Help me decide what I need...

[LittleRedRidingHoody]

Background ~ I work full time in a stressful role. I'm a single parent to 1 primary aged DC, I have also got an elderly relative who's staying with us and a DNephew going through lots at home who stays with us a minimum of 50% of the time, with no schedule as to when this will be. Home life is a chaotic circus right now and I need help before my career and mental health breaks down. I've never had so much as a professional deep clean done before, as have been trying to handle everything myself.

This is what, ideally, I need:

• Someone to come daily Mon-Fri during school hours

• Daily: General tidy of communal areas, supervise RobotVac cleaning the floor, empty dishwasher, clean down kitchen sides, run the washer/dryer (and fold/put clothes away), prep after school snacks and sometimes something simple in the slow cooker for dinner.

• Weekly: 'Proper' clean of bathrooms and kitchen, dusting, change/wash bed linens, put away weekly grocery shop.

• MAYBE: help with mental load type stuff. Listing outgrown clothes on Vinted, keeping tabs on household consumables and adding to shopping list when low, running errands, arranging handyman/gardeners when needed.

I looked at agencies offering Housekeeping services etc and it looked very formal for what I actually need! I'm thinking there will be parents locally who this could work well for (also open to this being Term Time Only as we travel lots during the holidays, if that's something which would appeal) and am worried that advertising as a Housekeeper role might scare away people without lots of experience etc. Also I'm intimidated by the idea of having a 'proper' professional! Is there a better name for what I'm looking for?

How many hours would you think this would need daily? (4 bed, 3 bath house)

Should I be looking for someone self-employed, or set this up as an employee (and probably find a good agency to go through for tax/wages/HR)?

What should I be looking to pay? We're in the Home Counties/London Border.

Any tips or recommendations welcome too!

Thanks in advance.

It sounds like you are busy enough and need enough help to just get.a professional to do it from an agency that will deal with vetting and briefing and substitute them if they are ill etc. if you try and bodge it together with various semi professional helpers you may well end up with spending half your life managing the help you are trying to off load

Others will be able to help more - but I would definitely advise hiring through an agency; you don’t have time for employment admin.

Also, is your elderly relative able to take on a small task? If so you could hand over responsibility for a weekly Ocado delivery to them. Everything you always buy would be in the trolley already, so it would just be a matter of adding oddments, and the delivery would be automatic.

Thanks both. You're probably right about going through an agency! I've romanticised the idea of finding someone amazing and local easily I think.

@BeetledBrow this is a FANTASTIC idea and I'm so annoyed I haven't thought of this before 😂 Elderly relative cannot do anything physical and is not at all tech savvy, but I'm sure I can teach them how to navigate the app and it will make them feel so useful which I know they miss 😭 Thank you!!!

Pleasure! An iPad might be the best - unless they prefer a laptop.

It’ll make them feel useful and needed, which is always a good thing.

My 90yr old Mum who has always been completely hopeless at technology manages with a tablet. I just set her up with apps for things she likes and bookmarked a few pages on the internet and she was away. To be fair there is some basic technical support required (like when her wifi connection has dropped or she does something really stupid which is apparently never her fault) but she really enjoys it. It may open up some new horizons for your relative.