Considering a Career as a Private Housekeeper?
What Are The Duties And Responsibilities of a Housekeeper?
Housekeeper responsibilities vary widely between households and according to the seniority of the position. In general we would expect that a housekeeper would undertake cleaning as directed and to provide a professional and friendly service to the family and any guests. We would expect a housekeeper to look after most or all of the below duties:
- General cleaning (meaning detailed dusting, hovering, tidying, and keeping all kitchen appliances clean)
- Organising, laundry (in home washing and care of fine fabric, hand washing all necessary, also separate and deal with what needs to go to the laundry
- To maintain environment; deep clean carpeted and non-carpeted areas, soft furnishings, and bedding; fixtures and fittings; windows and walls; maintain storage areas
- Organising for pick up, delivery, checking quality of service done and dealing with any problems)
- Ironing, starching and steaming organising what needs ironing, what needs washing
- Watering plants when required
- Preparing light meals
- Maintain storage areas
- Pet Care
- Shopping
- Running Errands
- Cooking (sometimes the family may need help with this)
What Makes a Good Housekeeper?
There are many skills that are needed for a good housekeeper and a good number of character and personality assets that could really help you in your position. We would expect a housekeeper to be a good team player, having to regularly deal with both members of the household and potentially other staff within the house in a friendly manner. Of course attention to detail, organisational skills and time management are all key to this role as employers would expect tasks to be carried out in a timely and orderly fashion and to a meticulous standard. Discretion is also quite a key attribute. Members of the household would expect a housekeeper to blend in and exercise discretion where necessary. In addition to this, product, fabric and surface knowledge is definitely a bonus when it comes to cleaning.
What Salary Should a Housekeeper Expect?
The salary of a housekeeper varies quite widely according to seniority of the position. It is possible to start at the very bottom as a junior housekeeper with little to no experience and then to work up to a head housekeeper who may be expected to manage a team of staff. Salaries for the latter role can be extremely competitive. As a general rule of thumb, we would expect housekeepers to be paid between £13 and £18 per hour and usual housekeepers work generally 40 hours per week. This could be more or less depending if you are on a rota or if the family are in residence or not. Sometimes as a housekeeper you may be expected to travel with the family. As a junior housekeeper, you wouldn’t necessarily be expected to have direct experience, however attributes such as enthusiasm, integrity and a willingness to learn would be very important for this role.