If you are looking to hire a gardener, you can consider either a live-in or a live-out role. Both will have their own benefits, and one set up might work better for you than the other. Also, if you have never had live-in staff before, it is important to know what to consider. So that you really know if you should hire a live-in gardener. Or if a live-out role might be much more suited for you and your family.
The Right Set-Up
When you are wondering whether you should hire a live-in gardener, let’s firstly have a look at what that would concretely mean in terms of the setup.
It may sound easy offering a live-in role for your new gardener. But you need to have the right set up. You are offering accommodation with the job role. But it is extremely important that the accommodation offered is of a good enough standard. Your gardener will be living in this, potentially also on their days off. So it needs to work well for them!
Enough Space
Even though this person is getting the accommodation as part of their job package, it still needs to be a space that someone can turn into a home. Especially if the gardener is going to live here not heir days off too. They need to be able to turn this into a home. A place where they feel they can switch off from work too.
So is the space you have on offer big enough? You really do need to be able to give at least a fully self-contained studio. Meaning that your gardener should have their own living space, with kitchenette to cook fresh meals and a fridge/freezer to store food and drinks. It should also have their own bathroom.
It is quite normal for a live-in gardener to have a separate cottage or studio separate from the house. This, of course, depends on your setup but it is really worthwhile for you and the gardener if they have their own private entrance.
Privacy
That brings us to the second thing you should consider when you think of hiring a gardener. Having anyone live either in your house or on your grounds can feel like a bit of an invasion of privacy. So consider with yourself and your family – are you comfortable with someone else living near you? Using the same gates, being in your space potentially?
Of course, you need to set rules of privacy. There might be areas your gardener can and cannot use. Maybe times they come in. People they have staying over. All that needs to be considered. Make sure the rules are realistic and liveable too. So that even your gardener can live there comfortably without feeling they are imposing.
And also, don’t forget that your gardener also needs to be able to live a normal (social) live, besides working for you. If you do not at all want them to have any visitors, or if you do not want them to go out or come back after a certain hour – consider for yourself if having live-in gardener is actually the right thing for you?
To make sure that you cover everything, it would be worth it to make sure your gardener has an up to date DBS before they start their work with you. This can give you more peace of mind when having someone live in your property, or on your land.
Realistic Expectations
Unfortunately, a misconception of having live-in domestic staff, is that some people expect the staff member to be available 24/7 to do work. This could not be further from the truth!
Even if you provide your gardener with live-in accommodation, they will still be working the normal set hours for you. And this needs to be within the government guidelines of the country the gardener will work in. So if you employ a gardener in the UK, for example, they are allowed at least a minimum of a full 24 hour break each week, and a fully – uninterrupted 48 hour break each fortnight.
Every country is different, but every country will have rules on the number of hours someone can work without a break and the number of consecutive days they can work without a break. So understand that even though this person might be living with you, they still fall under employment rules. So you should respect their time off – which is extremely important for a fruitful and long term, positive working relationship.
How Can Polo & Tweed Help
Finding a new gardener for your home can be a difficult process. There are lots of things to think about and to consider. And the questions of a live-in rather than a live-out gardener is just one of them. So why not get the best professional help, to make this a very easy and smooth sailing process for you.
So let Polo & Tweed do all the hard work for you. Our highly experienced consultants will be able to understand your needs, offer expert tips, and advice on the process and things to consider. And all you have to do it pick the person you like the most! Why not give us a call now, and find out how we can help you.