Does anyone employ a Housekeeper?

[brawhen]

Does it seem feasible that I could find someone to do the following kind of things, for maybe 2 days (or say 16 hrs spread out) per week? I think it's a kind of housekeeper role, but maybe someone could suggest a better description...

• Cleaning
• Washing & Ironing
• Mowing the grass (summer)
• Basic DIY maintenance tasks
• Liaison with tradespeople (e.g.organise getting plumber to service boiler)
• Take in & put away online shop
• Ad-hoc errands
• Maybe an occasional dog walk
• Anything else I think of along these lines!

Also any thoughts on what we would need to pay to attract someone? We currently have a 3 hr/week cleaner who charges £16/hr. But I pay my full time junior staff in the business the salary equivalent of about £11/hr. We are north of Glasgow.

One alternative would be a sort of au-pair without the childcare?? We have a spare bedroom, and had good au-pair experiences when the DC were young primary age (lived elsewhere then though).

For context - there is me, DH, two teenagers, pets. Semi-rural 6 bed house (part of which we use as our offices) - not quite a Downton Abbey housekeeper role 😂

I have someone who has even helped me slap a bit of paint on a wall in an emergency. She came with the house😂

I would have thought you’d stand a fairly good chance because of where you are. The trick is to pay do well that they will want to keep the job.

So if you pay a cleaner £16 an hour .. are you keeping the cleaner? You will have to pay your housekeeper at least a couple of £ more per hour.

If I was the applicant I would love the variety, the responsibility.

Au-pair status is live in only, childcare and there aren’t any really due to brexit
www.gov.uk/au-pairs-employment-law/au-pairs
you could just employ someone, pay min wage and the take off the board
[https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-accommodation]
I suspect it might be an attractive option for a lot of people

.. sorry my third response .. I’m thinking my telling you she came with the house wasn’t terribly helpful. What happened was when we bought the house 10 years ago, I asked if they had anyone help them (similar size to yours). Luckily the answer was yes and luckily she said yes to us.

I’m a big fan of word of mouth. So my Help met previous house owner through her hairdresser. She’d said she was looking for someone, hairdresser asked her friend if she was interested.

Try Hairdresser, postie or post office. Local service you use regularly (garden, jet washing, window cleaner etc). If it’s a small place people know each other and can vouch.

Or, You’d pay a whopping fee but you could use an agency? But you know that already

Yes I know a few people with house keepers doing similar roles. I'd love one.. sigh.

But absolutely possible to get them in.. those I know have little and often so 4 hours per day.

From following Petra Ecclestone’s husband on Insta and learning all about UHNW people I think what you need is a house manager (e.g. to liaise with tradespeople) but they would then need to manage a gardener, cleaner etc so it adds up. Or a personal assistant.

Yes in London but not outside unless you’re willing to employ someone full time for £35K plus.

You can just search online I’ve even seen ones that offer to do a bit of cooking! Sounds amazing wish we could afford someone to come in each day.

I mean is employment so great in Scotland that you couldn’t find someone to muck in and help with whatever, if you pay them £20 an hour and say that you are willing to be flexible if they are?

I think it sounds like a nice job🤷‍♀️

Am sure you e thought about it but I suppose you’d need insurance? I’m thinking about the dogs particularly.

You need a wife 😊

This would be instead of current cleaner (and she could not take on the role).

I don't want someone that is coordinating a team of cooks and gardeners (could not afford it, and there's not that much to do). I basically just want to outsource a bit more of the chores and mental load from DH & me. (We both work full time in our own business - would love to think we might be on the path to UHNW but sadly we shall have to make the most of our above-average-MC-comfortableness)

I'd love a job like that, and with those hours. Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near Glasgow!!

I think if you offered this position and kept the hours worked to those within the school day, then you'd have a good number of people interested.

£16 per hour for your cleaner sounds quite a lot. Is that the going rate near you or are you paying for a better than average service?

I'd say around £14 per hour with a flexible approach to the hours worked and you'd have a good level of interest.

This is exactly what I need. No jokes.

I think it’s a reasonable ask however would keep in mind if you need them to be available (e.g mon-Fri 9-5) this would need to be their only job. If it was me I would offer 22.5hrs varied over the week for £20-£23 per hour and merge this with the cleaners role xx

I pay £15 ph on the borders.

The agency that I found our cleaner through also offers those kind of services. I think it's £17 an hour but you don't get someone massively skilled for that so you'd have to do a lot of handholding I think.

@NoFlashingLightsPlease good point about insurance.

Wonder if I could employ them through my business (as Personal Assistant & Home Office Maintenance Leader)? Will have to ask accountant if that is allowed. (I bet that's what the UHNW gang do.)

I'd imagine the grass mowing and DIY might be an issue - the rest are traditional housekeeper jobs.

The trouble is that the role is actually quite highly skilled. In my (long and bitter) experience, the people who have the skill set are off doing more highly paid work, and those who are willing to do the job need so much hand holding and active management that you might as well do it yourself.

@LadyHester interesting, is that from experience? We are far from London.

@LadyHester x-post! Yes I see the risk re handholding.

I’d definitely be interested in that sort of job OP, apart from the DIY ( unless it was very basic ).
I won’t apply though, as I am nowhere near you.

I’d say just outsource the mowing to a regular person who turns up weekly or whatever. It’s a specific skill.

for the other stuff it’s a savvy cleaner who is prepared to be a bit flexible.
my cleaner is very willing to take in the shopping, come when the decorators are in and keep an eye on the job and then clean afterwards etc. She holds our key. She’s a smart capable woman and could easily oversee other things and she already nips the dog for a walk if I’m working a long day and the dog Walker has come early. She is in her 50s and has had loads of jobs in her time so I’d say could turn her hand to most things.

Just advertise in the local shops and papers stating what you are looking for. I’d offer a bit more than your cleaner eg £18ph and keep it below the hours needed to trigger benefits reductions or tax. Be prepared to be negotiated up. I actually pay mine £25 ph plus travel etc but I love her and have known her forever so would be lost without her. We are Leeds area.

Maybe aim to be flexible with the hours to be less over more days so it fits with pre school or nursery etc.

Merge it with the cleaner role, and offer 20 hours per week @ £20ish per hour?