Hiring a housekeeper can be an arduous task. It can be difficult to tell if a housekeeper is qualified through one meeting or interview. A quiet candidate who doesn’t sell herself could be the most meticulous housekeeper when she is working.
This is very different from nannies, whom we judge during the interview - how outgoing, her or his knowledge of childhood development, experience with working parents or stay at home parents, how well they answer questions on discipline or sibling rivalry. These are all quite easy questions to ask with the correct answers in mind.
Housekeepers, however, often don’t sell themselves well. So it can be tricky to sort through candidates. A good housekeeper is detail oriented, is able to be managed, and works quickly and accurately. References are key in learning a housekeeper’s skills. You will know if they have experience working in an estate or a home with multiple staff and a house manager or estate manager.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the housekeeper is able to do a good job of full housekeeping. Some estates have housekeepers for repetitive, specific job descriptions. A laundress won’t deep clean and an executive housekeeper may organize, stock, clean, and even iron but may not deep clean or have excellent laundress skills.
If you are a professional couple and you only have one housekeeper, you need to hire someone with the experience that has done a little bit of everything, even light childcare or cooking. Rarely will an executive housekeeper cook.
Hiring a housekeeper in San Francisco
San Francisco is a small city with wealthy suburbs that are typically a long drive from affordable suburbs, so commuting is a major issue. An ideal solution is to hire a live-in housekeeper and provide living accommodations. If that is not desirable, you must take into account the long commute times when negotiating pay and schedule. This could mean hiring housekeepers who live in more expensive areas and paying them more or hiring several and making their days shorter so the commute is part of their working hours.
For a family based in Atherton or Los Altos, the best area to hire a housekeeper is San Matteo. There are not too many who live there so it is slim pickings. One solution is to find a less experienced housekeeper and have her trained.
Another issue in San Francisco is cost. Cost of living is high so salaries are higher in San Francisco than any other US city.
What questions should I ask housekeeper candidates?
If your estate manager or personal assistant is doing the first round, you can feel secure that she has passed the test if someone who has experience interviewing housekeeping candidates.
Some suggested questions:
Where do you live and have you done this commute before and if so, how many years did you last at that job?
What were your main responsibilities at your past three housekeeping jobs?
Describe a typical day in your past job
Questions to ask if the candidate has experience in an estate:
How many domestic staff members did you work with?
How was your relationship with your estate or house manager?
What duties were your main responsibility?
Do you deep clean?
Are you willing to cook?
Are you ok working with children?
Are you a fast worker or detailed worker?
Are you flexible on schedule if there is an emergency?
These questions will reveal if they are not the amazing housekeeper they say they are, will highlight if they only have limited skills, and will indicate if they work well in a team or badly.
How can I find a good housekeeper in San Francisco?
Use a top agency. Housekeepers are highly in demand in San Francisco so you want to get the best and most good candidates will be registered with an agency, like British American Household Staffing. If you find a housekeeper on Craigslist, or a similar source, you run the risk of hiring someone who has bad references or some worrisome background check issues that they will hide. Ask the agency about their reference checking process and what their background check entails. Our priority at BAHS is to verify the experience and qualities of each of our candidates through thorough reference screenings and background checks.