Hire a Housekeeper in London for your UK Country Home Overseas / International

Housekeeper hire in London, the UK and Internationally. Experienced Live in or Live out Housekeeper, Nanny Housekeeper, Housekeeper Cook either Full Time or Part Time. Let us find a Housekeeper that’s perfect for you!

Staff of Distinction is the leading specialist Housekeeper Agency since 1996. Our Housekeeping Services specialise in placing proficient, dedicated and professional domestic staff. With an outstanding reputation, high standards and unrivalled experience, we are the very best in the industry and can ensure the right housekeeping fit for your home.

Our Housekeepers, having gained 5+ years’ experience in private service will ensure your household is run seamlessly. This will enable you to focus on your family, your business interests and other preferred pursuits giving you a new lease of life!

What’s a Housekeeper?

A Housekeeper will ensure your household runs smoothly. She will take care of all the day to day chores and run errands according to your needs. You may be looking for a Live-In Housekeeper or Live-Out Housekeeper, either full-time or part-time. We also have a selection of Housekeepers who combine their duties with other duties who will fall under a title such as Housekeeper Cook or Housekeeper Nanny.

Depending on your household requirements they will generally work a 5 day week from 10 to 12 hours.

Summary of Duties for a Housekeeper in London, the UK and Internationally may include:

Regular cleaning schedule
Laundry and ironing
Cooking for the household or for a dinner party depending on their level
Menu planning, buying food and provisions for the fridge and pantry
Accepting deliveries
Driving members of the family
Running errands locally or ordering online
Pet care
Overseeing general domestic maintenance of the property and appliances

Full Range of Skills to Help You

To understand the full range of skills and expertise our professional candidates offer do read the listing below:

For the Home:

Clean, dust and polish furniture
Flower arranging
Clean and sanitise rooms throughout the house
Take care of antiques
Vacuum carpets and flooring
Clean brass and silverware
Arrange and replace flowers as and when required
Care for pets including dog walking
Check all internal and external doors/gates are locked
Set and unset the alarm systems
Distribute the household post
Prepare the house for guests

And in the Kitchen:

Assist the lady of the house/Chef with food preparation
Order food and provisions online
Dispose of all kitchen waste, both organic and recycling

Laundry and Wardrobe Care:

Launder and mend clothes
Launder and press shirts
Change and launder bedding
Launder and press table linen
Replace and sew on buttons
Clean and polish shoes
Take clothing to be dry cleaned
Take shoes to be mended

Various Errands and Responsibilities:

Run errands, shop and arrange refunds
Deal with deliveries and tradesmen
Call swimming pool maintenance company
Collect newspapers/journals
Arrange electrical appliance testing
Reporting any necessary repairs or replacements

We would always advise our clients to be realistic about the size of the household and the duties you require. Furthermore, be mindful of how long is needed for food prep, cooking and serving.

As always, we can talk through your requirements and discuss the options available to address your needs.

Other Housekeeper Roles

Depending on the size of your household, a Housekeeper will be able to combine their duties with another discipline such as cooking or childcare.

On the other hand, if you are keen to combine all three disciplines, we would recommend you consider the role described as HK/Family Cook/occasional childcare to include babysitting which will emphasis the priorities. You can of course have a HK/Nanny to include the children’s cooking but who offers occasional all round family cooking. The choice is yours, do discuss this with your consultant to arrive at a decision that suite your household.

Head HouseKeeper

A Head Housekeeper will have a minimum of 5+ years’ private household experience gained in a similar position and will perform their duties with meticulous attention to detail. They will however take on a more senior role overseeing a team of Housekeepers to ensure their duties are efficiently discharged delivering their responsibilities with method, skill and timeliness.

The Head Housekeeper’s can also co-ordinate the welfare, training and payroll of domestic staff. The Head Housekeeper could possibly undertake the school runs for children aged 5+ years but this should be discussed with your consultant when setting out the job spec.

Housekeeper/Cook

Depending on your household, you may wish to employ a Housekeeper who can cook. They range from those who can provide plain/simple dishes and/or family cooking to Dinner Party standard.

We have placed HK/Cooks who can cook to a high culinary standard for up to 8 while others can turn their hand to Formal Dinner Parties for 10 and hot/cold buffets for 16.

Duties may include general Housekeeping duties as listed above along with the following:

Light simple/plain meals
Good family fare
Food preparation (assisting mother or the Cook/Chef)
Dinner party/Event cooking
Preparing and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Clearing away, tidying and cleaning the kitchen and rooms where food is served.
Presenting menus for approval and discussing daily requirements with employer, house manager or butler.
Undertaking the grocery shopping and maintaining accounts and budgets
Placing orders for kitchen supplies
Maintaining stock control
Ensuring refrigerator is clean and out-of-date items discarded

Housekeeper/Nanny

Housekeeping duties combined with childcare. This is a super option for a family who wishes to have one member of staff who is a good all-rounder with the house and who will also help look after the children.

