@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz
Yes definitely (unfortunately), and it’s reflected in a lot of ways. The pay for one, as well as the trust the family has in you. As a nanny you are way more trusted than a housekeeper.
In my opinion the hierarchy is centered on the family so the more closely you work with the family and also how long you have been there.
There is almost always someone who has been there 20 years or who was there when the mom or dad was little and pretty much raised them. They rule the household, if they are nice it’s awesome if they are not they can easily get you fired and their word will be worth 10x yours always.
Apart from that I would say the hierarchy goes like this.
1- Nannies
We look after the kids, we are the one who have the most interaction with the parents and we are also usually the liaison between the kids and the staff. That’s problematic because some nannies feel superior to the rest of the staff for example and as a result some staff often feel hostile at first toward nannies as they are as aware as we are of the hierarchy and find it unfair (as they should!).
Our “power” is mostly due to the fact that reliable childcare is hard to find and the interviewing process is grueling and nothing worse than childcare so parents would usually rather lose any other staff over losing their nanny. And everyone knows it (nannies included).
2- House manager/PA
It’s the parents right arm, usually the one who is the liaison between the parents and the entire staff and their work life. but also the one who doesn’t actually know anything about household work but will plan your schedule and tell you what to do. Because we don’t know if what he is asking comes from the parents or just from him, we usually abide by what he says and we do know that he has a similar power to the longest-standing member of staff. So they usually have a lot more privileges and are usually the most well paid member of staff alongside the nannies (and often above the nannies).
3- the chef
The chef feeds the family, and usually honestly is everyone’s best friend because he feeds us all too so happy for him/her to have the privileges they have!
4- the butler.
Another member of staff who has continuous contact with the parents and therefore is also trusted with a lot of things and usually highly respected. The butler is usually the liaison between nannies and housekeeping in many ways.
5- housekeeping.
Unfortunately I would say like in real life housekeepers are undervalued. They are usually my favorite members of staff though and they are probably the best one in the estate at biting their tongue despite usually being the least paid staff for what I feel is doing the hardest work.
I am not sure where body guards and security stand. I think again it depends on how close they are to the family. Some are there for years so by then they are at the same level as a house manager or a nanny I feel, but more recent ones are probably at the same level as housekeepers.
I am curious what the rest of the staff would say but I do think they would overall agree with that order because like I say the hierarchy is unfortunately reflected a lot in the pay and in perks/privileges you get which are all based on the trust you have earned from the family and it has a lot to do with the role you play in the household.