How to Hire a Domestic House Manager
What does a domestic house manager do? Are you considering hiring one for your property? It’s a popular choice amongst modern households, needing a greater level of support in their property. However to hire a house manager, you need to understand what a house manager actually does – to determine if you need one.
So here we explain what the responsibilities of a domestic house manager are, and how to write a job specification advert in order to aid you in your search.
What is a House Manager?
Your House Manager keeps the household running smoothly and ensure that day to day tasks are done properly and on time. So your Domestic House Manager may be in charge of other staff and plan schedules. And they may be overall responsible for ensuring that the other staff members get their work done to a high standard. They may also act as PA for the family. So they plan the family’s schedule as well. House Managers are there to ensure the household runs smoothly and make life easier for you. If you have a busy lifestyle and hire other staff within your household you may find a house manager invaluable and a life changing decision!
Do I Need a House Manager?
You may hire a nanny or a housekeeper who also does house manager duties as a part of their job description. So if the house isn’t largely staffed then the nanny or housekeeper may also undertake tasks such as planning and schedules and ensuring that the house runs smoothly.
How to Write the Perfect Job Advert!
You should write a job description first. Your first step in writing your house managers job description is to write a list of the tasks you expect them to do. Because by writing this down you will get a better idea of the person you are looking for. As well as what is important to you. Below is a list of tasks which you may include as part of your house managers job description:
- Managing the family’s schedules and calendars
- Managing the other staff members schedules
- Allocating tasks to other staff members
- Planning events and holidays for the family
- Arranging appointments
- Running errands
- Ensuring that shopping is done
- Stock taking
- Organising maintenance work
- Liaising with contractors and maintenance workers
- Household admin and finances
- Supervision of other household staff, such as housekeepers, private chefs, nannies or governesses
These are the basic responsibilities of your house manager. So if your household is not largely staffed you may ask them to do some of the below tasks as well:
- Housekeeping duties
- Cooking
- Laundry, ironing and wardrobe management
- Childcare
- Driving duties
So you have decided the tasks which will be the responsibility of your house manager. It is a good idea to rethink their job title. So if your House Manager is doing a lot of childcare, you would change the job title to Nanny/House Manager. Or if they are also expected to do a lot of driving and chauffeuring you may decide to call them a Chauffeur/House Manager.
Because by making this very clear in your job title and job description it can help you to attract the right candidates for the role. And those who have the most relevant experience.
Finally, you should outline the salary you are willing to offer your house manager. This can depend on the size of your house, whether you hire other staff or not, and the type of duties you expect them to do. Our salary guidelines can be found here.
How can Polo & Tweed Help?
At Polo & Tweed we can help you write a job description which will catch the eye of many great candidates and save you the trouble of writing it yourself – please do get in touch to discuss your House Manager requirements with us.