Private household management offers no ordinary career: it offers extraordinary rewards! Click To TweetTo be a successful private household manager, the most important questions to ask yourself are: “What is the scope of the household management position?”. And “What are the essential skills required?”.
Once you know exactly what goes into this demanding, yet rewarding position. Then you will be able to plan your own course towards household management success.
Here is your chance to decide if a management position is right for your skills and interests.
What is a Private Household Manager Position?
No two households are exactly alike. Management tasks required will vary from one household to another. There are, however, many consistent factors you need to understand. So that you can fulfil a household’s daily requirements.
First of all, you will need to understand whether the household is a family’s home. Or perhaps a bachelor’s, a home that frequently hosts parties? Or a sanctuary for peace and quiet. A household manager’s most important task is the management of the home’s daily routines. The steps here are:
- Master all management skills. I.e. task organisation, staff delegation. As well as training, hiring, and any number of personal assistance tasks.
- Understand the individual homeowner’s style likes and dislikes.
- Adapt your existing managerial skills to the household at hand.
Along with organisational, cleaning, and service skills. Understanding the value of flexibility within the scope of your responsibilities is worth special mention. Private household management is not simply an eight hour, clock in and clock out occupation. You must be prepared for long hours. Often on weekends or holidays.
In fact, weekends and holidays often require most of your efforts!
Skill Level Assessment
Take the time to assess what you already know (or have experience with). Whether it is related to the private household management position, or not. You might find that any previous roles or experience can contribute to your ability to learn more about House Management skills.
Think of responsibilities such as scheduling and task delegation. As well as staff training and assessments. Even supply procurement, can all be considered “transferable skills”.
Then there is the assessment of those skills that will be new for you. This can only be a handicap if you do not clarify each skill you need to improve. So understand what you need to learn. And seek the appropriate training. All skills – particularly home cleaning skills – can be learned.
And through continued diligence even more challenging. Specialty and delicate cleaning tasks can be mastered.
Make a list of what you know and what you don’t know. Then compare this list against a collection of household management job descriptions you are interested in, this will determine which skills you need to improve.
You can begin to improve necessary skills. Either by taking lower-level positions with relatable requirements. Or you can take specialised housekeeping and management training classes. To prepare you for a wide range of daily tasks.
Both approaches are valuable. And before you know it, your skill set can begin to expand. And your value as a household manager will quickly increase.
Essential Skills Required Of a Private Household Manager
Once again, “private household management” can cover a variety of tasks, depending on the nature of the household. Common skills include:
Service Skills. “Service” covers a lot of ground because your main objective is to be “of service” to your homeowners. A thorough grounding in areas such as meal service. And party and event planning can take the burden of hosting off the homeowner’s shoulders.
Staff Management. For the most prominent household management positions, you can expect to have a handful of employees to organise and put to effective use. Employee scheduling, task delegation, supervision, hiring and firing, even workplace safety training: these are just a few of the many responsibilities a manager signs up for.
Procurement and Money Management. Most managerial positions, whether in an office or private household, come with purchasing, budgeting and inventory responsibilities. Again, the supplies and budgets will vary depending on the household. But your organisational and money management skills can be applied to any buying demands. As well as any budgeting demands.
Household Cleaning Skills. Although managerial demands may not include the bulk of daily household cleaning responsibilities, those skills are still valuable to managers. You will likely need to train your staff on certain cleaning procedures, as well as evaluate their work, provide feedback, and, most importantly, be absolutely sure they are performing each cleaning task in a safe manner.
Communication Skills. This is another essential skill which covers a lot of fronts. You must be able to communicate with your staff, of course. You must also carry the confidence to report to and collaborate with your homeowners. So that you understand exactly what they want over a given day. Additionally, you must be able to deal with contractors and other third-party service providers. As a manager, you are communicating the wishes of the homeowner to everybody capable of making those wishes a reality.
Polo & Tweed House Management Training Prepares You for Success
We provide house management and housekeeper training that covers all aspects of home management, service, and specialised cleaning. Either through private or group classes, our trainers are household management professionals. And they are ready to teach you the skills you will need to thrive. We provide a hands-on training environment that emphasizes skill repetition and feedback.
Once you’ve decided which skills training modules suit you best, contact us for a consultation. We are eager to hear from you. And ready to find out how our House Management training services can propel you to success!