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When a family decides on hiring domestic workers for the first time, the conversation usually starts with one question: which recruitment office should we choose? But the harder decision sits inside your home, before any office: what tasks do you actually need done? Who will supervise the worker? Where will she live? And what do the regulations say about her rights and yours?
This guide starts from your home rather than from a list of offices. It walks you through four stages: preparing before you search, understanding the contract, using the waiting period well, and the first 90 days that shape the relationship for years. At each stage you will know what to prepare, what to ask any recruitment office, and when to pause and reconsider.
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🔍 Ready to begin? Browse hiring domestic workers by nationality and experience, and start narrowing your options today. |
A family that has hired before knows what it can and cannot handle. In your first experience you face three unknowns at once: the regulations, the office, and your own household. Regret rarely comes from the office alone. It usually comes from a gap between what the family expected and what the home was actually ready for: a room that was not prepared, tasks that were never written down, or several people giving conflicting instructions.
So we start with the part you fully control, which is your home.
Do you need general cleaning, childcare, care for an elderly family member, or daily cooking? Write the tasks on a single page before contacting any office. This is not a formality: the domestic work contract states the type of work the worker is committed to, and she may not be assigned work outside the profession written in the contract or be made to work for others.
Most first-week problems begin when a worker hears different instructions from the mother, the grandmother, and the children. Agree on one point of reference in advance, and have everyone else pass their notes through that person.
Under the domestic worker regulation, the employer must provide suitable accommodation for the worker and suitable food, or a cash equivalent, according to the rules set by the official authorities. In practice, prepare a bed, storage space, good ventilation, and private access to a bathroom before the worker arrives, not after.
The budget does not stop at recruitment fees. Count the monthly wage, food, and daily needs, and remember that after two years of service the worker is entitled to leave and a travel ticket under the regulation, and to an end-of-service award when the relationship ends. Whoever counts these numbers early decides more calmly.
The domestic work contract governs your relationship with the worker under mandatory contract templates set by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. The Arabic text is the binding one, translated into the language the worker understands in her home country. Among the essentials the contract must include:
The type of work the worker will perform.
The wage and how it is paid.
The probation period, if both parties agree to one.
Daily working hours, weekly rest, and overtime cases.
The contract duration and how it is extended or ended.
Insurance on the domestic work contract, according to the governing instructions.
Note also that a domestic work contract is meant to be fixed-term; if it does not state a duration, it is treated as concluded and renewable for one year from the day work begins. Read the whole contract, and ask the office to explain any clause you do not understand before you agree.
Bearing the recruitment fees, residence fees, and work permit fees, including renewals.
Never keeping the worker’s passport or any of her personal documents.
Allowing her to contact her family, her country’s embassy, and the competent authorities.
No physical or verbal abuse, and no assigning work that endangers her health or her dignity.
Providing suitable housing and food, and paying the wage on time.
The regulation sets penalties for employers who violate it, which can include a fine or a ban from recruitment depending on the violation. That is one more reason to read the regulation before the journey begins, not after the first dispute.
The worker is committed to performing the agreed work with the care of an ordinary person, following instructions that do not contradict the contract or the law, protecting the family’s property and privacy, and respecting Islam, the regulations, and the customs of Saudi society.
A worker may not be actually employed for more than ten hours a day.
She should not work more than five consecutive hours without a break of at least half an hour for food and prayer, and her uninterrupted daily rest must be at least eight hours.
She is entitled to a weekly day of rest with full pay, not less than 24 consecutive hours, set by agreement in the contract.
After two years of service, if both sides wish to renew, she is entitled to thirty days of leave and a travel ticket under the regulation.
She is entitled to sick leave of up to thirty days with a medical report: the first 15 days at full pay and the rest at half pay.
This information comes from the Ministry’s guide to the rights and duties of employers and domestic workers. Regulations can be updated, so check with the official authorities for the latest version before you sign.
Once you know what you need and what the regulation says, evaluating recruitment offices becomes much easier, because you measure each office against your own household’s standards:
Never contract with an office without verifying its license with the official authorities. This condition has no exceptions, however tempting the offer.
Ask whether the price includes the ticket and medical exam, whether tax is added, and request every item in writing. A low number can hide items that appear later.
Make sure the warranty period and replacement terms are written in the contract. A promise over the phone will not protect you when you need it.
An office that answers clearly before contracting is more likely to follow your request clearly afterward. Ask about the steps and timelines of your request, and notice whether you get specific answers or general phrases.
Some offices concentrate their experience on particular nationalities. Ask how many requests the office has completed for that nationality instead of relying on a general impression.
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📋 Compare offers by your city and the worker’s nationality: choose the right recruitment office from the offices listed. |
The most common mistake of first-time employers is accepting the first offer they hear because they want to finish. Comparing two or three offers reveals differences in what is included, the warranty, and the timeline, and gives you a stronger position when you ask questions. You can start from the recruitment offices page to read offers from offices such as Hudood Al-Afkar, Al-Da’era Recruitment Company, Smart Resources Recruitment Office, and Tawassut, among others, then compare prices, cities, and locations yourself.
The time needed to complete recruitment varies by nationality and by official procedures, and in some cases can reach about 90 days from paying the cost and signing the contract. Do not treat it as lost time; it is your chance to prepare the home. Use it for four things:
Prepare the room fully and check its cleanliness and ventilation.
