Looking for work as a nanny, housemaid or carer in Cyprus is very doable — but the market is full of half-truths, and some of them cost workers money they should never pay. This guide lays out who can work in these roles, where the jobs actually are, and the rights that protect you, so you can search with your eyes open. It covers the Republic of Cyprus; the north (KKTC) runs a separate system.
Who can work in domestic roles
Your starting point depends on your citizenship, and it splits cleanly in two.
If you're a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you have free access to employment in Cyprus — no work permit needed. If you're staying more than three months you register for a Registration Certificate (MEU1) within four months of entry. The fee is €20, the certificate doesn't expire, and not registering can bring a penalty of up to €2,500 — so it's worth doing promptly.
If you're a third-country national (from outside the EU/EEA), you can't apply for a domestic-work permit yourself. The job comes first: a Cyprus family sponsors you for a specific household, and they file the permit. That whole process — the pink slip, your entitlements and changing employer — is set out from your side in our work-permit guide.
Where the jobs actually are
There's no single noticeboard for domestic work in Cyprus — the jobs are spread across a handful of channels, and it pays to use more than one. Here's the honest map:
- Online platforms — sites like this one, where you create a free profile and families browse and contact you directly. Free for workers, and your contact details stay yours until you choose to share them.
- Licensed employment agencies — agencies that match workers with families. In Cyprus they must hold a licence, and the register of licensed agencies is public, so you can check one is legitimate before dealing with it.
- Facebook community groups— busy local groups where families post that they're looking for help. Useful, but do your own checks; there's no vetting built in.
- Classifieds— general sites such as Bazaraki carry nanny, housekeeper and carer ads, mostly families advertising a role and the wage they're offering.
You never pay an agency
This is the single most important thing to know, and the one most often abused. Under Cyprus law (Law 126(I)/2012, Article 21), a worker bears no financial charge — direct or indirect — to find, secure or keep a job. Placement fees are the family's cost, not yours.
For third-country nationals the law goes further: your travel to Cyprus and the fees for issuing your residence and work permit fall exclusively on the employer, and can never be charged to you or deducted from your wages. An agency also isn't allowed to collect your salary from the employer on your behalf, even if you agree to it.
Red flags and your rights
Most families and agencies are fair, but knowing the lines protects you if one isn't. A few are worth committing to memory:
- Your passport is yours. An agency may not hold your passport or personal documents without your written consent (Article 19). No one should keep your documents to control you.
- Your wages go to your own account. For a permit worker, the employer must open a Euro bank account in your name and pay your salary into it each month — so nobody skims it in between.
- No one under 18 can be placed. Agencies are forbidden from placing anyone who hasn't turned 18.
- There's an official complaint route. For a genuine dispute over pay or treatment, the Department of Labour Relations is the channel to use, and a decision there in your favour is one of the things that doesn't count against your change-of-employer limit.
What the pay and hours are like
Be realistic about the numbers so you can judge an offer. For a live-in worker under the permit scheme, the legal floor is €460 a month gross plus room and board, from which Social Insurance and health contributions come off, along with up to 15% for food and 10% for accommodation. That's a floor, not a going rate: experienced live-out nannies on our own listings ask around €900–2,000 a month, and hourly babysitting averages about €11–14 depending on the city. There's more detail, with sources, in our salary guide.
On hours, the official domestic-worker contract sets six days a week at seven hours a day, with 24 working days of paid annual leave, 30 days of paid sick leave and nine public holidays. Those are your baseline entitlements — know them, because they're also how you spot a role that's asking too much.
Making your profile stand out
However you search, families are choosing between people they've never met, so give them reasons to trust you. A clear, friendly photo makes a real difference. So do references they can actually call, and any certificates you hold — first aid, childcare training, or a child-protection certificate all reassure a parent. Say plainly what you do, the ages or needs you're experienced with, the languages you speak, and whether you want live-in or live-out, hourly or monthly.
The simplest first step is to put yourself where families are already looking. You can create your free profile in a few minutes, browse open roles on the jobs board, and let the families who fit come to you — without paying a cent to do it.