Is Working as a Domestic Couple Right For Us?
A domestic couple is a couple who may be together as a romantic couple or could be close friends who work well together. In most cases they will usually be a husband and wife or long-term couple who can complement each other as a domestic couple.
A domestic couple will usually consist of someone in a housekeeper/cook/nanny role and another who may do a more external role such as gardener, maintenance, chauffer but could also work within the home as a butler or cook/chef.
If you’re looking for jobs for couples in London, then working as a domestic couple could be an ideal choice. Domestic couples live together on the property within their own living quarters, so this means you will be able to live and work with your partner.
What Qualities Should We Possess?
Overall, as a couple, you should have skills that complement each other and mean you can help look after the running of a home between you. Sometimes there might be other staff or you may be the only household staff, when you apply for a role, it will clearly detail the skills required from both of you and you should be upfront about your skills or your willingness to learn new skills to add to your repertoire.
As a couple, you will need to have a secure relationship and work well as a team, with good communication skills and an ability to resolve any conflict and stress between you. You should both be prepared to work hard, as working in a private household can be very demanding. Working together should mean you get to see each other more, but be prepared to have your own commitments to.
What Should We Keep in Mind?
You should be aware that when working as a domestic couple, you are seen as one joint employee. While you should receive more compensation than one individual employee, you should expect to work at a slightly lower rate than that of two people. This is usually compensated by your living quarters and any other additional benefits.
Be clear and upfront with your employers about any holiday or leave you wish to take, it is expected that domestic couples would wish to take annual leave together, so try to give plenty of warning so they can accommodate accordingly.
Having children between you shouldn’t affect your application, but this will depend on if there is sufficient space in the separate accommodation and if they have child-friendly pets or premises. Again, be upfront about this while looking for jobs for couples in London.
How Do We Find Domestic Couples Jobs?
It is recommended that you look for jobs through a domestic couple agency, such as The Graham Agency. We have over 35 years of experience in matching domestic couples with households and place people in a range of domestic staff positions for households across London and the south east.
If you would like to join our agency and be aware of any jobs that might be the right fit for you, please get in touch and you’ll find out about the latest jobs for couples in London as and when they become available.