So you have found a live out housekeeper to start working for you and your family. Amazing! A great live out housekeeper can really transform your household and living. But are you fully prepared for your housekeeper to start? Do you know what you should be thinking about?
Find out how best to prepare for having a live out housekeeper.
Tasks and Duties
When it comes to live out housekeepers, tasks can vary extremely. From cleaning and organising your house, to childcare and cooking. There are so many things a housekeeper can do, so it is important to have a clear understanding of what you need. But also what your new housekeeper’s skills are, and how they can be best utilised. To prepare well for this, make sure you have a list of tasks you would like your housekeeper to do. What is important for you? Is it the daily cleaning and organising? Is it childcare, cooking and shopping?
Make sure the task list is divided into daily, weekly and monthly tasks. So that all is clear and both you and your new housekeeper can start well prepared.
DBS Check
It might be worth it to get a DBS check for your new live out housekeeper. If your housekeeper will be working with or near children or working with vulnerable adults, DBS checks are a MUST. Even if they are not, for peace of mind you might want to consider one to be well prepared. To get a DBS for your housekeeper, you have to request one by going through one of the registered bodies that can give access to DBS checks. You can read more about it here.
Payment and Employment
Have you thought about the fact that you are hiring someone? This is one of the key things to prepare when you are hiring your housekeeper. This means a contract, and thinking about things like employment or self-employment. Live out housekeepers can be both – and it is important to discuss what they are looking for and what works best for you. Whatever route you take, the right agreement needs to be in place. Read our handy guide on how much you should pay your live out housekeeper.
If you are not sure about salaries, this great website can help you further too in salary calculations. Finally, reading on this government website about employment might help too.
Privacy & Household supplies
Last but not least, prepare practically for a live out housekeeper to start. Do you have all the right tools and appliances for your housekeeper to do the job you want them to do? Review your cleaning equipment – your housekeeper could even help with this. Is it all up to date and working? Could you invest in a lighter, more agile vacuum cleaner to make the job easier and quicker? Do you have the right cleaning products that can safely be used for all your surfaces?
Finally, although your housekeeper will not be living with you – chances are they will be spending a lot of time in your house. This could mean being around you and your family. Have a think about this. Would you mind your housekeeper being in the same room as you? Or passing by whilst you enjoy a family meal or a conference call for work? Think of the layout of the house, and be clear to the housekeeper. They need to be prepared in knowing which areas they can and cannot enter on certain days or times of the day.
How can Polo & Tweed help?
Polo & Tweed are leading experts in finding the best live out housekeeper for you and your household. Not only can we find the right match for your requirements, we can help with the whole process from interviews to more tricky things like hiring and contracts. Let us help you in the search and take all the stress out of it!
Do get in touch with us here and one of our recruitment consultants can talk you through what we can do for you.