Training private staff - how do we at Little Ones train our private staff and hire the right staff for your household

At Little Ones, we make sure that every private domestic staff member that we introduce to every family that contacts us to open a search for the best housekeeper for their family has the right training and experience. Every housekeeper will have different experience with different types of cleaning; some of them will be used to doing general cleaning, while others will have experience with a specific type of materials, like cleaning silver.

We always make sure that Little Ones’ housekeepers have the best training and experience before working with any of our families. The things we consider when making sure that they have had the correct training are the following:

• Background and qualifications of your housekeeper

The first step that we take at Little Ones is checking the background and qualifications the housekeeper holds. We will ask the candidate to share a minimum of 2 work references to make sure that they have the right experience listed on their CVs. Our specialist consultants will go through every aspect of their latest jobs, like how many hours they worked for the families and what they did for them. We will also check all of their qualifications to make sure they are real.

• Working hours

It is important to make a rota or schedule for your housekeeper, explaining how you like your house to be cleaned, for example, how often you want the toilets to be cleaned or the laundry and the garden to be looked after. Going through the plan with your housekeepers during the first days is essential, so that both parties are on the same page.

• Check if they are familiar with your cleaning tools

Most families will use the same types of cleaning tools all around the house; however, other families will be specific about which products need to be used for every area of their homes. It doesn’t matter which type of family you consider yourself to be - it is important to go through your cleaning tools when a new staff member starts, explaining which products you use for each area, as per your preferences.

• Cleaning expectations

Not every family is the same, and not every housekeeper will behave in the same way with each family. The employer needs to discuss with their employee what they expect from them, how tidy and clean every space of the house needs to be and how deep the clean needs to be. Give time for questions and don’t forget to give feedback to the housekeeper on how well she/he is doing their work or if they need to improve.

• Having a safe environment at home and covering all your housekeeper’s rights

Every family will need to consider what the law of their countries requires of them from the moment of hiring domestic staff. Do you need insurance that covers any type of accident that can happen in your house? Do you need insurance that covers your employee specifically? Also, if we are talking about UK law, the government requires that employers have a contract with their employees, give them payslips, don’t ask the staff to work more than the hours allowed per week, and to pay at least the national minimum wage.

• Recognise your staff’s efforts

Everyone likes a bit of recognition sometimes, so it’s important to let your housekeeper know when they do a good job, if they cook an amazing dish for the family and if the house looks impeccable and up to your standards. This will help you to have a healthy relationship with your staff, because they will know that you care about their job and happiness.

How to find the right fit?

It is no secret that getting someone you’ll instantly be comfortable with is quite difficult to find. The process may take longer than usual if you start searching manually through the internet, friends’ referrals or advertisement posts. However, this is not at all impossible.

When finding the perfect bilingual housekeeper, the family may want to consider some factors that may affect their plan of hiring. This involves budget, schedule, the candidate’s employment history and experience, and if they are willing to share the same ideals and perspective when it comes to cleanliness and maintenance. Of course, they also need to determine what additional language(s) they would like their housekeeper to speak. Most importantly, will the housekeeper be able to provide the quality of service that you seek. Here are some basic steps to find the perfect bilingual housekeeper:

• Make a plan. One of the most challenging parts of the search process is the beginning. What will you do, who will you ask, where will you go for help or how will you start – questions that are crucial especially if it’s the family’s first time. Proceeding without a plan is like building a house without a blueprint, it will be messy and disorganised. Make an outline of your preferences and qualifications, consisting of a checklist you can mark off for every candidate. Set your requirements if you need additional skills of your housekeeper, like being able to drive, cook or garden. If you have children, do you like someone who can also look after them when necessary?

List a job description that will narrate all the important details such as the required days and total hours of work that you’d need the housekeeper to do for you and their daily responsibilities (or hourly if possible). This list will serve as your blueprint and your guide to your next step.

• Assess your budget. Living a comfortable life could be quite expensive, the same with having a bilingual housekeeper. It will be a lot easier, though, compared to when you have to do things alone, and the assistance that your housekeeper will bring will be worth every penny. Hence, take your time and think about how much you’re willing to spend on this additional family expense.
• Find a reliable agency. The most conducive way to find the perfect bilingual housekeeper is through a reputable agency that will offer smooth and painless employment.

Little Ones UK, a well-respected nanny and housekeeper agency, which has been in the business for more than 15 years, is known for delivering premium service to both their clients and candidates. The company has been successfully providing comfort to families who are seeking nannies and other domestic staff. One of the factors that built this company’s good reputation is its professional method of searching for a candidate that will fit your criteria and preferences. Little Ones is composed of expert recruitment consultants who are driven by their passion and dedication. These nanny and housekeeper specialists follow a thorough vetting and screening process to make sure that all applicants that the families will meet are decent and a potential match.

The hiring process begins with a face-to-face interview, which assesses the applicant’s work history, experience, work values and ethics. The candidates who’ll pass the interview will move forward to the submission of requirements, such as previous housekeeping experience and verbal references. Various positions for bilingual housekeepers are offered by Little Ones depending on your needs. These include full-time or part-time, live-out or live-in, and temporary or permanent positions. For complete information about Little Ones, click here.

Little Ones aims to maintain an outstanding name by continuously administering a high standard of work and services. The company has the most well-informed experts in the market and the families and bilingual housekeepers that have worked with are very much aware of that. If you wish to try out Little Ones’ bilingual housekeeper services, you can call us on 02071830309 or email us at enquiries@littleoneslondon.co.uk. For updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

• Research. As mentioned above, the safety and security of your family always come first. The convenience of getting a bilingual housekeeper may mean nothing if the candidate is portraying an unpleasant character. Therefore, it is only appropriate to conduct your own research about the candidate that you would choose. You may want to know your employee’s interests and personality through their social media, since there’s more in there than what you can get from your one-on-one interview. Also, if you will be given a set of references, reach out to them via call or email to obtain further information. Again, we are talking about your family’s welfare, so being meticulous is reasonable in this case.

These helpful tips for finding the right bilingual housekeeper are your way of saying that you love your family more than anything in the world. Let your candidates know what you need from them and the things that really matter to you, and they might share the same point-of-view. Furthermore, do not forget to invest in a trial period if possible. It will be best to spend some time with them first to see if they can handle everything and if they will be able to deliver to your demands. The trial period could also be an opportunity to give your housekeeper the necessary basic training.

Little Ones will help you along with finding the right bilingual housekeeper for you and your family. The company aims to constantly provide premium housekeeping assistance and we aspire to offer extensive opportunities to our job seekers, allowing them to do what they do best. For available bilingual housekeepers, please visit our website https://www.littleoneslondon.co.uk