What should one expect of domestic staff?

When we talk about domestic staff, the term covers a wide variety of roles and, within each role, the job description and one's expectation of what it covers varies greatly whether one is an employer or an employee.  In this article we try to paint a clear picture of the various roles in the domestic staffing industry, describing the roles of housekeeper, nanny, nanny/housekeeper and companion.
 
The role of a housekeeper
The housekeeper's primary function is to insure the smooth running of the household.  Thus the primary responsibilties include the daily tasks of making beds and tidying up, dusting and polishing furniture; sweep, mop and/or wax floors; vacuuming carpets; cleaning kitchens, including ovens and refrigerators, and cleaning bathrooms. Housekeepers may also wash dishes; polish silver; wash, fold, and iron clothes; and clean windows internally.
In addition, there are a host of other duties which a housekeeper may perform, depending upon the circumstances and whether there are other staff employed in the household.  These include looking after a child or an elderly person (see also nanny/housekeeper and companion), cooking, feeding pets, answering the telephone and the door, and calling and waiting for outside tradesmen.  Housekeepers may also take clothes and other laundry to the cleaners, buy groceries, and run many other errands.
A housekeeper may work a full day or part-time, for five or six days per week.  Like many of the roles described here, the role may be live-in or live-out.
A housekeeper's worth is measured in being able to work with minimal supervision, thus it requires someone who is methodical and uses their initiative, a self-starter who can run the home on behalf of their employer.
The nanny
The role of a nanny is to undertake all of the tasks related to the care of children whilst in the employment of a family.  The position may be live-in or live-out.  The duties are generally restricted to childcare and the domestic tasks related to childcare, i.e not general housekeeping duties.  A nanny will usually work unsupervised.
Nannies are expected to participate in the social, emotional, and intellectual development of the children, working with them in such areas as language development, toilet training, social manners, homework, and more.
Are you suitable for a position as a nanny?  Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you patient? Can you handle a long day with a small child, perhaps with no other adult companionship? Are you reliable and trustworthy?
• Are you flexible enough to perform your childcare responsibilities according to the family's rules?
• Are you a self-starter with initiative who can organise your day to accomplish the duties required of you, whilst not neglecting the children?
• With children, things do not always go according to plan.  Are you adaptable and flexible enough to change your routine to accommodate the sick child, for example, or the missing blazer when you have to get the children to school, without becoming upset?

A nanny may work full or part-time, for a varying number of days per week.  A nanny may live in or live out.  It's expected that a nanny will have previous childcare experience and/or a qualification, e.g. a Certificate or Diploma in Childcare and Education awarded by CACHE (the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education).  There are more details here.
A nanny works under the minimal supervision of the adult members of the family and must be a self-starter, show sound judgment, and be committed to the well-being of children.
The nanny/housekeeper
As the title implies. the nanny/housekeeper has the twin responsibilities of the care of a family's children and of their home. And to have the time to fulfil the role of a housekeeper, it's usual that the children are of school age and away from home during the day.
The housekeeping duties of a nanny/housekeeper are usually not as comprehensive as for housekeeper, in terms of, for example, arranging outside tradesmen for maintenance activities.
Companion
The role of a companion is usually to help an elderly person who requires assistance around the home, providing emotional as well as physical support.  The person being cared for is usually in reasonable health and the duties do not extend to medical care. 
In this way, a companion helps an elderly person to continue to live in their own home, combating loneliness and giving assurance to the family that their elderly relative is being cared for.  The activities will include conversation, playing games, participating in hobbies and interests, and encouraging physical activity wherever possible.
There will often be light housekeeping activities, including dusting, bed-making, laundry, shopping and running errands.
 
In a second article we shall be addressing further roles in domestic staffing, including butlers, chauffeurs, carers and couples.