The Insider's Guide to Household Staffing - Softcover

Gonzalez, David M.

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9781553696032: The Insider's Guide to Household Staffing

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1553696034 ISBN 13: 9781553696032

Publisher: Trafford on Demand Pub, 2006

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A reference guide for Private Service Professionals and Household Employers.

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About the Author:

Business Owner and former Estate Manager/Personal Assistant David Gonzalez is President of Domestic Placement Network, an agency for staffing exclusive households nationwide. David's insight into home management spans several years of personal interaction with celebrity and high profile families around the world, as well as small business development and marketing in several industries. He lives in Ojai, CA with his wife and business partner Lea.

Introduction

This book was written based on the daily operation and concerns of a Domestic Employment Agency. It was my intention to elaborate on the information we give to clients and candidates each day while trying to create successful employment situations. Our business is simply an exchange of information, and the proper gathering and sharing of that information is what makes a good placement. This book should be used as a general guide by anyone involved in the private service employment process, whether as employee, employer, or agent. Some of the information will be relevant to your situation, and some will not. However, with a more complete understanding of each party's concerns, wants, needs, and challenges, it will be easier to see from the other's perspective and work toward a win-win relationship form the very start. For many of the topics in the guide there are not 100% correct answers, and it will be easy to find several people who disagree on each point. Our goal is to present a well-rounded compilation of the most common and widely accepted terms and standards as they apply to domestic services in the United States today. The information comes from a number of sources including long-time domestic staff, professional staffing agencies, clients, and my own experience in the homes of celebrities and wealthy families around the world. No matter what your purpose is for reading this book, you should be able to take away some useful knowledge that will apply to your future success in a private service career, as an employer of household staff, or as a placement agent.

Private Service Staff have many titles, roles, and functions within the employer's home. They include every task from washing dishes to coordinating the purchase, remodel, and decoration of multiple, international properties. In larger homes (approx. 15k sq. ft. plus) there usually exists a greater need for structured management in addition to the service personnel. These are situations where owners are no longer capable of overseeing the staff or simply have chosen to pay someone else to take on the responsibility. It is at the management or expert level where lengthy experience is invaluable, and proper staffing can determine the overall comfort level of the owners.

In this guide we are concerned with the home that requires a more structured staff. Though there are many positions holding equal importance within a home, our focus is on the management and skilled professional level jobs. These include:

* Estate Managers

* Butlers

* House Managers

* Personal Assistants

* Private Chefs

* Domestic Couples

Other titles and positions will be briefly covered as "support staff". Though not the main focus of the guide, all of the advice presented for employers and employees will apply equally to any private service job.

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