Decision guidance for employers — cost, contracts, nationality, agency versus direct. Buyer's guides, not listings.
A private household cannot lawfully hire a Filipino nanny or maid in Thailand: the MOU channel covers only Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and the Philippines bans direct hiring of household workers. Doing it anyway is illegal employment — employer fine 10,000–100,000 baht per worker. The lawful alternative is an English-speaking Thai or MOU-channel nanny.
Read →Legal reality first: a Filipino cannot be lawfully hired as a maid by a private Thai household — Thailand admits foreign domestic labour only via the MOU with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. A Thai national needs no permit. Market pay runs Filipino above Thai above Burmese, driven by English, but exact baht gaps are anecdotal.
Read →Two facts decide a Thai maid hire: who you can legally employ (Thai needs no permit; foreign workers only via the MOU channel with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam; a Filipino household maid is not lawful) and the two non-negotiable documents — an MR 15 contract and, for migrants, a work permit. Budget a live-in Bangkok maid at roughly 15,000–25,000 baht/month all-in.
Read →A day maid is cheaper to start and lighter on your home; a live-in maid costs more all-in once you add a private room, food and utilities, but buys far more availability. The legal floor is identical for both under MR 15 — one paid rest day, 13 paid holidays, paid leave, and the 400 baht/day Bangkok minimum wage.
Read →The full cost stack to hire a maid in Bangkok: salary (advertised at roughly 12,000–20,000 baht/month, statutory floor 400 baht/day), MOU work-permit fees of about 3,700–4,200 baht paid by the employer, food and accommodation in kind for live-in, and a one-off agency placement fee. Permit costs verified; salary and agency figures labelled estimates.
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