Job Title:
Housekeeper / Gardener Maintenance Couple
Number Of Years Dedicated To This Field Of Work or Lifestyle:
1
Category Of Work:
Employment – Paid Work
Country / Area of Work:
France
Industry:
Hospitality/Travel
Type:
Lifestyle Choice
Key Skills For The Job:
Multi skilled – for housekeeper, domestic duties, keen eye for detail, basic book keeping for petty cash. Organisation for ordering, laundry, shopping and cooking.
For gardener maintenance – all types of handyman skills to repair or maintain anything that comes up, as well as keep the garden and outside spaces in good order.
Vital Key Skill:
Flexibility
Your Personal Experience Of Entering This Role:
No Prior Skills Or Experience
Tips For Undertaking This Work:
Look out for jobs on places like Gumtree, there are often private owners looking for staff for summer or winter seasons. Some will offer pay, some will just offer accommodation, but the work required will reflect this.
Future Progression Or Developments:
Housekeeper maintenance couples in private households are extremely well paid live in jobs, often for very high net worth clients and can include travelling to many places. Because the positions are live in, they offer the opportunity to save. The experience can take you as far as you wish.
These positions are ideal if you wish to see some of the world whilst being paid. There are also voluntary house sitter roles. To do this type of work you need to be quite disciplined, as you will self direct the tasks, as well as being good with people, and having the ability to turn your hand to anything and handle any task that you are presented with. I would have done this years ago if I had known such jobs existed!
What Are The ‘tools of the trade’ Used Daily:
Common sense, organisational skills and willingness to just do whatever is needed.
A Typical Day’s Duties:
Depends on your property – you may need to do a full changeover and clean if you have guests arriving or you may just have to do maintenance clean.
You may need to shop, organise and you may have garden duties such as gravel raking, mowing, trimming or taking rubbish.
A normal day may be that you start around 8 a.m. set up the pool, sweep terraces, go and fetch pastries and set up breakfast. Clean the house and service rooms empty dishwashers etc. Set up cushions on terraces and generally ensure it is presentable for guests.
Evenings will be putting cushions away maintaining the pool areas and terraces, perhaps cooking dinner and serving or whatever the owners or guests request.
Guardians may only have to maintain grounds and secure property, or perhaps just welcome guests with outside cleaners to do the changeovers – each post varies.
Is Travelling A Regularly Part Of This Work:
No
Weekly Working Hours:
Flexible – Own Choice
Type Of Hours Arrangement:
Flexible Based On Employers Needs
The Best Thing About The Work You Do:
Flexibility to see the world and save money at the same time! It is pretty much self directed, so once the work is done, then you have time to explore an area. You meet people and experience other lifestyles.
Your Least Favorite Thing About The Work You Do:
Noisy or demanding guests! As you live in, sometimes guests forget their manners or volume control when wine is involved! You must remember it is their holiday, so provided you care for the property, it is theirs for the week, so they can use it as they choose.
Any Duties You Hadn’t Anticipated Prior To Undertaking The Work:
When undertaking this type of work nothing is really off limits as each job will demand different things – this post requires me to buy and arrange fresh flowers weekly – I had never arranged flowers in my life! It is also important to remember that the weather is different in each place, and here it is VERY hot, so it is difficult to work in on some days because of the heat, but the job must still be done.
The Top Perks Of The Work:
Self directed work – as long as the jobs are done, we decide how and when, time off is therefore flexible. As well as being paid, at this level, the guests are a certain class and often tip very well. We live rent and bills free in a stunning location, with a pool and amazing views!
Other Work In The Same Sector:
House keeping and gardening can obviously lead on to more specialist roles or management.
Additional Info You Wish To Share:
This type of work is often word of mouth or private advertisers, though there are agencies who also specialise in finding couples. If you want to have a career, then the right names and houses can be influential on your CV but if you just want a nice way to spend a summer, then this sort of job is typical of what you can expect.
References are always important so make sure you have good ones! And be flexible to the “Nth degree” – there is no job spec, you need to just get on with any task required as it comes up, and with a smile on your face.”
