How to hire a nanny in Dubai
how-to-hire-a-nanny-in-dubai
Finding the right person and employing them properly are two separate tasks. A plain guide to the brief, vetting, sponsorship, trial and contract.
Hiring a nanny in Dubai is really two tasks, and they are easy to confuse. The first is finding the right person for your children. The second is employing that person properly, under the rules of the country you live in. It is tempting to begin with the paperwork and hurry the choice. It should be the other way round: choose the person first, and let the paperwork follow.
Begin with the brief, not the search.
Before anyone is interviewed, decide what the role is: the ages of the children, the hours, sole charge or shared care, travel, languages, driving, and how the nanny will work alongside other staff in the house. A maternity nurse, a nanny and a governess are different roles with different training, and the brief decides which you are looking for. A good nanny agency will press you on these points before it sends a single profile.
Living in is not the same as being on call.
Live-in arrangements are common in Dubai households, and they work well when the terms are clear. A live-in nanny needs a private room, defined working hours and time off that is truly time off. Decide in advance how evenings, weekends and family travel will be handled, and say so at interview. Difficulties in a live-in placement tend to begin with an assumption that nobody said out loud.
Vetting travels with the candidate.
A nanny’s career may cross several countries, and the references should be followed to each of them. We speak directly with former employers rather than rely on a letter, verify identity, see qualifications and certificates for ourselves, and ask for every gap to be explained. Childcare raises questions of its own: training, paediatric first aid and a sound understanding of safeguarding. No candidate reaches a family before a senior consultant has met them in person.
Sponsorship usually sits with the employer.
In a permanent placement, the family is the employer. A nanny employed by a household in the UAE generally works under a residence visa and work authorisation sponsored by that employer, and the application is usually handled by the family’s PRO. The UAE has its own legislation on domestic workers, and your PRO or legal adviser can tell you how it applies to your household.
The steps and the documents required change from time to time, so treat any general guide, this one included, as orientation rather than advice. Confirm the current process with your PRO before an offer is made. Once a candidate has accepted, our Dubai office supplies the candidate’s documents to you or your PRO, with the candidate’s knowledge.
Trial first, then the contract.
An interview shows how a person presents. A paid trial in your own home shows how they are with your children at the end of a long day. Once you have chosen, the contract should set out hours, time off, leave, accommodation, travel and notice in plain terms, so that nothing is left to memory. We arrange the trial and handle the onboarding that follows.
The placement begins on the first day.
A good start is not the end of the work. We check in at 30, 90 and 180 days, and a permanent placement is protected by our two-year placement assurance. Where a nanny is capable but would benefit from more structure, the Nanny Professional Standards Programme covers routines, safeguarding and early-years practice across five days, in your home or in a small group.
If you are hiring a nanny in Dubai, tell us about the household. We will tell you honestly what the role needs to be, and prepare a considered shortlist from there.
