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

Some of our clients wish to enlist the full time expertise of a Private Chef or Family Cook. This can be a fantastic option for families or individuals who want high quality, healthy food at home every day. A Private Chef will plan meals according to the principal’s dietary requirements and can cater to dinner parties whilst a cook will suit principals who prefer a less formal type of assistance.

A Family Cook’s abilities will range from candidates who provide good family cooking to those who can provide buffet style lunches and parties for up to 40 guests. It is important for you to clarify your requirements early on in your consultation to assist us in providing the most suitable candidates for your selection.

Private Chef/Cook Duties

Duties can include all or most of the following depending on your requirements:

Typical Duties:

Prepare simple and healthy lunches and suppers
Curate the family meal plan according to the client
Take note of any allergies or intolerances and cook accordingly
Create menus for entertaining
Oversee table settings and serving
Kitchen and waiting staff management (if applicable)
Hire waiting staff for formal occasions
Plating on formal occasions
Bake and replenish fresh bread and cakes
Create home made ice cream
Cook and bake for the children
Create Birthday/celebration cakes
Ensure clients never run out of their favorites or necessities
Leave the fridge organised for Chef’s days off
Keep an up-to-date kitchen inventory
Order provisions and keep to budget
Accounting and stocktaking for the kitchen

Private Chef/Cook 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

Chefs will have at least 5+ years’ experience working in a similar role.

Qualifications

All Chefs will have up-to-date Health & Safety and Food & Hygiene Certificates to demonstrate practice and knowledge. Many of our Chefs will have been trained in and have experience of working in 5 Star hotels or even in a Michelin Star restaurant. Some of our Chefs will also have formal training and qualifications from either Le Cordon Bleu, Leiths, have a qualification from City and Guilds, a BTEC/HND in Professional Cookery or a Foundation Degree in Culinary Arts.

Live-in salaries

Private Chef Cost for Live-In – Salaries range from £700+ net per week typically for up to 10-12 hours per day, Monday to Friday.

Live-out salaries

Private Chef Cost for Live-out – Salaries range from £850+ net per week typically for up to a 10 hour day, Monday to Friday.

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.