Anyone ever worked for truly rich people

[Inthestillof]

I know they bleed blood but what other things did you notice about them?

@Louise0701 ah of course, thanks!

I find this vulgar and grotesque. Like you say, such a massive waste. I couldn't be in the same room as people like that - although (and thankfully!) the chances of that happening are minimal!

I have met people like that bratty daughter, though. Worked with a few in finance; they were utterly clueless, selfish and completely insulated from any of life's ills. I would be embarrassed and ashamed to have raised a child like that but God knows there's enough of them around.

@Bladed

Receptionist at an exclusive business park so I “know” around 150 business owners. Some more than others depending on how much they’re willing to chat. At Christmas I get boxes and boxes of champagne, flowers, chocolates etc. You walk in and you can almost smell the money 😂

My late cousin had a venture capital company in a well-known tax haven. Hé was a slimy, lazy, entitled twat. Boasted in 1971 he made more money in a month than a chartered accountant could in a year. His wife's engagement ring was thé largest diamond I've ever seen. He lost a few 000's in a US divorce, no2 was from Russia, possibly by mail order with dodgy 'family' connections, and tried to get him sectioned. His brother had to get him out of that one.

I worked for the gardening/florists company who did the gardening maintenance for a Saudi Prince. He had a house on The Bishops Avenue (one of the wealthiest streets in the world, let alone London, to those who don't know) which he lived in for a month of the year if that during the summer. His monthly gardening bill with us was £2,000. All year round.

I worked for multi millionaires. They were pretty awful but only because they were completely out of touch with how normal people lived. So for example, having to think about childcare/dinner/renovating a house every day rather than having people to worry about all that for you. We had a problem in the business and their response was to pay their way out of it, rather than think of a solution. I only lasted a year working for them (their staff turnover is extremely high).

I taught English in an Asian country and had a few clients who were all women and who wanted to be able to speak English for when they moved to the US, which they were all planning to do. There were a lot of Filipino housekeepers who were often treated appallingly (they usually spoke excellent English so I would chat with them) but the people I worked for were truly lovely, had all earned their wealth and were very down to earth. I remember a time when one asked me what I thought of something in Vogue and then showed up in the exact outfit next time I saw her, down to the accessories. We had fun when they were shopping for real estate - the closest I will ever get to buying a house that costs 5 or 6 mill. I also remember we did a lot of jewellery works, which was great fun for me. They all worked really hard, and the women were not above rolling up the sleeves of their Chanel jacket and cleaning the toilet if it needed it.

words, not works. I taught them conversational English.

I know someone who was a nanny for the rich[not super rich]
They were nice.
But she wasnt going to work for them if they were not.

Well, nice enough.
She did feel sorry for the kids sometimes, as a parent could be out of the country for 5 days a week.

Nanny had to sometimes go into school, as no parent available.

Yes I do now ( he has a personal chef / nanny / housekeeper / butler etc/ chauffeur)

he likes everything done at the cheapest price possible. Trying to get a deal
even with own staff / tradesman etc

very tight - I didn't even get a bottle of wine for Christmas to say thanks

each problem is so 'third world' it makes me very uncomfortable.

i am leaving 🤣

Op watch real housewives of Beverly hills.

That's an eye opener!

I was an au pair as a young woman for a very wealthy family in California. They had a lovely life - various gorgeous properties, many holidays, kids went to elite private schools and had many opportunities.

They were a really nice, down to earth family, but I felt a bit sorry for the wife/Mum. She’d met her husband when they were both very high flying business people and given up her job to be a housewife and raise four children. She was so obviously bored.

Yes, she had a lot of help (me!…cleaners, gardeners etc), she had an enviable lifestyle and did a lot of charity work, but you could feel this sense of frustration and boredom emanating from her. Her husband commuted to NYC Monday and wasn’t back until Friday. She seemed lonely.

I remember thinking as a young woman I don’t know if I’d actually want this life, as luxurious as it was.

I did healh care for wealthy people for a few years. Afterwards decided I'd rather look after homeless drug addicts and "normal" people as wealthy people are so deranged and weird.

