Get organised: hire a Household Manager
One of our most misunderstood services, often forgotten in the focus on in-home child care, is the provision of Household Managers. As we have a number of very satisfied customers who use this service, we thought it might be time to give these hardworking people some attention.
It can be hard to describe what a Household Manager can do because there are just so many options. Put simply, a Household Manager is somebody who can assist in your home with a broad range of duties to make your life easier. You might think of them as a family assistant, or a ‘personal PA’. However they are not a nanny or a cleaner, though basic cleaning may form part of their role.
Some of the things our Household Managers do for their clients include:
- tidying up/straightening out the home
- organising/reorganising cupboards or wardrobes
- putting out a load of washing, bringing washing in, folding and ironing
- cooking a meal, or even a number of meals to fill the freezer
- shopping, or running other errands
- coordinating (and being home to meet) other assistants like gardeners, tradespeople, nannies or cleaners
- organising a party
- managing the family diary and other administrative assistance.
All of these activities can be treated as one-off or occasional tasks, or they can be routine. Some Household Managers work a few hours, one day a week with a client while others are more regular.
The level and type of assistance our Household Managers provide really depends on your particular needs. Where you have a specific need, we will work to recruit someone who can meet that requirement. For instance, we have recruited Household Managers in the past who have a particular strength in cooking – sometimes even in a particular cuisine.
While household management does not encompass nannying, in some cases the two can be combined, where we are able to source people with the right backgrounds. So someone might act as a nanny before and after school, and a house keeper in between. The point is that the roles have distinct duties – we would not want someone in ‘nanny’ mode to be carrying out household management tasks.
Our approach to hiring and placing Household Managers is no different from the way we hire and place nannies. We work to understand what your specific requirements are, then screen potential candidates for the best possible fit. As with nannies, we want to find you a household manager who will be with you for a long time. And as with nannies, we are committed to maintaining the highest professional standards. For this reason we are members of DEMA, the Domestic Estate Managers Association – an organisation that is to household management what the INA is to nannying.
If all this sounds good, feel free to call the office anytime to ask any questions you may have. Or complete the form at www.placementsolutions.com.au/home-management and we’ll be in touch.
Louise Dunham - CEO