Hiring a maid, cleaner & domestic helper in Koh Tao.

Koh Tao has no dedicated domestic-staff or maid agency of its own — the honest starting point on this small, dive-focused island. Almost everyone finds a cleaner or housekeeper the same way: word of mouth through the island's tight-knit dive-instructor and long-stay expat community, or a direct introduction from a fellow resident. It is the cheapest route and, on an island this size, often the most reliable, since reputations travel fast.

Koh Tao's expat and "buy-sell" Facebook groups and local LINE groups are where residents post when they need a cleaner or a maid, and where Thai and Burmese cleaners already working on the island advertise their availability. Expect to do your own vetting and reference-checking, same as anywhere in Thailand.

If you're renting through a villa owner, small local agent, resort or guesthouse, ask them directly — many already have a cleaner who services their own property or a neighbour's, and can vouch for them. Because Koh Tao's rental market runs on informal, direct landlord relationships rather than managed condo buildings, this is often the fastest low-risk starting point.

Home Staff International, an international domestic-staff recruiter, lists Bangkok, Phuket and Samui as its Thailand coverage, with housekeepers who can relocate for a live-in position — a realistic route if you want a background-checked, agency-placed housekeeper and are willing to house her on Koh Tao and pay a placement fee. No agency currently advertises Koh Tao as a standalone office; confirm relocation terms and fees directly before booking.

Nanny Service Koh Samui and similar operators explicitly travel to Koh Tao for short vacation bookings — but they place trained, CPR-certified childcare nannies, not maids or house cleaners, and say so plainly (their own FAQ stresses they "do not use house cleaners" as nannies). Useful if you need a babysitter for a trip, not a substitute for hiring a housekeeper.

General cleaning, mopping, dusting, laundry and ironing, washing up, making beds, tidying and taking out rubbish — the same baseline as anywhere in Thailand.

Cooking and meal prep, grocery runs to Mae Haad or Sairee, pet care, plant watering and small errands. On this island, transport to a hillside bungalow or a boat-access-only property is worth clarifying separately, since not every cleaner has a scooter.

Hours and days, whether cleaning products are supplied, what happens during the low season when your helper may take other work, overtime, and pay while you travel off the island.

Because most Koh Tao hires come through word of mouth rather than an agency file, ask directly who else the person has worked for on the island and message that family or dive shop. A helper nobody on Koh Tao can vouch for is the clearest warning sign, given how small and connected the community is.

See a Thai ID card, or for Burmese and other migrant workers, a passport and valid work documents. Reluctance to show ID is a red flag anywhere in Thailand, including here.

Do a paid trial clean or a one-to-two-week probation before agreeing to a live-in arrangement. It is the fastest way to judge reliability on an island where formal references are scarcer than in Bangkok or Phuket.

Put duties, hours, salary, day off and holiday pay in writing so expectations are clear on both sides — useful anywhere, but especially where an informal, undocumented hire is the norm.

If background checks and a formal contract matter to you, a Samui-based recruiter that places live-in staff is worth the placement fee over an anonymous classified ad, though you will be one of the few clients asking them to place someone on Koh Tao specifically.

No — Koh Tao does not have its own dedicated domestic-staff or maid agency. Almost all hiring happens informally, through the island's dive-instructor and expat community, Facebook and LINE groups, or a referral from your villa owner, guesthouse or resort. If you specifically want an agency-vetted, background-checked live-in housekeeper, the nearest option is a Koh Samui-based recruiter (such as Home Staff International, which covers Bangkok, Phuket and Samui) whose staff can relocate to the island for a live-in role and a placement fee.

As a 2026 guide: a part-time cleaner coming once or twice a week runs roughly THB 2,500-5,000 a month, a daily live-out maid (5-6 days) about THB 10,000-16,000, and a live-in maid or housekeeper THB 10,000-18,000 a month plus room and board. A live-in housekeeper placed through a Koh Samui recruitment agency typically runs higher, THB 15,000-25,000 plus room, board and a placement fee, since you're also paying for vetting and relocation. A one-off deep clean is roughly THB 1,200-3,000. These are indicative ranges — confirm current rates locally, since Koh Tao's small labour pool and seasonal tourist demand can push prices up in high season.

Yes, indirectly. Nanny Service Koh Samui and similar Samui-based operators explicitly travel to Koh Tao for vacation bookings, but they place trained, CPR-certified childcare nannies — not house cleaners or general maids. If you need ongoing in-home childcare rather than a holiday babysitter, treat this as a separate hire from your cleaner or housekeeper.

Thai nationals doing domestic work need nothing special from you. Migrant workers, most commonly Burmese, must hold valid work documents, and a foreign (non-Thai) helper legally requires a proper work permit and visa — employing someone undocumented is illegal and risky anywhere in Thailand, including a small island where enforcement can still apply. Rules change, so confirm current requirements before hiring, especially if you go through a formal agency placement.

A local, informal hire through the dive community or a Facebook group is cheaper and faster but puts the vetting entirely on you — check references and IDs yourself. A Koh Samui-based recruitment agency costs more (salary plus a placement fee) but does background checks, offers a formal contract and, for some agencies, a replacement guarantee if the placement doesn't work out — worth it if you want a live-in housekeeper and prefer someone else to handle the screening.