Answering a few of Jan’s questions about how our Nanny relationship came to be. We have always hired our own help, usually based on a personal recommendation and interview. When we were making arrangements to move to Abu Dhabi I was looking to hire someone part time, since at this stage of life I have very limited babysitting needs (I can usually rely on one of my 3 built in babysitters), but it turns out that the law here requires that household help be sponsored and employed full time. No part time labor is allowed. Sponsorship means that you are vouching for this individual and are responsible for them and their actions while they are in the UAE. Each year you pay for their residency visa, medical exams, and immigration fees (which add up to almost 5 thousand dollars). It’s a big financial commitment up front.
Q&A: household help
This is a good thing in that it is intended to cut down on human trafficking and slave labor situations. The law also determines a minimum salary and benefits, including housing, medical insurance, and vacation time/flight home. I’ll just say that this is a great requirement, but it doesn’t always work out that way in real life. There are endless sad stories of mistreatment, abuse, and nonpayment of help.
A few months before arriving we received a message from a family living in our future neighborhood, asking if we were interested in sponsoring household help. They had a nanny who had been with them for 4 years and had recently brought her younger sister to the UAE to help her find a job. They wanted to place her in a house in the same compound so the sisters could be close together.
We agreed to give her a go on a trial basis and so far, so good. If it didn’t work out, as her sponsors we would be required to make sure that she is transferred to another sponsor or to send her home. We couldn’t just dismiss her from employment because we are responsible for her while she’s under our visa. Overall the perks have been worth the expense and the minor headaches that pop up here and there. And it’s to Nanny’s benefit to work here since she can earn in one month more than the average person earns in a year in her home country. I know she desperately misses her baby (a boy who is almost 2 years old), but so many women make this sacrifice to financially assist their families. I don’t know how they do it emotionally, but it’s what many families all over the world do as routine. The younger ones work, leaving children in the care of the grandparents, then eventually they become the grandparents caring for babies while their children go off to work abroad.
Thanks for the idea for a topic Jan! (yes, Kristy. I know I owe you a post about my new house now that my things have arrived . . . I haven’t forgotten.)