A good Maldives vacancy states six things: the job title, the island, the pay, what you provide, how to apply and the closing date. Leave one out and good candidates skip your advert or write to ask.
1,599 vacancies are open in the Maldives on CareersMV as of 7 Oct 2026: 1,096 at 123 resorts and 398 in government and the public sector.
The six things every vacancy needs
Put these at the top, before the duties. A candidate reading on a phone should see them in the first screen.
| Item | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Job title | The common title, then your house title if you use one | Butler (Island Host) |
| Place | Island and atoll, and whether the job is on a resort | Resort island, Baa Atoll |
| Pay | Monthly basic in MVR or USD, plus allowances and service charge | USD [amount] basic, service charge, overtime |
| What you provide | Accommodation, meals, transfers, flights, leave, insurance | Shared staff room, all meals, annual ticket |
| How to apply | One channel, and what to send | Email CV and passport copy to the address given |
| Closing date | A real date, with a time if it matters | 31 October 2026, 12:00 |
Use the title people search for
Write the title candidates type, then your brand's name for it. Resorts use names like Island Host or Villa Host for butlers. Someone searching "butler jobs maldives" will miss an advert that only says Island Host.
Give the level too. "Chef de Partie, pastry" tells a cook more than "Chef".
Say where the job is
Name the island and the atoll, and say if it is a resort, a city office or a vessel. Travel between islands costs time and money, so place decides who applies.
If staff live on site, say so. On resorts most do: 91% of resort employees lived on the resort in 2022, according to the Maldives Bureau of Statistics.
State the pay
State the pay if you want more of the right people to apply. Resorts rarely advertise pay, so an advert that shows it stands out.
You do not need an exact figure. A range works, as long as it is real. Split it the way the contract will:
- basic salary, a month
- fixed allowances, such as food, island or attendance allowance
- service charge, if you are in tourism
- overtime rules
Tourism businesses must charge at least 10% service charge and share it equally among all employees (Employment Act, section 52). The Labour Relations Authority lists the businesses covered, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses and tourist vessels. Saying "service charge paid" in a resort advert costs you nothing and answers the next question.
Government adverts show how far detail can go. A council vacancy in the Government Gazette lists the salary, the post allowance, a daily attendance allowance, pension and overtime.
Say what you provide
Spell out accommodation, meals and travel: for someone moving to an island, they are part of the pay. Write them as facts: "shared room for two", "three meals a day", "speedboat transfer", "one ticket home a year".
For foreign hires, accommodation is not optional. Regulation 2025/R-120 requires the employer to arrange it for the whole employment (Article 60). Saying so in the advert reassures candidates.
Write requirements that are about the job
List only what the job needs: qualifications, experience, languages, licences. The Employment Act, section 4, bans discrimination in hiring on race, colour, social standing, religion, political views, sex or marital status. Family obligations, and within the Act's limits age or disability, are covered too.
The same section allows you to weigh qualifications, aptitude and experience. It also says preferring Maldivians is not discrimination.
Mark which requirements are essential and which are a plus. Long wish lists put off qualified people who meet most of them.
Describe the job in five to eight lines
Say what a normal day involves and who the person reports to. Keep it to the duties that make this job different, not the ones every job has.
Add the contract type: permanent, fixed term, seasonal or for a specific project. A fixed-term contract can run for up to 2 years in total; renewals beyond that make it permanent (Employment Act, section 13).
Tell people how to apply and when
Give one way to apply and list what to send: CV, cover letter, certificates, passport copy for foreign applicants. Two channels split your replies and confuse people.
Set a closing date and keep to it. If you will only contact shortlisted candidates, say so; it saves you a stream of follow-up messages.
Never ask candidates to pay to apply. If you will hire a foreign worker, the quota, work permit fees and deposit are yours to pay under Regulation 2025/R-120 (Article 77).
If you might hire from abroad
To use a quota for a foreign worker, you must first advertise the job on the National Job Center for at least 7 days. The advert states how many people you need and the job details. You must then pay the foreign hire the salary and benefits it offered (Schedule 2, Article 18).
Write that advert as carefully as any other: its pay and requirements bind you later. The full process is in hiring foreign workers in the Maldives. Check your own case with the Department of Foreign Labour on 1485.
A template you can copy
“Waiter, fine dining (Waiter / F&B Attendant) Resort island, Raa Atoll. Full time, 2-year contract. Pay: USD [amount] a month basic, plus service charge and overtime. We provide: shared staff room, meals, transfers, [flights], [insurance]. You will: serve breakfast and dinner in our main restaurant; take orders in English; set and clear tables; know the menu and wine list. You need: 1 year in a hotel restaurant; good spoken English. Russian or Chinese is a plus. Apply: email your CV to [address] by [date]. We reply to shortlisted candidates within [number] days.”
Posting on CareersMV
Posting a job on CareersMV is free; optional paid promotion is listed on the pricing page. A listing needs a title, a category, the job type, the location and the work arrangement (listing standards). It also needs a description, how to apply and a closing date up to 60 days ahead.
CareersMV never estimates or fills in pay. If you leave pay out, the listing says it is not advertised.
Questions people ask
Do I have to put the salary in a job advert in the Maldives?
No rule we found requires a private employer to state pay in a general advert. Pay binds you in one case: a quota worker must get the pay your National Job Center advert offered.
Can I advertise for a specific age or gender?
The Employment Act bans discrimination in hiring on grounds including sex, marital status and family obligations, and, within the Act's limits, age. List the skills and experience the job needs instead.
Should the advert be in English or Dhivehi?
Write in the language your candidates read. For an international resort team that is English; to reach Maldivian applicants on the islands, add a Dhivehi version.
How long should a vacancy stay open?
Long enough for people on other islands to see it and reply; two to four weeks suits most jobs. If you plan to hire from abroad, the National Job Center advert must run at least 7 days first.
Sources
- Employment Act 2/2008, consolidated English translation (Labour Relations Authority)
- Regulation on Employment of Foreigners in the Maldives, 2025/R-120 (Government Gazette, Dhivehi)
- Labour Relations Authority: Service Charge Regulation gazetted
- Government Gazette: civil service vacancy notice, Feydhoo Council, 6 October 2026
- Maldives Bureau of Statistics: Employment in Resorts 2022
- CareersMV: listing standards
- CareersMV: pricing
Checked on 7 Oct 2026. Rules and fees change: check with the official office for your own case. Something out of date? Tell us.