If you’re looking to hire a housekeeper in London, you need to know what to look for; both in experience and personality.
Inviting someone into your home to clean and to have unsupervised access to your personal possessions is a leap of trust and it’s important to have someone you know is honest. Whether they have a live in position and are part of the family 7 days a week or live out and visit every day for a few hours, you need someone you can communicate with and to know they will do a great job.
Experience
Whilst qualifications are not necessary when employing a housekeeper, some may have certificates and awards in the industry as well as more specialist training such as first aid in the home. What can really count though is experience which can be evidenced through references. If a candidate has spent a number of years with a previous employer, it is pretty likely that they will offer excellent skills and the loyalty the role requires. It’s important to check out with those the housekeeper has worked for in the past to hear their views.
Excellent home management skills come with experience and the best housekeepers will soon have plans in place for cleaning schedules. They will know how often to clean different parts of the home as well as combine this with any other parts of their job such as preparing meals for the family or helping with social occasions.
Personality
It’s vital that the person you hire is completely honest, trustworthy and can keep things they see and hear confidential. Whilst cleaning your home, your housekeeper will have access to your possessions, see paperwork and will hear conversations between family members. One of the best attributes a housekeeper can bring is being able to keep everything they see and hear to themselves.
Another area to check out is any criminal past; if you are using an agency they will be able to handle this for you through running a CRB check. Even if the candidate has a clear CRB certificate at interview, they are not portable from job to job so you should either arrange for this to happen yourself if they are the best fit for the role or discuss the outcome with the agency.
Fitting in with the family
A live in housekeeper will be spending a great deal of time with the family; either when at work or when they are relaxing in their room when they have finished their work for the day. Choose a housekeeper who has a similar outlook on life to you and your family, is a great and open communicator and knows the boundaries of the role.
Whilst they live within the same property, you may not want to share all day and night in the same parts of the house and this will be understood and respected by an experienced housekeeper. When introducing the successful candidate to their role, this is the time to discuss social and professional rules and boundaries. Remember though that it’s a two-way conversation; a housekeeper with a number of years in the industry will be able to offer qualified input to some best practice when managing a home.
