Job Roles Explained
Jobs List and description for website content/page: Job Roles Explained.
This page outlines the wide range of domestic and private service roles available through our platform, grouped into clear categories for easy reference:
Household and Estate Management
We've listed 65 roles below which are often associated with private households, estates, and family offices. Each description offers a general overview of responsibilities and expectations.
Please note that specific duties may vary depending on the employer’s household, preferences, and individual requirements.
Household and Estate Management
Family Assistant: Provides a blend of childcare, household support, and administrative help to ensure the smooth running of family life.
Often a multitasker by nature, a Family Assistant helps coordinate school runs, manage family schedules, prepare light meals, and even handle online orders, shopping or travel planning. Their goal is to support the family holistically, offering stability, trust, and flexible assistance where it’s needed most.
Personal Assistant: Assists with administrative tasks, scheduling, and personal errands for the employer.
The role may involve diary management, booking appointments, managing communications, and helping with personal tasks like shopping or travel. Personal Assistants act as reliable gatekeepers who help simplify and streamline a busy lifestyle.
Travelling Personal Assistant: Assists with administrative tasks, scheduling, and personal errands for the employer, whilst travelling. This role is often named a Travelling Butler / PA.
These professionals adapt to changing time zones and schedules, while ensuring continuity in their employer’s daily affairs. Whether coordinating jet itineraries, overseeing luggage, or handling on-location logistics, they’re crucial for seamless travel experiences.
Executive Assistant (EA): Provides high-level administrative support to principals, often managing complex schedules, communications, and operations across personal and professional domains.
An EA operates as a trusted right-hand, handling everything from inbox triage and meeting coordination to travel logistics, gatekeeping, and confidential projects. In private households or family offices, they bridge the gap between business and personal life, often liaising with accountants, legal teams, and vendors.
EAs ensure that priorities are executed seamlessly, allowing principals to stay focused on what matters most.
House Manager: Manages daily operations of the household, supervises staff, and ensures smooth functioning of the home.
They oversee domestic teams, maintain vendor relationships, manage home maintenance schedules, and often handle budgeting. House Managers are essential for larger homes requiring coordination across multiple moving parts and expectations.
Estate Manager: Oversees all operations of a large estate and multiple properties, including staff management, property maintenance, and budget management.
Typically operating at a senior level, Estate Managers supervise teams across locations, implement estate-wide protocols, monitor renovation projects, and ensure properties operate in line with the owner's standards, often with financial accountability.
Palace Manager: Oversees staff and daily operations of a private royal or high-profile estate, ensuring seamless service and maintenance.
This highly discreet role requires familiarity with formal service, protocol, and event management. Palace Managers may liaise with royal households, security teams, and long-standing staff to deliver exceptional standards in prestigious environments.
Lifestyle manager: Helps clients manage and optimise their personal and professional lives.
They handle tasks ranging from travel planning, event coordination, and household staffing to daily errands and bespoke experiences. There’s a large spectrum of roles and responsibilities in lifestyle management, from comprehensive family office support and property oversight to specialised services
Butler: Provides formal service, manages the household staff, and oversees events and dining services.
Duties may include valet services, inventory management, wine and silver care, and protocol-based hosting. A butler ensures that each interaction or event reflects the household’s desired level of sophistication and discretion.
Female Butler: Often for cultural reasons a female butler is required to provide formal service, managing the household staff, and oversees events and dining services.
In settings where a female presence is culturally or personally required, the female butler assumes the same responsibilities as her male counterpart, offering impeccable service, managing domestic protocols, and ensuring comfort and confidentiality.
Lady’s Maid: Serves as the personal attendant to a lady of the house.
This role focuses on wardrobe care (ironing, mending, organising), assisting with dressing, hair and makeup, and managing personal accessories. Duties are one-on-one and centred entirely on the lady’s private needs. Additionally, lady's maids may be involved in light housekeeping, running errands, and even providing companionship or emotional support.
Travelling Butler: A traveling butler provides personalised service and household management while accompanying their employer on trips and travels.
They offer an elevated experience abroad by managing attire, handling hotel and estate liaison, and ensuring consistency in personal preferences, no matter the location. Their focus is on replicating at-home standards wherever their employer may go, often at short notice.
Chief of Staff: A senior advisor who supports an executive, often acting as a gatekeeper, strategic partner, and coordinator across teams. They help streamline operations, manage priorities, and ensure alignment on key initiatives.
In private households or family offices, a Chief of Staff might also oversee hiring, manage philanthropic initiatives, supervise special projects, and help implement long-term strategies.
Gamekeeper: Focuses on managing wildlife and habitats to support game shooting, including rearing game birds, maintaining cover crops, and ensuring legal and ethical hunting practices.
A gamekeeper may also be involved in pest control, predator management, and land conservation. They ensure ecological balance while aligning game activities with tradition, regulation, and sustainability.
Childcare
Nanny: Provides childcare, including supervision, education, and activities for children.
Nannies foster a nurturing and structured environment, encouraging children’s emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Responsibilities often include preparing meals, assisting with homework, and organising creative play.
Weekend Nanny: Provides dedicated childcare during weekends. Weekend nannies often work for families who require support while traveling or balancing professional commitments.
Duties may include full-day care, overnight stays, and facilitating activities, all while offering consistency and calm during busy weekends.
Nanny/PA: A split of childcare and Personal Assistant duties.
This dual-role professional balances their time between childcare, such as school runs or playtime and PA tasks like managing schedules, handling online shopping, and booking appointments. Flexibility and strong organisation skills are key.
Night Nanny: Provides overnight care for infants or young children.
Night nannies are specialists in sleep routines, bottle feeding, and nighttime soothing.
They often support new parents by ensuring their child is cared for overnight, allowing parents to rest or recover from the demands of early parenthood.
After-school Nanny: Provides childcare during the late afternoon and early evening, typically after children finish school.
Additional hours could be required in the school holidays. Tasks include school pickups, supervising homework, preparing dinner, and planning after-school activities. During school holidays, they may work extended hours to ensure children have structure and entertainment throughout the day.
Special Needs Nanny: Trained to care for children with physical, emotional, or developmental needs.
They often collaborate with therapists, medical professionals, and families to follow bespoke care plans, and may use specific tools or strategies to aid communication and development. Patience, specialist knowledge and experience are essential.
Travel/Holiday Nanny: Accompanies the family on trips and vacations, providing consistent childcare during travel.
This role requires adaptability and a calm presence in new environments. Travel nannies manage routines on the go, helping with jet lag, packing, and ensuring children feel secure and entertained wherever they are.
Rota Nanny: Works in shifts as part of a team to provide continuous childcare coverage.
A popular setup for high-profile or international families. Rota nannies alternate one- or two-week shifts to provide 24/7 cover (although longer periods are not unusual). The role demands flexibility, excellent teamwork, and high levels of energy.
Maternity Nurse: Specialises in the care of newborns and supports new parents.
Usually booked for the first 6–12 weeks post-birth, maternity nurses guide parents through feeding routines, sleep patterns, baby care essentials, and sometimes postnatal recovery. Their expertise is especially helpful with first-time parents or multiple babies.
Governess: Educates and supervises the children, often focusing on academic development.
They create and deliver tailored educational programs, support school subjects, and help with etiquette, language acquisition, or exam preparation. