Indian nanny in Sharjah gets no holidays, ‘slavery wages’ as salary: ‘She doesn’t speak English’

Redditor said that his aunt earns just around 1,050 dirhams ( ₹25,000) a month — with no weekly off and extremely limited personal freedom.

A Reddit post has drawn attention to the harsh working conditions faced by some domestic workers in the UAE. The post, shared by a user describing their aunt’s experience, detailed how she is an Indian woman working as a live-in nanny in Sharjah.

A post about an Indian nanny earning low wages has sparked a debate (Representational image)

The Redditor said that his aunt earns just around 1,050 dirhams ( ₹25,000) a month — with no weekly off and extremely limited personal freedom.

A long list of chores

According to the Redditor, the woman, a South Indian who doesn’t speak English, looks after two children, handles all household chores, and cooks every meal for the family. “My aunt is a live-in nanny in Sharjah. She takes care of 2 kids, does all the house chores and prepares all the food,” the Reddit user wrote.

Despite the heavy workload, she reportedly has no regular day off. In fact, she does not get any weekly offs and is expected to work through the whole month. When she requests leave to visit her relatives, the employers “maybe allow 1–3 hours once a month.”

How much does live in nannies get paid?
byu/Theforceshallsaveyou inUAE

The post raised questions about fair pay and working conditions for domestic workers in the UAE, where many migrant women from South and Southeast Asia are employed as nannies, maids or cooks under live-in arrangements.

While the family has sponsored her visa — a legal requirement in the UAE — commenters on the platform called the pay “shockingly low”.

Slavery wages?

Several Reddit users in the comments section reported that they pay their nannies three to four times the amount mentioned. Others said that the woman’s lack of English skills were holding her back professionally.

“1k is slavery wages, my relatives paid 3-4k to their nanny for the same workload you mentioned,” wrote one user.

“I pay 3k, flight home every year, food and she has at least 1 day off a week where she stays somewhere else,” another said.

“In Sharjah, not speaking English restricts the options a lot. Best would be learning the language until the end of the contract and move to Dubai to look for a better position,” a user suggested.