The Butler is customarily responsible for a single residence, supervising household staff, setting up the household, and ensuring all duties are fulfilled. Typical duties include ordering household supplies, setting and serving a formal table, caring for the silver, china, and crystal, and overseeing dinner parties and other events held in the home.

A Butler should have good knowledge of wines and may be required to use a computer.

Staffing a Butler

A caretaker is a highly skilled professional whose primary goal is to maintain the pristine state of a property or establishment.

A caretaker on a residential estate may provide several benefits to the property and its tenants. They are in charge of managing a property’s day-to-day activities and ensuring it is running seamlessly.

Staffing a Caretaker

Caregivers help with every aspect of daily living, from driving to appointments and companionship to housekeeping and personal assistance. They help you live safely and comfortably at home.

Caregivers may assist with meal preparation and clean-up, light housekeeping and home maintenance, shopping and errands, bathing, and/or standby assistance with bathing, dressing, and calendaring/daily reminders.

Staffing a Caregiver

A Chauffeur will typically be responsible for driving family members and guests to social and professional appointments. He or she is also expected to care for the car, making sure it is always clean and operating properly.

A Chauffeur may also be required to work in the office of the employer, doing filing or faxing, and maybe even do errands. Often the hours vary, so flexibility is important.

Staffing a Chauffeur

As the head of operations throughout the home, the Chief of Staff is essentially responsible for running your entire team of staff members. The Chief of Staff generally works behind the scenes to solve problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues before they are brought to the principals. Often the Chief of Staff acts as a confidant and advisor to the principals, acting as a sounding board for ideas.

Typical duties include managing household staff, inclusive of structuring and recruitment.

Staffing a Chief of Staff

The Director of Residences is responsible for the oversight of multiple properties. They control the budget and are in charge of major financial expenditures. The Director oversees estate managers at each residence to ensure the consistency of standards.

They serve as the point of control, and final decision-makers, and are often the gatekeeper between the principals and their properties.
Responsibilities for this position generally include HR oversight and development of policies and procedures, financial control, and property management, which may include oversight of residences, corporate offices, ranches, equestrian facilities, or actively-managed farmland, negotiating contracts and vendor management, construction, and project management.

Staffing a Director of Estates

Primarily a chief administrator, the Estate or Household Manager assumes a leadership role in managing the staff and services for one or more homes.

This may include interviewing and supervising all contractors, attending to the proper care of automobiles, wine cellar, managing accounts, and other functions.

Staffing an Estate Manager

Executive assistants work for a company officer, either from home or the office. They possess the authority to make crucial decisions and act as a gatekeeper to the principal.
The Executive Assistant manages correspondence, calendaring, and travel arrangements, in addition to preparing research and communication.

The Executive Assistant understands in varying degrees the requirements of the executive, with an ability to decide which scheduled events or meetings are most appropriate for the allocation of the executive’s time.

Staffing an Executive Assistant

A Gardener may possibly have a degree in horticulture and cares for formal gardens, lawns, shrubs, flowers, and other gardens. The Gardener also supervises any outside vendors who come on the grounds and orders supplies and equipment for the estate.

A top-of-the-line Gardener has knowledge of insecticides, and chemical applications, and often have greenhouse experience as well. Housing is often included. This job can also be combined with a caretaker position.

Staffing a Gardener

A handyman is an expert in taking care of home maintenance, both small and large. Generally, for any task that requires construction or rudimentary electrical work, a handyman can take care of it.

A Family Assistant is responsible for the same tasks as a Personal Assistant, with the addition of child-related duties.

Staffing a Handyman

A Housekeeper is in charge of cleaning, doing the laundry, ironing, dusting, silver polishing, vacuuming, and running errands.

Housekeeper duties may also include some meal preparation and/or childcare duties. Housekeepers can live in or out.

Staffing a Housekeeper

A Houseman is usually responsible for the heavy housework, such as cleaning the hardwood and marble floors, vacuuming and polishing silver and brass, and general repairs.

He may be required to care for the front entry area of the house and the walkways. In a home where there is only a Houseman, he typically does what a Housekeeper would.

Staffing a Houseman

A Laundress washes, irons, steams clothing, table linens, and sheets, as well as organized closets and dressers.

She may also be required to care for the polishing of shoes.

Staffing a Laundress

Nannies are in charge of organizing and coordinating the children’s activities, preparing their meals, and keeping their rooms and play areas clean.

He or she may have several years of college or hold a degree, and ideally possess a CPR or a First Aid Certificate.

Staffing a Nanny

Helps the new mother with all aspects of care for a baby, from feeding to washing clothes and keeping the nursery clean. She is not responsible for any household duties outside of the nursery.

These tend to be temporary jobs, with Baby Nurses usually working 12 or 24-hour shifts for a duration of 2 weeks to 6 months.

Staffing a NCS

Office managers are business professionals who are responsible for a diverse set of administrative tasks. Office managers’ duties can vary significantly based on the size and type of organization of employment.

Typical duties include organizing meetings and managing databases, booking transport and accommodation, organizing company events or conferences, ordering stationery and furniture, dealing with correspondence, complaints, and queries, preparing letters, presentations, and reports, and supervising and monitoring the work of administrative staff.

Staffing an Office Manager

A Personal Assistant is responsible for keeping up with the social and professional demands of an employer. Duties may include keeping track of the family agenda, arranging for reservations of various events, travel bookings, event planning, some secretarial responsibilities, shopping, and running errands.

A Family Assistant is responsible for the same tasks as a Personal Assistant, with the addition of child-related duties.

Staffing a Personal Assistant

A private tutor teaches students at home. They are responsible for providing students with individualized assistance to help them learn new concepts and developing and implementing a customized educational program.

Their wealth of knowledge [experience] can come from various backgrounds, such as the public and private school sectors and tutoring companies.

Staffing a Private Educator