Professional ‘Domestic Couples’
At Eden we fully appreciate and greatly value the wide and varied skill sets of professional ‘Domestic Couples’. We also value and acknowledge that they often offer extensive experience and knowledge of the role. Put simply, a career ‘Couple’ are a great asset to a household and this always appeals hugely to many of our Clients. The benefits to both Couple & Client are numerous, as this will be a relationship that is unique in every way.
So, what is the definition of a ‘Domestic Couple’?
A professional ‘Domestic Couple’ is a team of two people (often a husband and wife team, but not always) who are hired to take care of all the tasks involved in running a family or an individual’s home. The ‘Couple’ collaborate in order to offer a variety of services such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, babysitting, gardening, driving and maintenance.
Of course, every job and household is unique and will provide a varied workload of tasks and responsibilities which are different for each Couple. The Couple will be chosen and employed for their specific expertise and experience in certain areas and the role will directly utilise their skill-sets.
As you can imagine there are a huge number of possible variations to the types of skills a Couple could offer! For example:
Nanny/Housekeeper & Gardener/Driver, Personal Assistant & Handyman/Maintenance, an Estates Management Couple, Housekeeper/Cook & Chauffeur and so on…
For the professional Couple there are plenty of benefits to working with their partner/husband/wife and also plenty of benefits to the Client:
Here are some of the main highlights:
- Working Together: – working together in the same place can be very beneficial and rewarding as their skills may complement each other well. Also, because they are already accustomed to working together they will be very effective in quickly and seamlessly achieving the goal of a smooth running and efficient household
- Flexibility: – Couples are very employable and much sought after as they possess a wide range of skills and plenty of flexibility around the role. They may find there are opportunities to grow and learn in a job and will be flexible enough to take on more specialised tasks for their employer Also, as the role grows and develops and the level of trust with the client builds, the Couple could take on additional responsibilities such as offering ‘security’ by living on site or being there when the employer is away. Similarly, they could be an option for taking care of animals as well.
- Accommodation on Site: – Both parties can benefit from the Couple living on site (in accommodation which is usually provided in the grounds or nearby) as not only are they not having to travel to and from work every day, but as mentioned above they add a layer of security to the property & grounds.
- Utilising Specific Skills: – such is the role, no two jobs will be the same, therefore the Couple will be able to utilise their own unique talents and skills. This could be for example one person has a superb knowledge of plants/trees and all things horticultural and the other half may have exceptional culinary skills or understand how to care for silverware/artwork/antiques.
The employment of a professional domestic Couple in a private household is an area of considerable growth and we talk to more and more Clients who can see the many benefits hiring a domestic couple can offer. Undeniably, busy households will relish the flexibility and the enormous range of skills a Couple can bring to the workplace.
The benefits to a Client can also be highlighted as:
- A cost-effective solution – a joint salary as opposed to hiring lots of different people for individual jobs
- A great team who are used to working together to get jobs done
- Flexibility around jobs and able to multi-task/take on new tasks as the role grows
- Home security in your absence
- Pets/animals can be cared for at home/in their usual surroundings which is much less stressful for them
- A smooth running and well organised household and they can liaise on your behalf with contractors, builders & workmen; deal with deliveries/goods and services to the property and look after tutors, visitors etc
If you feel you would like more information or advice as a Couple or a Client on this role then please call the Eden Household Team on
