KKnowing how to find domestic help is half the battle of staffing your household. Enlisting the help of a professional staffing agency is key, but knowing what exactly you’re looking for is a great place to start.

What is domestic help?

Domestic help can be broadly defined as a service worker who helps out around the home. These service workers can be anything from housekeepers to nannies, cooks to caretakers. Domestic workers can be any combination of or even all of those things. It all depends on how you define the role for your household. There is no solid job description for domestic help services. The right helper for you might not be the right helper for everyone. That’s why clear expectations are an important place for you to begin when considering domestic staff.

Define your specific needs

Before you begin your search for domestic help, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for. There may be prospects you meet who offer services you didn’t even know you needed, which is great, but coming to the table with a clear list of duties you require to be fulfilled is essential. Defining a clear role for your domestic help will make the process smoother and easier for both you and the employee up front.

Consider questions such as: Do you just need a house cleaner? How many hours do you anticipate they will need to work? Will you need these professional services full-time or on an as-needed basis? If you also need in-home child care on a regular basis or someone who can perform daily cooking duties, would you prefer a dedicated employee instead of an independent contractor?

There are many questions to consider throughout the entire process of hiring domestic help. Yet another detail that you should decide on before you begin your search is the compensation you are willing to provide for this household employee. Will compensation include only a salary, or will there be other perks offered? A well-defined compensation package is essential.

Live in or live out domestic help?

Many estates employ live-in domestic help for convenience, especially if they have roles to maintain in addition to housekeeping and if their compensation package includes the use of facilities and amenities on the estate property. Still, there are some scenarios where live-out domestic help might be preferred.

Things to consider when choosing live in or live out domestic help

Hours

How many hours per week do you anticipate your domestic help will work? If only part-time help is needed, live-out may be a better option. Live-in domestic help provides more flexibility since someone who doesn’t live on the property may have a long commute and be unable to accommodate things that come up unexpectedly.

Lifestyle

If you travel a lot, a live-in domestic helper can be helpful to care for your home and your pets, if applicable, while you are away.

Candidate Preferences

Typically, candidates will already have a preference for either live-in or live-out employment. Live-in candidates tend to be unmarried versus live-out who tend to have a spouse and family nearby. These circumstances may also change with time.

Home size

Do you have the space for live-in domestic help? A room with its own bathroom or even an apartment or cottage on the property will be necessary to provide reasonable accommodations.

Compensation

A domestic helper living in your home may have a lower salary than those who live outside of your home. This can be because they have the additional benefits of not having to pay for a place to live and food provided for them. Benefits also sometimes include transportation, a cell phone, and even healthcare. There are, however, some high-quality candidates who will still require a sizable salary in addition to live-in benefits. A candidate of this caliber offers years of experience and might even be considered more of an executive housekeeper.

How to find domestic help

Finding domestic help is more complicated than just filling a position. You are probably looking for someone who has extensive experience and offers a wide range of services. This person will potentially be living in your residence or on your property full-time. Finding someone who is qualified and who you can trust and who fits well into your family and other staff is essential.

Our database of personal estate employees are fully-vetted and added to our roster of staff only after we have deemed them to be viable candidates. That means we take the worry and guesswork out of choosing the right person for the job. We strive to make every placement pure perfection.

Choosing domestic help with Leeward Staffing

We make the process of hiring domestic help as simple as possible for you. Our four-step process begins with a simple contact form submission. We’ll then reach out to you to set up an appointment to discuss your unique needs and goals. With that information, we’ll identify the perfect candidate from our roster and begin the process of transitioning your new employee into your home.

For busy estate owners who don’t have the free time to focus on the hiring process, using a staffing agency to find domestic employees is the best option. Our qualified candidates have already been interviewed and passed a thorough background check. We have verified their work history and ensured that they are qualified for service in private homes. Contact us to begin the process of finding the perfect domestic service provider for your home.