The Challenges & Benefits of Hiring a Nanny Housekeeper That Cooks Too

Do you need a nanny housekeeper that can cook too? Finding an ideal candidate has its challenges but plenty of benefits if you find the right one for you. Here's what you need to know about hiring a nanny housekeeper. Click To TweetFinding your own Mary Poppins to be a nanny, housekeeper and cook all-in-one is a triple challenge that goes well beyond hiring someone to fill just one of those three jobs rolled into one. Essentially your situation demands hiring a multi-tasking nanny as substitute mother who can do all the housework as well as shepherding and chaperoning the kids.

For this demanding nanny role that includes housekeeping and cooking chores you need to hire a multi-skilled individual with experience in all three fields of expertise.

The challenges and benefits of having such a skilled nanny are many. Let’s have a look at them…

What are the challenges of hiring a nanny housekeeper & cook in one?

Should you hire a full time or live in nanny?

Giving someone enough time to be a nanny and do all the housekeeping chores as well as being a cook for your family means you’re looking at hiring a nanny full time or even a live-in nanny.

What are your nanny’s skills & experience?

Finding a competent nanny with housekeeping and cooking skills, plus experience, narrows down your choice of suitable candidates. You’ll also have to pay a higher than average salary for a nanny with the best mix of expertise.

How should you manage your nanny housekeeper’s time?

Consider your requirements on the amount of time you need your nanny to look after your children on a daily or weekly basis. Do you want your nanny to be on call day and night, or just help ferry the kids to and from school, and feed them when they get home?

What should you pay your nanny housekeeper and cook?

Also consider any educational roles you wish your nanny to undertake when looking after your kids. Will she also have to fulfil the role of a teacher?

Combining all these jobs into a single role naturally means you’ll have to pay a higher salary for a better level of professionalism.

What are the Benefits of Hiring a Nanny Housekeeper & Cook

Hiring a nanny housekeeper and cook in one is the ideal home help solution for a busy family or professional couple struggling to find enough time and energy to do everyday household chores while juggling careers and social life.

Enjoy more quality family time

Having a nanny look after your children while you are working means you can focus on work without interruption and plan more quality time with your children. Having a nanny housekeeper means any mess you and the kids made in the morning will be cleaned up so you can return fro work to a tidy home with the household chores already done.

Worry less

The daily tasks that you require your nanny housekeeper to do very much depend on your unique household arrangements and individual family member needs. Either way, you’ll be relieved of many household duties, which may include:

Daily housekeeping (light cleaning and occasional deep cleaning)
Laundry
Shopping and cooking
Pet care
Childcare, from active playing through to babysitting or school runs
Running errands
Serving at dinner parties
Dealing with contractors
Receiving deliveries

What’s the right salary of a nanny housekeeper & cook?

While the salary you pay for your multi-tasking nanny housekeeper should of course be more than that of a regular housekeeper and cook, the amount you pay also depends on the employment package you offer.

You’ll likely have to hire your nanny housekeeper to work for you on a full time basis. To hire a good quality nanny housekeeper with cooking skills too, you might have to hire someone from out of town. In which case you’ll have to consider your nanny’s commuting costs, or the cost of moving as well as local rental rates if your nanny housekeeper moves to live nearby.

If your nanny housekeeper is a live-in position then you don’t have to compensate for the nanny’s accommodation but you’ll still have to offer an attractive relocation package.

International market rates for nannies and housekeepers can also affect the packages you offer. If you’re hiring a nanny housekeeper from overseas you’ll have to adjust the pay depending on relative regional salaries.

Here are some guidelines for live out nanny housekeeper salaries:

The salaries listed below are gross (before deductions).

Entry Level (little experience). Weekly wage: £510 – £740. Annual salary: £25,000 – £38,000.
Mid Level (some experience). Weekly wage: £740 – £980. Annual salary: £38,000 – £50,000.
High Level (very experienced). Weekly wage: £980+. Annual salary: £51,000+.

How can you hire a housekeeper cook nanny?

Here’s a Recruitment Guide with some tips to finding a good nanny housekeeper and cook that suits your needs.

For the best chance of finding a vetted individual that can perform all the roles of a nanny housekeeper use a specialist recruitment agency. There’s a difference between a specialist housekeeper and nanny recruitment agency like Polo & Tweed and regular employment agencies. Learn about the difference here.

The most important thing you can do is take your time deciding on the type of candidate you want to hire, their main duties and the package you are offering as an employer. Here are some important things to keep in mind and be clear about when hiring:

Job specification and all duties
What to include in the nanny employment package in addition to a regular salary such as accommodation and transport
Your expectations of your nanny’s personality, language and experience
References! Always check references and ensure the candidate’s paperwork is correct
Ensure the employment contract and pay comply with your duties as an employer

How can Polo & Tweed help you?

Polo & Tweed works with clients in London, across the UK and around the world. We recruit housekeepers, cooks and nannies to match specific properties and family life!

Our professional headhunting officers vet all candidates before recruitment to ensure only suitable nannies and housekeepers are shortlisted.

Get in touch with us here to discuss your needs and how we can help you through your nanny recruitment steps.