Have you been looking to hire a full time nanny? Or does the idea of a housekeeper sound appealing? If, in reality, you need both, there’s another option you may not have thought about: a nanny/housekeeper.
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When You Were Looking For A Nanny
If you’re looking for a nanny, but your children go to school or nursery already, the nanny would have a significant amount of free time throughout the day. Whilst mornings are especially busy, and after school too, in between these times it’s going to be a little quieter.
Many nannies hope to fill these hours with another type of work, which is where their skills as a housekeeper can come into play. When you’re already busy with other things, wouldn’t it be lovely to have someone who can keep the house organised and tidy?
When You Were Looking For A Housekeeper
Housekeepers are a very important part of any busy household. They’ll quickly get to know your family inside and out. As they’ll know you and your children so well, they can easy adapt to a childcare role too. If you have younger children, the housekeeper can manage the cleaning of the house while they are napping or playing. If older children are going to nursery or school, that also leaves plenty of time for the candidate to complete the housework.
How Else Can A Nanny/Housekeeper Help You?
Nanny/housekeepers are not just limited to taking care of the children and cleaning the house. Below is a list of things that you could potentially expect from a candidate. The ability to complete these tasks will vary depending on the candidate, as their backgrounds and specialities will vary. If you feel that any of the below are vital for your nanny/housekeeper to do, make sure to communicate this in a job specification when recruiting.
- Laundry, ironing and wardrobe management
- A skilled candidate will be able to take care of all laundry and clothing. This can vary between daily bedding and laundry, to all ironing and mending clothes. If you have any delicate garments that need special care and cleaning, a nanny/housekeeper should keep on top of this, ensuring your wardrobe is ready for use whenever you need it.
- Tutoring and language skills
- A candidate with the right experience and qualifications could be a great tutor for your children. They could do anything from helping out with homework and school assignments, to teaching them a new language. An especially skills nanny/housekeeper could help your children to prepare for exams and guide them through University applications.
- Personal assisting and household management
- An organised nanny/housekeeper can be a great house manager too. They could manage the diary of your family, and plan holidays by booking flights and other travel arrangements. Keeping the house up to date, arranging handymen and builders to come when needed, doing all the shopping and running errands are all things that a nanny/housekeeper could do. If you have a refurbishment scheduled, they could manage this, and even organise other staff members.
How To Recruit A Nanny/Housekeeper
When you’ve made the decision that a nanny/housekeeper is right for you, it’s time to start the selection process. If you’ve never recruited staff before, it can be a daunting experience. You can read all about how to find staff here, where we give you an overview of self-recruiting and using agencies to find the perfect candidate.
Try to have a clear idea of the type of candidate you are looking for, and which tasks are important for you and your family. Set a realistic expectation of what one person can achieve in a day, and how regularly you want the person to be in the house. A live-in nanny/housekeeper for a full time role could be a good idea, so that they can be there in the morning for the children as well as be available when needed at other times.
At Polo & Tweed we have a great selection of nannies, housekeepers and nanny/housekeepers on our books, so get in touch with us if you’d like advice on the recruitment process, or for us to help you with your search.