Our client is a semi-formal household and lives in a rural village south of Munich, close to Starnberg. The couple has two children 10 and 12 years old.
Their nanny (who has been with them since the birth of their oldest child) and her husband live in a separate part of the property.
They travel a lot as a family and will usually be out of the country 10-12 weeks/year. They also do a lot of different sports (riding, polo, skiing, mountain biking, hiking, climbing, ballet,
Taekwondo).
The house
The house is a modern, open plan, 4 bedroom building of roughly 460 sqm.
Their nanny has a separate flat of about 100 sqm. There are a number of auxiliary buildings on their property (guest house etc.), and a roughly one-acre garden – hence it is all pretty compact.
The house is furnished in a mix of antiques and modern fine furniture. Raw wood floors, cement walls and stairs, and marble bathrooms require special attention.
They also collect Georgian, Victorian and Art Déco silver and expect their housekeeper to be familiar with taking care of antiques and art.
Our client keeps an extensive designer wardrobe and would appreciate their housekeeper being an able laundress, having outstanding ironing skills and a strong understanding of designer clothes and brands and how to maintain delicate pieces.
it is a ‘green’ household, so they only eat organic ingredients and are keen for their housekeeper to be environmentally conscious when it comes to cleaning and laundry products. They only use organic detergents and cleaning products and usually use the ENJO range of cleaning equipment.
Staff
They also employ a nanny, a gardener and a window cleaner.
Housekeeper’s responsibilities:
They value initiative and strong self-management skills and trust that their housekeeper has a plan of his/her own, not expecting to be micro-managed or told what to do.
They appreciate a positive can-do attitude, self-confidence, absolute discretion, professionalism, and impeccable manners. They also expect the housekeeper to be very well presented.
A keen eye for detail and a real love for antiques, designer clothes and shoes are essential, and longevity in the housekeeper’s prior positions is greatly appreciated.
It is essential that the housekeeper is a driver, given their rural location in Bavaria, Germany.
In detail, the housekeeper’s main tasks comprise the following:
Cleaning and laundry
• Daily cleaning duties around the house (and once a week in our nanny’s flat) incl. bedrooms, bathrooms and wooden floors
• Organising personal items
• Cleaning and tidying sports equipment, especially after weekends and holidays
• Polishing and cleaning over silver and gold
• Deep cleaning (incl. marble bathrooms, upholstery, kitchen)
• Laundry and ironing, taking care of delicate fabrics such as lace, silk and cashmere; managing dry cleaning runs
• Washing and changing bedding (they have a very good service for table and bed linen (ironing)
Wardrobe management
• Designer wardrobe management: dry cleaning, minor repairs and liaising with seamstresses
• Taking care of designer shoes, incl. selecting and liaising with right shoemakers for repairs
• Preparing clothing and unpacking clothing when we travel, packing and unpacking suitcases
Front of house
• Greeting guests
• Preparing guests’ bedrooms
• Occasional table service and help with larger dinner parties (4-5 times/year)
• Arranging flowers and keeping them fresh on a daily basis
• Preparing and serving coffee/tea/refreshments during the day when we work from home
Other house management:
• Running errands
• Taking deliveries and doing online shopping for all household supplies
• Liaising with gardener and managing all contractors
• Bringing cars to service and occasional car wash
• Getting all recyclables to the recycling station (3 km from their house)
Details of position
• Either Live-in or Live-out
• 40 hours/week
• Very occasional weekend work (4-5 times/year max)
• Monthly gross salary €4,500-€5,000 depending on experience.
• All employer contributions to national health and unemployment insurance
• 30 days paid holidays, plus all national holidays (ideally 2/3 of these should be taken during the school holidays)
• Two vehicles will be provided for all job-related driving
• Experience in luxury hospitality or on yachts a plus
• Non-smoker essential
• Strong English and/or German skills; some German preferred to be able to liaise with contractors
• Newly build, roughly 100 sqm rental flat available in the region if the housekeeper is interested
Current situation
• Their previous butler/housekeeper managed the house to a very high standard, and they have been very happy with him. He regrettably had to move back to his home country to take care of a critically ill family member.
Start as soon as possible.
Interested candidates who meet (or exceed) the needs of this wonderful opportunity should email Sebastian Hirsch or Silvia Richter with full work history, a current photo and written references.
BUTLER FOR YOU – Serving Since 2007!
