Vacancies for high-end domestic staff have soared — here’s how to apply
COVID has decimated some employment sectors but others are proving resilient during the pandemic.
And emerging as one of the busiest recruitment fields is that for high-end domestic staff.
With many wealthy people moving to the country, demand for workers including nannies, butlers, housekeepers and estate managers has hit levels not seen for decades.
Clients range from wealthy working couples to celebrities who keep a fleet of staff in order to manage their busy lives.
Trained butlers are commanding salaries of £100,000 while lockdown has also seen demand for home educators soar, with nannies who have teaching qualifications commanding more than £80,000 a year.
Lucy Challenger runs Polo & Tweed, which specialises in placing VIP staff in homes around the world.
She explained: “The current crisis has seen a lot of requests for live-in staff as company for those who are shielding. For those at the top of the game the rewards are huge. But those jobs also require a huge commitment.”
Each job attracts around 500 applications, with only the best staff landing a role.
Lucy adds: “You need to really want to do it. Many of these jobs are not easy and the role needs to be the right one for you. It is not all about sipping champagne on a private jet — although, of course, that does sometimes happen.”
- Apply now at .
Qualities you need
- At least two-years’ experience, or strong transferrable skills or lots of volunteering experience
- Willingness to train. Courses include Cleaning Marble and House Management
- Flexibility is key, you may have to work extra hours or weekends with very little notice
- Discretion is a must. No tattling about life in the house
Time to switch teams
REDUNDANCIES have hit a new record with 314,000 people losing their job between July and September.
Nick Rewcastle who was communications manager for Harlequins Rugby Club, reveals how to use a sporting mentality to get back into work.
- Play to the whistle: If you’re facing redundancy, there will be a consultancy period. Consider your options, fight for your job and give your employer hard evidence as to why they should keep you.
- Down to the wire: Use the pressure of money worries and other issues to spur you on. Tailor your CV and covering letter to each job and apply.
- Benched: Rejection is tough. But if you’ve been made redundant, it’s likely that your industry is struggling, so be open to something new.
- I get knocked down, but I get up again: After a month without an interview, I took a new path. I jumped on to the HMRC website, registered as self-employed, set up my sports PR consultancy nr-pr.uk then started reaching out to some of my close contacts.
- The ball’s in your court: The future is yours to make. I’ve gone from no interviews to being in The Sun!
To test is best
JOIN the fight against Covid with a job at a Lighthouse Lab. The medical network plays a key role in the government’s drive to increase UK testing capacity.
There are 100 diagnostic roles available at the Alderley Park lab in Cheshire with a further 200 new staff being hired in the next few months.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “These new skilled roles at Alderley Park Lighthouse Lab will provide a significant boost to the UK’s growing diagnostic industry. It is wonderful to see so many important jobs being created, from those at the start of their careers, bringing fresh ideas while building valuable skills, to highly experienced experts able to oversee entire laboratories.”
Apply at
Back in saddle
DOZENS of top bosses are coming together to help staff who’ve been made redundant.
Their new organisation, called SaddleUp!, features experts from firms as diverse as BMW, Vodafone and Aldi, and aims to coach those newly out of work and change the way in which redundancy is viewed.
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Managing director David Woollcott explains: “Redundancy is one of the most stressful experiences a person can go through – but it is not a failure.
“SaddleUp! is born from an urgent and immediate need to restore employees’ worth and help them refocus so they are ready to re-enter the jobs market in a positive frame of mind. There is opportunity out there.”
Volunteer at
Jobspot
FOOD producer BAKKAVOR needs factory operatives and machine operatives. Find out more about the jobs, and where they are located, at
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