What Qualifications Are Needed to Be a Housekeeper?

Here at The Graham Agency, we are proud to have connections across the housekeeping sector – pairing the best and most professional candidates with families, homeowners, and employers who are seeking their services.

Crucially, this process and the resulting working partnerships are rarely built on qualifications but rather the value of experience and complementing personalities. There’s so much more to being a housekeeper in London than qualifying, and while it can display staying power and commitment to an end goal, it’s certainly not the most essential part of the recruitment process.

Do Qualifications Matter in the World of Housekeeping?

There are no specific qualifications that impact your chances of success when applying for a housekeeping role. However, there are certain expectations surrounding experience, expertise, and some regulatory certifications, depending on any additional responsibilities.

By far, the most important potential certification you may need is a DBS check if you are expected to work with or around children. In addition, any prospective housekeeper should have some degree of experience, ideally covering cleaning, laundry, and household management.

In cases where the housekeeper helps to manage the schedules and work of gardeners and other professionals, a good degree of communication and delegation is also necessary.

Valuable Attributes Outside What’s Expected of a Housekeeper

While a degree is not a necessity to take on and become successful in the role of housekeeper, there are countless occasions where a degree or former position has enhanced the desirability of candidates.

Transferable skills are widely coveted by clients and families seeking a housekeeper. You might, for example, be a trained chef able to cook family meals and host dinner parties with ease and passion. You may have a degree in foreign languages and be able to support the family when travelling and teach languages to their children. Or you might be a skilled writer who is able to help family members to keep on top of their correspondence.

All of these additional skills are classed as highly valuable in the housekeeping recruitment market and can help potential candidates to stand out.

How to Frame Your Experience in an Application

When curating your application for a housekeeping role, our advice is to leave behind stuffy CVs and previous job lists and instead embrace the power of the experiences you’ve had. Share ways that you’ve supported previous employers and the ways you’ve brought new skills to the profession and let your personality shine.

Often, experiences and expertise are shared by countless applicants – meaning that it’s the personality of individuals that really matters in the hiring journey. Remember, prospective employers are ultimately going to invite the successful applicant into their home, so they need to know as much as possible about them and decide that they like them.

For more advice like this, reach out to our agency team today.