“Housekeepers in London” + “Housekeepers”

Whilst Massey’s Agency is consistently successful in placing all types of domestic staff throughout the UK and overseas, London remains the premier market. And within that market, housekeepers and all variations thereof - nanny/housekeepers, cook/housekeepers and nanny/cook/housekeepers - are the most popular requests.

It can be very hard to find suitable, hardworking and referenced housekeepers in this modern age but here at Massey’s Agency this is a service we take pride in providing. The most important element to consider in addition to the specific job requirements is the trustworthiness and experience of household staff. Massey’s use their very best endeavours to ensure you get professional staff with the necessary skills, experience and relevant references. All the housekeepers in our database have at least four years’ relevant experience and, in most cases more. All candidates must provide valid recent references which are checked by us (the vast majority by telephone) and, as an added measure, they are personally interviewed by our highly experienced recruitment personnel.

The first step in the process of providing a specific employee for you or your household is a description of what duties the prospective employee or housekeeper will be expected to perform and the type of person you are looking for. From your description we can search our extensive database of checked candidates and provide you with the most suitable individual or team.

In addition, we can give advice on current market rates for housekeepers and other domestic staff and assist you in employment matters. We can also recommend a bureau specialising in domestic staff to manage, in return for a modest annual fee, all payroll and taxation matters. If the client so wishes, we will also carry out checks through the Criminal Records Bureau.

Upon completion of the selection process for suitably qualified candidates we arrange convenient interview dates and times and, if you prefer not to disclose your address at this time to potential employees, we can offer you a dedicated onsite interview room.

If, upon a satisfactory interview, you decide to engage any of our housekeepers or other domestic staff on a permanent basis, you will be charged a one-off introductory fee (subject to VAT) which is a percentage of the employee’s annual wage.

We also provide a dedicated ‘after sales’ service in regard to all our housekeepers and other staff so that if you are not totally satisfied with a candidate within ten weeks of the employee beginning the appointment or if he/she leaves within that period, we will provide a free replacement; subject to our terms and conditions of business. We pride ourselves not only on the quality of our candidates and services but on our client service as well and are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding any aspect of our services or advice regarding housekeepers and other domestic staff. If you require a service which we do not currently advertise, please contact us with precise details regarding your specifications. We realise that every household/business is unique and will endeavour to tailor a solution especially for you. We are the leaders in supplying quality domestic staff. We specialise in one thing and one thing only - providing you with best range of housekeepers and other domestic staff suited to your particular needs.

To conclude, if you are looking for suitable, quality staff then we strongly recommend that you bookmark this page and add it to your favourites. Massey’s Agency has been providing first-class household staff for over one hundred and sixty years and you do not stay in business this long unless you are very good at what you do. We aim to continue Massey’s proud traditions in providing quality housekeepers and household staff right into the twenty first century. Although times change we always maintain our high standards and are justifiably proud of the services we provide and aim to maintain our status at the top of our particular sector. There are a lot of firms out there who claim to be experts in supplying housekeepers and domestic staff but are not - references may not be checked and status of right to work may be questionable. Some of these firms may offer to supply staff at rock bottom prices but there is a saying that holds relevance in this case - ‘If it appears too good to be true then it probably is.’. The potential implications for both the employee and the employer can at best be expensive if housekeepers from overseas do not have the correct documentation. At worst the employer could find themselves in court and the employee deported. In a nutshell, reputable agencies such as Massey’s will use their best endeavours to ensure candidates have a legal right to work in the UK. We are not a company who deals with the supply of housekeepers and household staff as a side line or additional sector; we only deal with the recruitment of quality household staff and as a result have the necessary knowledge base and experts who are experienced in all aspects of our particular sector. Using the right agency for your household staff requirements is of paramount importance as the employment of inexperienced housekeepers or illegal workers could result in some fairly severe penalties and even jeopardise your security and that of your possessions. We also run very stringent procedures in regard to potential employees’ references and we will not accept applications from anyone who does not meet our strict guidelines. It is our adherence to strict guidelines regarding the employment of housekeepers and other domestic staff that makes Massey’s Agency the only choice for all your household employment requirements.

    Chauffeur recruitment

At Massey’s Agency, and on our other website - www.ChauffeurSearch.co.uk, we specialise in providing permanent chauffeurs in both the corporate and private household sectors. As these are, in most cases, live-out jobs and we are London-based, we are unable to extend this service outside the London and Home Counties area.

In general, a chauffeur’s job is to drive and maintain cars, help their passengers to get in and out of the car, carry packages and luggage, run errands and, most importantly, liaise with the employer or his/her PA to ensure that the daily schedule of appointments is met in a timely fashion. They are also responsible for keeping their employers’ cars in good condition (washing, waxing and polishing), carrying out basic car maintenance (checking tyre pressures, oil and water levels) and ensuring the cars are regularly serviced and maintained.

In the corporate sector, they often spend time on basic office duties and act as the company’s courier. Increasingly, chauffeurs are being sought that also have computer skills.

In a private household situation (and often in the corporate sector too), they may have additional duties such as driving children to and from school and after-school activities, carrying out minor household repairs, maintaining gardens and driveways and exercising pets.

Massey’s Agency insists that all candidates for chauffeur jobs have at least four years’ experience as formal chauffeurs (not a hire car or mini-cab drivers, for example) with at least two of those years with one employer. All chauffeurs are personal interviewed by our experienced recruitment consultants and their recent references independently checked (the vast majority by telephone). During these interviews we look for smart, well-presented candidates who are discreet, take a pride in their jobs and the cars they drive and who will be an ‘advert’ for their prospective employer. We inspect their licences and qualifications - many have acquired advanced driving, Rolls Royce chauffeur training, defensive driving and anti-hijack certificates. We also question them closely on any declared traffic infringements or minor accidents. They must also have a good knowledge of UK roads and, in particular, London.

Chauffeurs’ wages vary considerably and depend, of course, on the number of hours they work and the flexibility the employer demands. Some chauffeurs accept a fixed wage including an estimated amount of overtime; thereby taking the risk they will not be asked to work excessive overtime hours. Others receive a basic wage for a standard working week and are paid overtime pay (usually 50% greater than their standard hourly rate) for the extra hours they work. In view of this we, at Massey’s Agency, adopt the policy of not disclosing to candidates the wage the client is prepared to offer and, instead, inform the client of the wage the chauffeur is seeking.

Having discussed the client’s requirements and established a job description and candidate profile, we search our extensive database of checked chauffeurs. We aim to send CVs of at least two well-matched chauffeurs within 24 hours of receiving the client’s enquiry. And we do mean ‘well-matched’. Not for us the practice of sending sheaves of CVs in the vain hope that one might be right. If we have no suitable candidates, we say so.

In conclusion, you can be assured that Massey’s Agency, with its experience of recruiting house-hold staff for more than 160 years, has brought its skills and professionalism to the recruitment of chauffeurs.

So why not ‘sit back and let us do the hard work for you’!