Forgot about the other multi millionaire
He bought a farm. Made the outbuidings into houses as well as doing up the main house.
Spent a fortune
Wont write too much.
The gardener lives in one of the done up outbuildings. Rest are largely vacant.

Already has houses elsewhere.

Also, my BIL works for a billionaire. Seriously, seriously wealthy guy. He says he is tight arsed, paranoid and depressive, and a maniac workaholic (seems to only sleep between 2an-5an and messages/calls his senior management team at any and all times outside of that, thinking and talking about work.

Very little true joy in his life.

When I was a teenager I stayed in the uk with friends of my parents for a month. They had friends who were from landed gentry stock who had started up a highly success business and were absolutely minted. Multi, multi millionaires.

You would never have guessed it. They lived in a massive, beautifully restored farm house that was incredibly messy inside. The stables were spotless and huge and the wife had 15 horses and ponies, all rescues that she absolutely doted on , plus a rag tag assortment of sheep and goats.

At the time I had no idea of their wealth, the lady came for coffee with my hosts and as I had some riding experience ( and was getting bored playing with the host's much younger kids) I offered to help with the horses if she wanted me to.
They were both absolutely lovely, Very down to earth . They tried to pay me at the end of the month but I refused as I'd had so much fun and learned a massive amount about stable management and of course been with horses. They sent my parents a Harrods Hamper that Christmas 😀

A family member worked for a well-known made his own money billionaireish (not sure of his exact value these days). He was fine! Manic but pretty considerate and human really. The main thing was that they lived peripatetically - one month at the Tulum property, then two in Bali, then back to London for Christmas...

Stuff of dreams.

I worked for many many years in what I suppose most would consider very top end/hugely wealthy hospitality, both private and business.

For the large part, established, Old money British families with properties were a joy to work with, often eccentric and entertaining and unfailingly polite and courteous. Not at all flashy.

Then the supremely rich Saudi/royalty who are quite the reverse: overtly extravagant, materialistic, exceptionally demanding on a 24 hour basis. The females would shop by day and be rarely seen by night, the men would unlikely surface before mud afternoon but be up all night with butlers catering t every weird and wonderful whim... would be loyal to regular staff (one even funded private cancer treatment for their uk driver).... But daily /hourly demands are common and very much expected.

Then there's the insanely rich Russians- often very visibly uncomfortable in their own skin, hugely competitive, desperate to be seen to "own" the things they perceive to be signs of wealth/success. Tetchy and often need to be on the move so may have an entire floor of an hotel but often utilise it for a fraction of their time, flitting between Switzerland or similar...

Sports significant figures with billionaire status were most often unfailingly kind and just appreciated some discretion abd calm.

General theme is that real insane levels come at huge personal costs quite often and I'd often think to myself how I wouldn't be tempted to swap if given the chance.

I don’t think people realise the waste that these UHNW individuals create. That and their habit of hoarding money. They are simply sloshing around in the stuff. Falls in the stock market panic them but they’ve got so much it will never make any difference to them.

I worked for a very wealthy business man. He had built his business from nothing. I wouldn't say he was multi billionaire bracket but he always treated his staff very well. It was a small staff of mainly young people, he paid us well and often treated us to a meal in a very nice restaurant to thank us for our hard work ( he always went through the bill with a fine toothcomb though 😀)
He was lovely and I've never had a boss that came Close to him again

My DM used to work for rich people back in the 90s, before it was the internationally wealthy with yachts etc.

As everyone has said, they were a mix. Worst client was a Duchess - DM stayed 2 nights and left. Always makes me laugh when Mumsnet is waxing lyrical about how lovely old money and aristos are compared to new money.

I now get to come across some of the ultra-rich through work. General principles:
Watch out for those damaged by boarding school
Some struggle with basic practical problems and common sense as they have always had staff
Encountering a problem they can't buy their way out of can cause extreme stress

I used to work for a wealthy man. He had multiple businesses he was lovely and humble. Dressed normal... nothing fancy. His parents though were snobby, rude and so far up themselves!

Watch out for those damaged by boarding school

yes… but they so often stick their own kids in the same boarding school… “as that’s where our family go”

My step dad went to boarding school. Raving alcoholic now in his 60s and incredibly unhappy.