How does childcare work in Bali?

Affordable domestic help changes daily life for families in Bali more than almost anything else, and the employment obligations attached to it are consistently underestimated by foreign employers.

What is available

A live-out nanny — *pengasuh* — working defined hours, usually the most common arrangement.

A live-in nanny, with accommodation provided, which changes the cost structure and the relationship.

Combined roles, where one person covers childcare, cleaning and cooking. Common, and worth being explicit about, because an open-ended role produces resentment.

Daycare and preschools, particularly in Canggu, Umalas, Sanur and Ubud, ranging from local facilities to international-standard settings with international fees.

International schools, which are the larger expense and are covered separately.

Cost

Substantially less than Australia, Europe or North America, which is a large part of why families find Bali workable.

Wages must meet the regional minimum wage (UMK), set per regency and revised annually. Badung's is among the higher rates in Bali, reflecting the tourism economy.

In practice, experienced nannies with English, childcare experience and references command meaningfully more than the minimum, particularly in Canggu and Seminyak where competition for good people is real. That premium is worth paying and it is small in absolute terms.

The obligations on top

This is the part foreign employers miss.

BPJS Ketenagakerjaan — employment social security covering work accident, death, old age and pension. Split between employer and employee, employer-weighted.

BPJS Kesehatan — health insurance. Also split.

THR — *Tunjangan Hari Raya*, the religious holiday allowance. One month's salary, paid annually before the relevant religious holiday, pro-rated for under twelve months' service. It is a legal obligation with a deadline, not a discretionary bonus, and forgetting it is the most common mistake foreign employers make.

Overtime, at prescribed rates.

Leave and public holidays, of which Indonesia has many.

Together these commonly add twenty to thirty-five percent to the base wage.

Termination, which is the real exposure

Indonesian labour law protects employees substantially.

Dismissal requires valid grounds, a defined process, and in most cases severance, service appreciation pay and compensation calculated on length of service. For someone employed for several years that runs to many months of salary, and it is not negotiable down by agreement in advance.

For a family who employed a nanny for four years and then moves back to Australia, that is a real and frequently unanticipated cost at exactly the moment they are paying for an international move.

Plan for it. Understand the exposure from the start, set it aside, and take advice before terminating rather than after.

Contracts

Use a written contract. Role, hours, salary, days off, leave, and what the job actually covers.

Understand fixed-term contracts (PKWT), which are permitted only for genuinely temporary, seasonal or project work with limits on duration and renewal. Misusing them to avoid permanence converts the contract to permanent by operation of law, which is the outcome you were trying to avoid.

Do not treat a long-standing, full-time, exclusively engaged helper as a contractor. Indonesian law looks at the substance of the relationship, and such a person is very likely an employee whatever the paperwork says.

Finding someone

Word of mouth, through other families, is how most placements happen and it is the most reliable route.

Agencies exist and vary.

References, checked, and ideally a trial period.

Language. Many nannies speak some English; many do not. This is a strong practical argument for learning Bahasa Indonesia, which is unusually learnable and which changes the relationship entirely.

The cultural dimension

Ceremonies matter. Staff have genuine community obligations, particularly around Galungan, Kuningan and Nyepi. Planning around them rather than resenting them is both correct and practical.

Family obligations in Balinese life are extensive, and requests for time will happen.

Treat people well. Bali is a small community, reputation travels, and families known for paying properly and behaving decently get better applicants. Families who do not, do not.