Start with the job, not the person
Most problems with a new maid start before she arrives. A family says it needs "someone for the house", the maid assumes sweeping and mopping, and by the second week there is an argument about ironing. Ten minutes with a pen fixes this.
Walk through your home and list what has to happen every day, what happens weekly, and what happens only now and then. Be honest about the size of the work. A four-bedroom house in F-8 with three bathrooms, a lawn and guests every weekend is a different job from a two-bedroom flat in E-11.
- Daily: sweeping, mopping, dusting, dishes, making beds, emptying bins
- Weekly: changing sheets, bathrooms in depth, fans and windows, fridge clean
- Occasional: deep cleaning before Eid or guests, cupboards, carpets
- Laundry and ironing: whose clothes, how often, by machine or by hand
- Anything outside cleaning: helping in the kitchen, watching a child for a short while, opening the gate
Once you have the list, you know whether you need a part-time maid for a few hours each morning, a full-time maid for the whole day, or a housekeeper who can manage the house with less instruction.
Live-in or live-out: choose before you search
Live-in staff suit larger houses with a proper staff room and families who need help early in the morning or late at night. Live-out staff suit apartments, portions and families who value privacy in the evenings. Many homes in G-9 and G-11 are portions where a live-in arrangement is simply not practical.
If you choose live-in, the room matters as much as the salary. It should have a door that locks from inside, a fan, a light, a bed and bedding, and access to a bathroom. Our separate live-in staff guide covers this in detail.
| Live-in maid | Live-out maid | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Large houses, early starts, late evenings | Apartments, portions, fixed daytime hours |
| You provide | Room, bedding, meals, toiletries | Tea or a meal during duty |
| Hours | Need clear limits, or they drift | Fixed start and finish |
| Day off | Weekly, often with a visit home | Usually Sunday |
Where families in the twin cities find maids
Most families still hire through word of mouth: a neighbour's maid knows someone, or the guard at the society gate suggests a relative. This works, but it often means you skip the checks because the person "comes recommended".
An agency like Hire Staff Islamabad talks to candidates first, asks about their experience and the areas they can reach, and introduces people whose routine fits yours. Whichever way you find someone, the steps below still apply. A recommendation is a reason to meet someone, not a reason to skip the reference call.
Distance matters more than people expect. A maid who lives in Rawalpindi and works in DHA Islamabad may spend three hours a day travelling, and she will leave as soon as she finds a job closer to home. Ask where she lives and how she will travel.
The first meeting: what to ask
Keep the first meeting relaxed. Many good maids are nervous in interviews and say little. Ask open questions about real situations rather than "are you honest?", which everyone answers the same way.
- Where did you last work, how long did you stay, and what made you move on?
- What did a normal day look like in that house?
- Which tasks do you enjoy, and which do you prefer not to do?
- Have you used a washing machine and an iron for different fabrics?
- Where do you live, and how will you come each day?
- Is there anything about your family situation we should plan around?
Show her the house, or at least the main rooms. Watch how she reacts to the size of the work. A candidate who looks at three bathrooms and says nothing may be planning to do them less carefully than you expect.
Checks to make before she starts
Ask for her original CNIC and keep a clear photocopy or photo of both sides. Check that the face matches and the card is not expired. NADRA offers an SMS service on 8008 that returns the name linked to a CNIC number, which is a quick way to confirm the card is genuine.
Call at least one previous employer yourself. Do not rely on a written letter, which anyone can produce. Ask specific questions: how long she worked there, what her duties were, whether she was ever late or absent without notice, and whether they would hire her again.
Both Islamabad and Rawalpindi police ask households to register domestic staff. You can do this at your local police station or a Police Khidmat Markaz; the process changes from time to time, so check the current steps. Gated societies such as DHA and Bahria Town also register staff at the gate.
Our checklist of documents to collect covers every paper you should keep on file, with a printable list.
Run a short, paid trial
A trial day or two tells you more than any interview. Agree beforehand that the trial is paid, for how much, and which tasks it covers. Give her the real work, not a token task, and be around to answer questions without hovering.
At the end, look at the bathrooms and the kitchen corners rather than the middle of the floor. Ask how she found the work. If either of you has doubts, it is far easier to part ways after a trial than after a month.
Agree pay and terms in writing
Pay for maids varies with the hours, the house and the tasks. Our maid salary guide shows typical ranges in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which are a starting point for a conversation rather than a fixed rate. Never agree a full-time salary below the minimum wage notified for your area.
Write the main points on one page in plain Urdu or English, and both sign it. You do not need a lawyer for this.
- Start date, duties, working hours and weekly day off
- Monthly salary, the date it is paid, and how (cash or bank)
- Leave: Eid holidays and what happens with other absences
- Notice either side will give, usually two weeks to a month
- For live-in: the room, meals and any rules about visitors
The first month
Show her where things are kept and how you like them done once, clearly, rather than correcting her every hour. Give feedback at a set time, such as the end of each day in the first week, and then weekly.
Pay on the agreed date without reminders. Late salary is one of the most common reasons good maids leave. If things are going well at the end of the first month, say so. If they are not, have one honest conversation about the specific problem before deciding anything.
Questions
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