Types of Help Explained

  • Housekeeper
  • Nanny
  • Nanny Housekeeper
  • Housekeeper Nanny
  • Companion Housekeeper 
  • Mother's help
  • Professional Domestic Couple
  • Household Personal Assistant
  • House Manager
  • Private Chef
  • Governess

Housekeeper

The role of a housekeeper is very different to that of a cleaner. The Housekeeper effectively has full responsibility for the running of your home.

Apart from the obvious duties such as cleaning, laundry and ironing, housekeeping duties can be as varied as shopping, bed linen changing changes, taking care of plants, deep cleaning on a rotational basis, polishing silver and brass, organising cupboards, taking messages, organising tradesmen, food preparation, dinner party help, care of pets, and occasional childcare.

Nanny

A full time Nanny normally works between 35 and 70 hours per week. The primary responsibility is to care for your children in your home providing a fun, age appropriate, educational and loving day. Nannies can be part-time or full-time, live-in or live-out. A nanny will often commit to some evening babysitting on top of the working week.

The majority of our nannies, mother’s helps and child-carers hold recognised childcare qualifications.

Many years of experience have shown that some nannies, though not qualified, have committed themselves to the nanny profession and have become truly fantastic nannies.

We look for professional nannies and child-carers who have chosen the childcare industry as their career.

They are well educated, have a good knowledge of both diet and exercise, possess abundant patience and a firm but kind approach to discipline.

A good Nanny has a nurturing character and aims to fill the child’s day with outdoor activities and stimulating past times.

A nanny is qualified and/or experienced. Suitable qualifications include:

  • Diploma in childcare and Education (level 3)
  • Diploma in Early Years Practice (Level 3)
  • NVQ or SVQ level 3 in Early Years Care and Education (level 3)
  • BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in Early Years
  • BTEC Certificate in Children’s Care and Education
  • Edexcel BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in Early Childhood studies (level 3)
  • LCCIEB NVQ Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education
  • Advanced Modern Apprenticeship in Early Years Care and Education
  • NVQ Level 3 Certificate in Work with Children APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning)
  • Montessori Diploma of Education from birth to 6
  • The Chiltern College Certificate
  • The Norland Certificate

These courses involve both written work and practical experience in all areas of baby and pre-school development and care.

A Nanny without qualifications will have several years working with children and some positions are eminently suitable for those with no formal qualifications but who have experience and who can provide sound, verifiable references. The level of experience will be investigated in interview.

It is very important that whether a nanny is qualified or not that you feel comfortable with this person to leave them in sole charge of your child.

The Nanny will have various duties depending on the ages of your children. Duties normally include:

  • sterilising and preparing bottles
  • feeding and weaning
  • changing nappies, potty training
  • school runs, and driving to after school activities
  • homework supervision
  • games and activities
  • preparation of nutritious meals and clearing up the kitchen afterwards
  • provision of a nurturing environment for your child
  • children's washing and ironing
  • keeping their rooms tidy
  • clearing away the toys

The nanny should have the skill to develop your child in all areas including, intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development.
The primary role is care of the children and therefore household cleaning is not normally included but should be specifically discussed if it is required (see Nanny/Housekeeper).

Nannies can live in or out, and salaries will vary accordingly.

Nanny/Housekeeper or Housekeeper/Nanny

The Nanny/Housekeeper  is willing to undertake both childcare and housekeeping duties with an emphasis to suit the employer. They may be  sole charge for working parents particularly if the children are at school but also are likely to work alongside a stay at home parent offering the skills to cover both childcare and housekeeping as the schedule requires and offer extra pairs of hands at those busy times.

The Nanny/Housekeeper will carry out not only all duties relating to the children (laundry, their rooms and cooking for them) but also are happy to do whole house cleaning, family laundry (including beds) and ironing, and family cooking.

The Housekeeper Nanny role is similar, but the emphasis of the role is on the Housekeeping side of things.

Companion Housekeeper

The Companion Housekeeper role provides our clients with a carefully chosen Housekeeper Companion so that our clients can enjoy companionship and care in the comfort of their own home.

A Companion Housekeeper (sometimes called Companion Carer) is an essential asset to any home where an individual or an elderly couple require someone to help with everyday tasks and provide companionship, emotional support as well as caring for the home. This role is most suited to those who are capable of caring for themselves, but who are looking for some extra hep and companionship.

Typical duties can include:

  • Accompanying to and from appointments including doctor, hospital etc.
  • Shopping
  • Cooking and sharing mealtimes if desired
  • Errands
  • Accompanying on outings, family visits, day trips and holidays
  • Light domestic support to include cleaning and laundry
  • Pet care
  • Assisting with correspondence, and paperwork
  • Basic personal care, including assistance in dressing up etc.

 

All the Companion Housekeepers we put forward for consideration will have a current enhanced DBS disclosure and will have been thoroughly background checked and interviewed by our consultants. Many of our Candidates have social care qualifications, but many have years of experience gained from various avenues such as nursing and care homes or previous private family work.

Companion housekeepers are often employed on a ‘live in’ basis and will expect to receive all meals and a separate bedroom.  We can source a ‘daily’ Companion Housekeeper too.

Live-in Companion/Housekeepers usually work 5 to 6 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, with 2 to 3 hours off per day taken at a convenient time for the client. Salaries generally range from £400 to £450 net per week net, but are dependent on experience. It is common practice to charge an additional fee of £20 to £25 per night for on call night time duties

A daily Companion Housekeepers usually works an 8 to 10-hour day for £10 to £12 net per hour.

