Whether you are a self-employed professional in the domestic service industry looking to upgrade your CV and skillset, an employed professional looking to get higher up in the ranks of your current job, or in charge of managing your own staff, undertaking some form of domestic staff training can be a very valuable investment. Here are the 10 questions to ask a domestic staff training provider.
Why Invest in Domestic Staff Training for Professionals
The domestic service industry is unlike any other and it’s constantly subject to movement and change. As a professional in this industry, if you want to stay at the top of your game or grow within the job, you will have to keep up with the fast moving pace of the industry, the changes in culture, demands and requests.
Domestic staff training can open doors for you in the way of getting into higher-end positions in larger professional estates, yachts and palaces. It can also get you higher up within your current job – moving into managing a team or even the full household.
Why Invest in Domestic Training for your Staff
Domestic staff training can fix problems such as a shortage of needed skills. You might have a lovely team of housekeepers who you trust and fit well within the family household, but they might lack a certain skill set. Putting them on a specific training course can fix this instantly, focusing on exactly the skills that need brushing upon, or learning completely new ones.
Besides learning practical skills, domestic staff training is also a great way to reinforce or create a new sense of teamwork that might be lacking. There might be a few members of the team who have settled in well, but newer employees are still trying to find their feet, leading to disconnection within the team and its synergy.
Putting the whole team on a domestic staff training course where things like hierarchy, leadership, teamwork, management and planning are being practised, can greatly benefit the efficiency and productivity of the individuals as well as the team as a whole.
How to Choose the Best Domestic Staff Training Provider
There are many different domestic training providers out there, with more popping up as the industry grows. It can sometimes be difficult selecting and recognizing the good from the bad and finding exactly the right domestic staff training suited for you. We have provided a list of 10 questions to ask a domestic staff training provider which will hopefully help you in selecting the right one for you or your team.
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Group size
Ask what the maximum size of the group will be and what the trainer/student ratio is. In a group course, there should not be more than 8 to 10 people per trainer, especially because training in the domestic service requires a lot of detail and fine tuning. A larger class than this would simply mean that the trainer would not have sufficient time during the course to give everyone enough feedback and attention to ensure the material and skills are being absorbed properly.
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Ability to tailor a course
Sometimes it might be difficult to know exactly what type of training you need. A good training provider should be able to help and advise you while setting up the training. They should be able to give you examples of modules and subjects to choose from, and if you are indeed doing a private course, there should be options to ‘pick and mix’ subjects. You might already have a vast amount of knowledge on butler service, for example, but know nothing about American, synchronised or Russian service. In this instance, you could discuss this with your (potential) training provider to create a course suited exactly for you, rather than wasting time and money on modules that are not relevant to you or your team.
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Background of the trainers
The trainer is a vital part of any course and you should absolutely ask about what type of trainers the institute has to make sure they are suitable and knowledgeable enough to provide the training. You can ask about their background, CV or summary of their experiences to put your mind at ease and find the perfect match.
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Location/Venue
Most good domestic staff training providers should be able to send their trainers to your venue to train staff in-situ. There are a lot of benefits to this – staff can learn with exactly the situations and equipment they would be using during their day to day job. If you are looking for a course where a venue is provided, do ask about the type of venue and think about how easy it is to get to, if there is a possibility of staying overnight, and what type of props they provide for practical training.
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Reviews from previous students
Do ask for reviews from previous students. Most providers will have these in a section on their website but if not, see if they can provide you with some. You can sometimes also find these on the company’s Facebook and Google pages. Keep in mind that every experience can be different, but to get a rough overview, reviews can be helpful.
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Practical and theory
Ask how the course is split up – is it only theory being discussed whilst sitting in a classroom? As for most subjects relevant for the domestic service industry, the theory is nowhere near as important as the practical skills.
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Certifications
Does the training provider issue certifications after the course? Are they internationally recognised? Is there perhaps any accreditation that comes with the certification?
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Cancellation periods
Any booking should come with a cancellation or refund period – ask for the terms & conditions so that everything is clear beforehand.
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Module handbooks/handouts
Do the students get any information on paper, or perhaps a handbook, notes or a PowerPoint presentation? These things are valuable to prepare for, especially after the completion of the training. A training day or weekend can be quite overwhelming, especially if lots of new material is covered, so having a handbook to reference afterwards can make sure that no information goes missing.
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Exams / Assessments
What is the assessment process? Are these theory, practical, or a combination? From a learning outcome perspective, having both a theory and a practical exam can be extremely valuable. To check on progress and make sure things that might not have been taken in or understood completely, can be focused on again.
Do you feel these 10 questions to ask a domestic staff training provider helped? At Polo & Tweed, we are proud to offer silver service courses, housekeeping, butler, house and estate management and yacht training of the highest standard. If you’d like to know more about our small open courses or our private courses, then please do have a look here, or drop us a line. Tell us what your needs are and we will be delighted to advise you on the steps to get the right domestic staff training for you or your team.