recruitment vs full-time vs on-demand" packages, think in terms of arrangement type, because that's what actually determines the day-to-day and the cost:
| Arrangement | What it usually suits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live-in, full-time | Households needing daily, ongoing help | Accommodation is part of the arrangement, agreed with the worker or agency |
| Live-out, full-time | Sponsors who don't want to house staff | Worker arrives and leaves on agreed hours |
| Part-time / hourly / daily | Occasional or seasonal need | Flexible hours, weekends-only or weekdays-only options exist |
| Specialist care (elderly, disabled) | Households needing a dedicated carer | Filter by experience band for relevant background |
Contract length is similarly flexible: temporary (1–6 months), short-term (6–12 months), long-term (1–2 years), permanent, or renewable, and a trial period is available. Which one suits you depends on whether you need cover for a season, a year, or indefinitely — that's a conversation to have with the specific agency or worker once you've found a match, not a box to tick on a package page.
What It Actually Costs
There's no single price for "a maid agency," on this platform or anywhere else, because a maid agency isn't one product. What you pay depends on three separate things: what you pay to search and contact, what the agency charges for its placement service, and what you agree to pay the worker.
The first one, we can tell you exactly:
For sponsors, joining is free, with a limited plan covering one job posting, ten candidate searches a month and three saved candidates. Beyond that, Professional access is AED 99 for a week or AED 199 a month, discounted if paid annually.
For agencies, listing is free for up to three maid listings, five message threads and ten sponsor connections. Beyond that it's AED 299 a month for up to 25 listings, AED 399 for up to 100 listings with analytics and a verification badge, or AED 499 for unlimited listings with a dedicated account manager.
For maids, registering, being listed and applying are always free. An optional visibility boost — to appear higher in search results — costs AED 25.70 for 7 days, AED 55.05 for 15 days or AED 110.10 for 30 days, and can also be earned for free by completing a profile.
What we don't set: the agency's own placement fee, the worker's salary, or any visa or permit cost. Agency fees and salary levels vary by nationality, experience, arrangement and the individual agency's own pricing — that's a market rate, not a platform rate, and it's agreed directly once you've made contact. Visa, work permit, medical certificate and travel costs are set by the country where the work takes place, and change — check the current figures with that country's official labour or immigration authority before you commit to a figure quoted anywhere.
Visa Sponsorship: Who Arranges What
Visas, work permits, medical certificates and travel are arranged by the agency or the sponsor, under the rules of the country where the placement happens. That's true whether the sponsor is an expatriate resident or a national of that country — the specific requirements differ by sponsor category and by country, and they're set by that country's immigration or labour authority, not by any agency or platform. The platform doesn't process any part of this; it introduces the sponsor and the agency or worker, and the paperwork is handled between them under local law.
Before you commit, ask the agency or worker directly which visa route applies to your situation and confirm the current requirements with the relevant authority.
Is the Agency Licensed? How to Check
Licensing is a question for the agency, not for an introduction platform. This platform holds no recruitment licence and needs none, because it doesn't recruit, place, employ or sponsor anyone — it connects a sponsor with an agency or a self-registered worker, and that connection isn't a licensed activity in itself.
What it does do is partner only with licensed agencies operating in Ethiopia and across the GCC. If you're contacting an agency listing, that's a starting point — ask the agency directly for its licence details and verify them with the relevant labour authority in the country where you're hiring, rather than taking a badge or listing at face value.
Worker profiles carry a different layer of checking: passport, national ID, medical certificate, police clearance and experience letters are verified before a profile is listed. Anything further — employment background checks or a formal skills assessment — is the agency's responsibility, not the platform's, so ask about it directly if it matters to your decision.
If the Placement Doesn't Work Out
Replacement policies, guarantee periods, notice terms and what happens if the arrangement ends early are all agreed directly between the sponsor and the agency or worker, and governed by the labour law of the country where the work takes place. There's no platform-wide guarantee, because the platform isn't the employer and isn't a party to the contract.
Before you commit to any agency or worker, ask specifically: what happens if this doesn't work out, is a replacement offered, and on what terms. Get the answer in writing before you agree to start.
Finding Candidates
Roles listed span housemaids, nannies, cooks, cleaners, caregivers for elderly and disabled family members, drivers, gardeners, general helpers and babysitters. You can filter by nationality and by experience band, and narrow further by arrangement — live-in, live-out, hourly, daily or monthly.
FAQ
How much does it cost to hire through a maid agency? There's no fixed figure. It depends on the agency's own fee, the arrangement (live-in, live-out, hours), the worker's experience, and the salary you agree between you. Platform access itself has its own separate cost, set out above — the placement fee and salary are negotiated directly with the agency or worker.
How long does the process take, from enquiry to start date? That depends on how quickly you and the agency or worker agree terms, plus any visa or medical paperwork required by the country's authorities. It isn't fixed, and it's worth asking directly for a realistic timeline before you commit.
What's the difference between live-in and live-out? Live-in includes accommodation as part of the arrangement; live-out doesn't, and the worker arrives and leaves on agreed hours. Which one you choose affects both the day-to-day arrangement and the cost, and it's set out directly between sponsor and worker or agency.
Can I cancel or end the contract early? Cancellation terms, notice periods and any replacement arrangement are set between the sponsor and the agency or worker, and are governed by the labour law of the country where the work takes place. Confirm these terms before signing anything.
Do I need to check the agency's licence myself? Yes. Licensing sits with the agency, not with an introduction platform. Ask for licence details directly and confirm them with the relevant labour authority in your country before proceeding.
