Housemaids

Most of the companies that hire out maids at an hourly rate charge 30QR. There are other agencies that have 'packages' such as 12 hours a week for 800QR (Nepali). These are usually ladies that work in a cleaning company during the morning and then their company allows them extra work in the afternoons (the comapany keeps 50% of the wage). You may also find advertisements here on QLiving for individuals wanting extra work in the afternoons. Phillipinos tend to me more expensive but they also tend to speak better English.

There are many companies for organising live in maids, but I don't really know about the charges. You have to pay all sorts of fees, plus air ticket and commit to having that person in your house for two years.

Depends how you go about trying to find one with regards to how easy it is.

There's lots of things to take into consideration when wanting to hire one too, for eg, nationality, live in/out etc.

Filipinos tend to be a favourite because they 'seem' to be more loving towards children, and they are very good at their jobs. Not to say that Sri Lankens or Ethipians aren't, because they can be and are. Filipinos just seem to be the favourite...for some.

The Philippino Government have just set a minimum wage for workers coming into Qatar of $400 (USD) per month, but this is a proposal that is being rejected by the Qatari Government, so as it stands at the moment, Filipinos cannot be bought into the country to work. You could, however, find a maid who wishes to transfer sponsorship from their current employer (this happens for many reasons, like present sponsor repatriating) or you could go to an agency who will find end for you. Agency fees tend to be approx. 10000QR...going it alone and transferring sponsorship could be 1800QR (just the Immigration fee for transfer) or could end up costing more on top of that...it depends on individual circumstances.

So, Filipinos - the going rate for an expat to pay is approx. 1500QR per month. It's sometimes more.

I have heard of Sri Lankans being paid $250 per month...I don't know how true this is.

It's my personal opinion that if you are going to place your children in the care of someone else, you will want to make certain they are happy in their environment and try to eliminate as many worries for them as you can. They often send money back to support their own families and the money we pay them really isn't a huge amount at all.

Here this helps! Shout if you need more info.