Both live in and daily Companion/Housekeepers need at least 1 day, preferably 2 days off per week.

The Companion Housekeeper role is a very personal role and needs to be a bespoke placement that is tailored to fit the needs of our clients. We are looking for the 'perfect fit' for this highly popular placement. We source Companion Housekeepers nationwide.

Mother’s Help

Mother's Helps are employed to work alongside an employer and to share the care of the children. A Mother's Help is responsible for some household duties but essentially they are an extra pair of hands and the emphasis is on childcare rather than cleaning. A Mother’s Help salary is generally lower that of a Nanny

Professional Domestic Couple

A professional Domestic Couple ensure that your home runs smoothly both inside and out. They generally take on all domestic duties such as;-

  • Cleaning
  • Cooking
  • Laundry and ironing
  • Driving
  • Gardening
  • Handyman duties including maintenance and security
  • House sitting
  • Pet care
  • Childcare and babysitting
  • Dealing with emergencies

Employing a professional domestic couple is a very popular option and can prove to very cost effective as they carry out many job roles.

Typically, experience comes from a variety of backgrounds with many coming directly from the hospitality industry having worked in hotels, holiday homes and yachts to those that have previously worked as domestic staff in private families or in a fully staffed estates.

A couple are generally looking for separate or self-contained accommodation and a suitable salary paid on top of this.

A professional Couple ensure that your home is in capable hands. We only represent highly experienced and capable of managing a vast range of duties which may be required of them. Skill sets do vary and couple combinations do need to be matched carefully to the role.

Typical couple combinations include:

  • Nanny Housekeeper and Handyman Couple
  • Housekeeper/Cook and Gardener/Driver couple
  • House Management Couple
  • Estate Management Couple
  • PA and House Manager Couple
  • Chauffeur and Housekeeper Couple
  • Gardener and Housekeeper Couple
  • Laundress and Houseman Couple

Household Personal Assistant

Household Personal Assistant will work in a domestic or home environment providing household support to a couple, individual or a family. Responsibilities within this role do vary but typical duties will include:-

  • Light housekeeping
  • Wardrobe management
  • •organisational projects
  • Household errands
  • Personal errands
  • Scheduling household maintenance
  • Pet care
  • Grocery shopping
  • Laundry
  • Filing, emailing, bookkeeping
  • Cooking

It is important to be very clear on the scope of the required duties to ensure a successful placement. Sometimes the Household PA position is merged with the Housekeeper/PA role.

House Manager

The role of a Household Manager is varied and suited private estates of all sizes. The house manager   offers an exceedingly high level of service and is in charge of the upkeep and maintenance of private residences.Typically house managers come from a 5*hotel background or private estates. They have wide ranging abilities which may include sourcing property, knowledge of fine wine and concierge duties.A house manager will need to be flexible and ‘hands on’.

Duties may include:-

  • Staff supervision and ensuring high standards are maintained
  • Management of household accounts
  • Event planning and management
  • Working with 3rd party suppliers

Private Chef

Private Chefs often work for a single employer as an employee in a private residence. The private chef works closely with other staff members to ensure the smooth running of a private home.

A private chef is responsible for provisioning/ shopping for food, menu planning, preparing and cooking meals for their employer(s), staff and guests.

Menus will be bespoke to their employers’ preferences paying attention to such things as intolerances to specific ingredients and other special dietary requirements.

The chef will be responsible for;-

  • Creating and preparing menus for both daily meals and for special events
  • Sourcing ingredients
  • Kitchen budgets and accounts
  • Food safety and hygiene including food rotation

Private personal chef/cook salaries vary according to qualifications, skills and experience ranging from being highly training professional qualified / classically trained chefs who have worked in top restaurants to self-taught passionate chefs that may have worked in restaurants or private households. Chefs can be employed on a live in or live out basis.

Governess

There is a high demand for British Governesses, with English as their Mother tongue, particularly for overseas families.

A Governess usually has a degree in Education and many years of teaching experience. She is a Professional Teacher to the children and is responsible for the education, social development and cultural awareness of school age children within a private family home.

Governesses may specialise in a particular area such as language, music or sport. She is generally able to supplement or complement the children’s education, where certain subjects are not covered at school or in need of extra tuition.

Governess positions are very popular with ex pats who have relocated to countries where languages and education levels are different and the children have gaps in their education.

Governesses are commonly employed to tutor older children to pass entrance exams to the schools of their choice.

A Governess will require private, bedroom and bathroom as a minimum. All food and additional costs are met by the client. Salaries vary widely and are dependent on experience.

Apart from the obvious duties such as cleaning, laundry and ironing, housekeeping duties can be as varied as shopping, bed linen changing changes, taking care of plants, deep cleaning on a rotational basis, polishing silver and brass, organising cupboards, taking messages, organising tradesmen, food preparation, dinner party help, care of pets, and occasional childcare.

Contact Us

To request a call back, please use this short Contact Form and we will be in touch to discuss your requirements in due course.

Please complete our Family Registration Form if you would like us to begin the search for your ‘Perfect fit' candidate

Please complete our Candidate Registration Form to begin the registration process with HomeOrganisers

Alternatively, Phone 01932 254 686