For instance, this largely depends on the size of the house, number of children and their ages and the parents’ day to day routine. Furthermore, some families employ a live-out Housekeeper who may do the heavy cleaning once or twice a week to assist.

Duties can include:

Sole and shared childcare and babysitting
Cooking nutritious meals for their charges
Supervise/assist with homework
School runs if they drive

Before you begin your search, it is incredibly important to discuss your primary expectations with your consultant. For example, if you have pre-school aged children, your primary focus will be childcare. In addition to childcare, the housekeeper will have housekeeping duties. Alternatively, if the children are school aged, while they are at school will the housekeeping will be performed during the school day and childcare responsibilities after school hours.

Housekeeper/Companion

Housekeepers who can accompany or drive the more mature Principal to various appointments and events, travel with and generally assist with everyday living enabling the Principal to enjoy independent living in the comfort of their own home.

Duties can include:

Assist with everyday tasks and provide companionship
Shopping for weekly essentials and running general errands
Accompanying on special and regular outings
Cooking and sharing meals
Light domestic support such as cleaning, laundry, care of pets
Light gardening duties
Participating in hobbies and crafts
Helping with travel arrangements and accompanying to appointments
Assisting with correspondence and paperwork
It should be noted that this role does not offer personal care.

Housekeeper/Family PA

Housekeeping combined with organised and efficient administration skills. For instance, a Family PA will run the family’s diary both social and for the individual childrens’ schools. She will also keep up-to-date and organise your childrens’ school appointments and events.

In addition, this position could include the school runs driving children to school and back and your consultant will help you iron out the details.

Duties can include:

Booking appointments
Arranging couriers, travel and childcare
Be computer literate including Excel
Managing calendar
Running errands
Use initiative, read the needs of the family’s requirements in advance
Wardrobe and vanity care
Take care of pets

Private Housekeeper Jobs

Live out Housekeeper

Live out part time Housekeeper sought in Notting Hill, N11. Informal household over 4 storeys, home to a friendly and welcoming family of 4 and their cat.

Live out Nanny/Housekeeper

Live out Nanny/Housekeeper sought for job in Chelsea. Home to an informal family of 5 including three children ages 8, 6, 4. Family seek a well organised, nurturing and active candidate who will be a positive role model and friend to the children and become part of the family.

Live out Housekeeper Job

Efficient and proactive Live out Housekeeper sought for position in Barnes, SW13.

Live in Single or Domestic Couple: Companion/PA/Chef

Mature Couple seek proactive and organised Companion/PA/ chef Domestic Couple OR single Companion/PA/Cook in Stavanger, Norway.

Domestic Couple Job

Experienced Couple sought for weekend residence in Oxfordshire. The informal principals who are usually in London mid week seek capable housekeeper/ cook and passionate gardener/maintenance Couple who have shown excellent longevity in previous roles. Current Couple have been employed for 10 years and are retiring.

Live out Housekeeper

Live out Housekeeper sought in Battersea (currently) and moving to Belgravia in March. Role suited to a highly organised, proactive and professional Housekeeper to run household. Home to a professional Couple with young baby and their two indoor-only cats. The couple currently live in a three bedroom apartment of 2,000 sq ft in Battersea and will be moving at the end of March to their newly-renovated two-storey, 1600 sq ft mews house in Belgravia.

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Experience

Housekeepers registered with us will have at least 5+ years’ experience working in a private household. In addition, we will require references to support this. As always, using our rigorous screening methods when we interview our candidates, you will be presented a full dossier for each individual giving you everything you need to make a decision.

Qualifications

In terms of qualifications, there isn’t a specific housekeeper exam or assessment as such. Many gain their experience working in a private household and, in addition to this, they may have had training from a prestigious 5 Star Hotel. Interestingly, some Housekeepers will have taken a course to support their interests and extend their skill set and employment prospects. For example, a course to improve their cooking or baking skills such as baking and pastry making, patisserie and chocolate specialised courses, artisan food, vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based cooking, European and international fare.

Live-in salaries

What’s the cost of a Live-In Housekeeper? Countryside – £600+ net per week for an 10-12 hour day London – £650+ net per week for an 10-12 hour day

Live-out salaries

What’s the cost of a Live-out Housekeeper? Countryside – £15+ net per hour for an 8-10 hour day London – £16+ net per hour for an 8-10 hour day

London Office

C/O WeWork, 1 Fore Street Avenue, London, EC2Y 9DT
+44 (0)20 7795 6255
Friday: 9am to 5pm
Monday - Thursday: 9am to 5:30pm
[email protected]

Bath Office

Placing Private Household Staff in London, the UK and Overseas with trusted clients

Testimonials

Thank you so much for your support throughout this process. We are so pleased to have found such a wonderful family to work for and have lots to thank you for.

As a candidate with Staff of Distinction, I am very pleased with them. The jobs they have on offer are always very high end and the interactions with the company feels close and personal, like they really look at what is appropriate for me, and put me forwards for jobs that fit my needs.