Write a "home guide" on one page: meal times, where things are kept, privacy rules, and rest hours.
Talk with your children about how to treat the worker and respect her rest time.
Agree as a family on the first-week plan and who will accompany the worker during her first days.
Track your request through the official platforms and through the office, and ask for the expected arrival date in writing whenever it changes.
The domestic worker regulation allows both parties to agree in writing to place the worker on probation for no more than ninety days, during which the employer verifies her professional competence and conduct. Either party may end the contract on their own during this period, and a worker may not be placed on probation more than once with the same employer unless her work changes. So treat it as a three-stage plan:
Show her the home, show her the tools, and explain the routine with simple examples. Do not judge her performance in the first days; travel, a new room, and new faces take time.
Keep tasks and times consistent, and review with her what is going well and what needs adjusting. Constantly changing instructions confuse any new employee, let alone someone learning the language and habits of your home.
Write your notes with dates: does she keep to the agreed tasks? Is communication clear? Are rest hours respected on both sides? These notes help you decide before probation ends instead of relying on impressions alone.
Let us be clear: whatever nationality you choose, small misunderstandings about requests, names, and timings will happen in the first weeks. That is normal and does not necessarily mean the choice was wrong. The fix is practical: use short sentences and one instruction at a time, use photos and picture cards to name tools, try translation apps when needed, and set aside a few minutes daily for a short review. When comparing profiles, pay attention to the languages listed in each worker’s file to gauge how easy communication will be in your home.
Moving from office to office and calling each one separately takes days, and information scatters across calls and messages. The solution is to gather what you need in one place: a simple table with nationality, city, what the price includes, warranty length, and expected arrival date, then compare the options side by side. Platforms that bring offers together on one page can make this step easier.
The Ayady platform brings together licensed recruitment offices in one place and helps you compare workers, offices, and prices. It gives you a clearer view of your options and makes choosing easier. You can start from hiring domestic workers by nationality and city, browse profiles, and compare offers before contacting any provider.
Ayady operates as a technical and marketing intermediary, not a recruitment office or a financing entity. Recruitment services are provided through licensed service providers, while financing approval, terms, and decisions remain subject to the relevant financing entity.
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💳 Prefer spreading the cost over payments? Explore hiring domestic workers on installments and compare the available options. |
If paying in full at once strains your family budget, hiring domestic workers on installments may be an option worth considering. These options are offered through licensed financing companies, and their details and terms vary from one provider to another.
Remember that financing approval and its terms are decided by the financing entity alone, and a plan may not suit every family. Read the terms in full before agreeing, and add the monthly installment to the worker’s wage and household expenses to make sure it is comfortable for you.
Looking for an office before defining the required tasks precisely.
Contracting with the first offer without comparing several recruitment offices.
Signing without reading the warranty clause, the probation period, and the rest hours.
Preparing the home after the worker arrives instead of before.
Having several points of authority in the family and giving conflicting instructions.
Keeping the worker’s passport or documents, which the regulation prohibits.
Judging the worker in week one before she has learned the household.
Write the job description and the home guide before contacting any office.
Keep a copy of the contract, payment receipts, and all your communication with the office.
Request the price breakdown and warranty in writing; do not rely on spoken promises.
Start with a few clear tasks and add more gradually.
Honor her rest day and sleeping hours; mutual respect builds a lasting relationship.
Write your probation-period notes with dates.
The first step is to define your household’s need: the required tasks, who will supervise the worker, and where she will live. Then start comparing nationalities and licensed recruitment offices. Platforms that bring offices together, such as Ayady, help you compare in one place.
It varies by nationality and official procedures, and in some cases can reach about 90 days from paying the cost and signing the contract. Ask the office for the expected timeline and get it in writing.
Both parties may agree in writing to a probation period of no more than 90 days, and either may end the contract on their own during it. Probation is not repeated with the same employer unless the work changes.
She may not be actually employed for more than ten hours a day, should not work more than five consecutive hours without a break, and must have at least eight hours of uninterrupted daily rest plus a weekly day of rest with full pay.
Under the domestic worker regulation, the employer bears the recruitment fees, residence fees, and work permit fees, including renewals. Check your contract and the office’s offer to confirm what the price covers.
No. It is an employer’s obligation not to keep the worker’s passport or any of her personal documents or belongings.
Verify the office’s license, request the price and warranty breakdown in writing, and compare more than one offer. Ayady lets you compare licensed recruitment offices in one place to make choosing easier.
Ayady gives you access to options for hiring domestic workers on installments through licensed financing companies, while financing approval and terms remain subject to the relevant financing entity.
No. Ayady is a technical platform that brings together licensed recruitment offices and helps you compare them; recruitment services are provided by the licensed offices.
For more answers, visit Ayady’s frequently asked questions about hiring domestic workers page.
Hiring a domestic worker for the first time does not begin with choosing a recruitment office. It begins with understanding what your home needs and what the regulation says about rights and duties. Write the job description, prepare the housing, read the contract carefully, use the waiting period to prepare the home, and treat the first 90 days as a plan you review calmly. Then you will have chosen the office and the worker with confidence in your decision.
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✅ Start now by browsing hiring domestic workers and comparing licensed recruitment offices in one place, and begin a well-planned recruitment journey with domestic worker recruitment on Ayady, with the option of hiring domestic workers on installments subject to the financing entity’s terms. |
