What does a Housekeeper do?

Whilst hiring cleaners and nannies is thought of as common practice for many busy families across the country, you may have heard less about hiring a housekeeper, however this home care option could be just what your household needs!

A housekeeper can be an extra pair of hands around the house, whilst they generally focus on cleaning duties they can be ready to help with general chores, cooking, childcare and more depending on their skills and your requirements. At Yoopies we have a whole range of housekeeper applicants from general house keepers, to cleaning specific candidates we hope you will find your perfect housekeeping match.

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What does a Housekeeper do?

The role of a housekeeper is different for every family depending on the specific requirements of the individual household. Whilst general duties often include cleaning, tidying, cooking, providing childcare, providing companionship, helping with household chores or running errands this list is by no means exhaustive and of course not all housekeepers will be required to perform all these duties.

At Yoopies our housekeeping service has a range of suitable applicants from those who provide exclusively cleaning services to applicants for general housekeeper positions..

A housekeeper can essentially be thought of as an extra pair of hands, be them for busy parents who need a spare adult for childcare, cleaning and running errands whilst you are with the children, or for an elderly couple or individual who is no longer able to manage running a household alone. A housekeeper will likely perform different tasks on a daily basis and just like normal life, most days bring something different, so it’s best to be flexible and communicate your current needs to your housekeeper.

What are the different types of Housekeeper?

There are more specialised types of housekeeper, and perhaps a certain skill set may be more suited for your family. We’ve outlined below the main types of housekeeper, but remember these are not rigid descriptions and it is likely that your individual employee will adapt to your personal needs.

Daily housekeeper – a daily housekeeper is an individual who does not live in the family home but who comes in on a daily or less frequent basis to help with any necessary task within the household. These tasks could include cleaning, ironing, tidying, washing, cooking, running errands such as collecting dry cleaning or shopping or perhaps over seeing older children around the house whilst working on other tasks. 

Live-in housekeeper –  a live-in housekeeper stays with the family usually in a separate part of the home such as a private bedroom or sometimes a separate floor or building within the grounds of the home depending on facilities available. Evidently these roles are more full on and the housekeeper may be required to work longer or more unusual hours due to their close proximity to the family. As well as completing all the usual tasks of a daily housekeeper, this can be a great option for families with children who require supervision before and after school or transport to school. Live-in housekeepers are also often favoured by elderly couples who might require assistance in the evenings with cooking and managing the house or who prefer to not stay in their residence alone.

Companion housekeeper – companion housekeepers can often perform similar duties to live-in housekeepers however they are normally employed by elderly, disabled or vulnerable individuals. Unlike other housekeepers they will not often perform childcare duties but may be required to do more general cleaning, running errands and physical tasks than other roles. Companion housekeepers may be live-in or live-out depending on the needs of the individual. 

There are also Nanny housekeepers, and Chef housekeepers, who perform much like daily or live-in housekeepers however they will have a specific focus of either childcare for the Nanny position or cooking and running the kitchen for Chef housekeepers. Remember however that a housekeeper is there to support your individual household and their role can be tailored to your family and their requirements.

What is the difference between a housekeeper and a cleaner?

At Yoopies we have both housekeepers and cleaners as applicants and they are all listed under the housekeeping category. 

Whilst there is not a vast amount of difference between the two roles, a housekeeper can be thought of as a more general position within the household and a person who will be willing to take on a much wider variety of tasks including running errands, ironing, tidying or offering personal assistance within the home. 

A cleaner however usually performs a more specialised role of cleaning the home for a few hours at a time and possibly will be willing to take on more duties such as ironing or laundry but at their discretion. 

A housekeeper therefore provides a more complete and extensive service and is often employed for more hours weekly in order to complete all the necessary duties whereas a cleaner is a more infrequent, specialised service provider.

Do I need a housekeeper or a nanny?

Depending on your family situation you may need more help with childcare than housework, or visa versa and it is important to employ a home care provider with the right skill set to fulfil your needs. If you find that childcare is higher on your agenda, and you need someone to look after your child for fairly regular hours each week with a few hours here and there for help around the house, then perhaps it is best to check out our childcare solutions as you may be more suited to a nanny.

If however maintaining the house and completing cleaning, cooking and general household chores is what you really need, then a housekeeper who may be willing to watch over the children at certain times could be a better fit.

For families in need of significant help in both areas however, there are specific nanny housekeepers, who will be qualified and willing to manage both roles and perform both household and childcare services.

Who hires a Housekeeper?

The term housekeeper can sound very formal, however in reality it is not just large households or hotels and businesses who hire housekeepers. A housekeeper can be the ideal solution to keeping a busy family organised, lending a helping hand to those less able to manage domestic life or just to pitch in with the day to day tasks of daily life in the home. 

Families with young children and working parents might have constantly changing schedules, which can make hiring a nanny difficult or expensive as they cannot commit to set times and dates. Especially since the recent increase in people working from home, having a housekeeper who can perform both household chores and childcare duties could be a great solution to fulfil your requirements as and when they arise. 

For those less able to manage a house by themselves be it due to their age or a disability, a housekeeper could be a handy addition to their weekly routine. A housekeeper can offer an extra pair of hands to complete any household tasks that the individual may need which do not fall under the remit of a medical carer, such as doing the laundry, collecting the food shopping or general cleaning duties. 

Why would I benefit from hiring a Housekeeper?

A housekeeper could be just what you need to keep your household or daily life on track due to their varied nature. Perhaps you need a couple of hours of childcare here and there but don’t want to commit to a full time nanny as other days you might not want any childcare but could be in need of a cleaner. Many housekeepers take on ‘general’ household duties and the role does not have to be the same every day.

Just as every family is unique, the role of the housekeeper will be unique to the particular family and may adapt and change over time. Finding the right balance of what works for you and your family may take time or may be constantly changing, however we’ve got a whole host of applicants waiting to meet your requirements!

How do I hire a housekeeper?

Just like with hiring any form of home care provider, it may take time to find the right person for the job, especially if this is your first time hiring for this particular role. By making a profile and posting an ad on Yoopies, you are sure to have some great, well qualified applicants contact you, or simply browse our current applicants and get in touch with them via our platform to discuss the position further.

Tips for hiring:

Set your standards: Firstly it is important to set out your requirements and expectations when creating your advert, this way you will be sure to only attract qualified applicants and make the process of filtering through applications far simpler.

Detailed information: Make sure to include a complete description of all your requirements, including as much information as possible about what duties you are looking for. Is the role mainly childcare focussed with some occasional cleaning and organising, or is it a cleaning position with a small proportion of weekly childcare? Be as descriptive as possible and if you’re not completely sure yet what the role will entail, be honest as this could be something you discover when discussing your situation with applicants.

Check the references: It is always important to ensure that the person you are hiring has reliable, checkable references to prove the quality of their previous experience. If an applicant has no prior experience in this particular line of work, ask for character references from other aspects of their life such as educators or former employers.

Feeling ready to start the process? Check out our housekeeping applicants here!

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