I am so grateful for using the Staff of Distinction Agency to find my ideal job in London. The staff have been very helpful and professional. Thanks a million.

Everything is going great here, love the job, love the people and the house and area. Best thing I ever did. Thanks for all your help in my getting the job.

We are very happy with Staff of Distinction, as we want to find our right position and they are helpful staff who helped us very much with our search. We appreciate their service and have good feelings about the agency. Thank you kindly for all the jobs and understanding.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of domestic household staff do you offer your clients?

We specialise in placing permanent domestic staff with our clients all of whom are looking for staff with a solid work record and references to demonstrate their skills and expertise. Our staff range from:

All our our domestic staffs have minimum of 5+ years’ experience with some possessing 20+ years’ experience giving our clients complete peace of mind.

What nationalities are your household staff

Our candidates’ nationalities vary according to the role and we take applications from an array to include British, European, Filipino, Nepalese and more. Please note that in order to work through Staff of Distinction, the candidate must hold the relevant work visa and/or passport for the Agency to accept their application

if applying for a UK job. For overseas jobs, we would ask that the client takes legal advice in their country of residence in order to fully comply with their country’s laws.

What do I need to comply with when employing domestic staff for my household?

All UK employers of domestic staff are required to pay Tax and National Insurance along with NEST Pension Contributions. If the job is overseas, the Tax Laws of that country will apply and it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure they are compliant.

How do ensure the domestic staff has a Visa?

The beauty of using Staff of Distinction for all your household staffing needs is that we will only introduce to you candidates who either hold a British Passport or who are legally allowed to work in the UK. We do not accept applications from candidates who have yet to apply for their UK work visa. For international jobs, our clients are of the mind that they may have to apply for a working visa depending on which country the job is based, however, we will always try to ensure the staff possess the passport that is most favourable when matching to the job.

Do your household staff only work in the UK?

When we take applications from staff we will discuss where they would like to find their next job and check that they have a legal entitlement to work there whether its in the UK or overseas.

How do you find the domestic staff you introduce?

Now in our 30th year, we have a built fine reputation with clients and candidates and both return to us time and time again. Not only that, they tell their friends and family about the success they have had with Staff of Distinction which means we have lots of recommendations. That said, we also advertise our jobs on our website which does create a large response from suitably experienced applicants

What is the recruitment process?

A client will telephone the Agency and speak to the specialist consultant who will note their requirements and by careful questioning will build a full picture of what the job entails. Our experience and know-how enables us to fully understand the workings of the client’s household requirements and thus we can fully how to fulfil that role. We will discuss the working days, hours, duties and salary for such an Employee and send our Terms of Business. Once all agreed, our specialist search begins!

Do you charge a Registration Fee like some agencies?

No we don’t charge a fee to register or to start the search. We do ask that you agree to our Terms so that we can commence our search. Once the offer of employment has been confirmed by both the client and the candidate has accepted, we will charge an Introduction Fee which includes a 12 week Replacement Period.

What if we are unhappy with the member of staff?

Our Service includes a 12 week Replacement Period which gives our clients peace of mind. While this is rare, if the member of staff is not the right fit and this is apparent during the first 12 weeks’ employment,

we will look at other applicants for the role to replace the original member of staff on a like for like basis. We would like to emphasise this rarely happens but is there for back-up which our clients welcome.

What information do you send to clients when introducing domestic household staff?

Firstly, before we send any candidates’ information to our clients, we will discuss the role with the best suited candidates and gain their consent to share their details. Our clients will only receive CV’s and references of candidates who are genuinely interested in the vacancy and also whom are very well suited.

What if I want to recruit a member of staff before I give notice to my current member of staff?

We can of course begin our search immediately according to your wishes but we would discuss with you why they are not working out and if there is anything you can do to improve their performance or, depending

on the issues, how you can resolve with your current member of staff before starting the search for a new candidate. We are always available to give advice if needed depending on the circumstances, but last resort, we can

look at your other options before you take the leap.

How do I settle in my new domestic member of staff

Firstly we would look at if this was a new role or an on-going role. If this is a new role, it’s important to have a well set out Job Specification to clearly list the duties and responsibilities therein. The time it takes to

perform the duties must be realistic and any member of staff starting a newly created role will understand that a degree of flexibility is required to finalise the best working routine and practice.

How far in advance do I need to register my domestic staff job?

We can work to any timescale but our clients typically look 3 months’ ahead and our candidates are either readily available or will usually have a one month notice period to fulfil. That said, our clients register at a convenient time

based on their circumstances. If it’s an urgent request, we will work night and day to fulfil the vacancy, however, all jobs will receive the dedication required in order to fulfil the client’s needs and expectations.

Do we need a Contract of Employment

Yes all household staff should be issued a Contract setting out the Terms of their employment.

How do we arrange the Contract?

Staff of Distinction will take care of all aspects of the contract by supplying a legally binding contract that is issued once the placement has been confirmed by both parties.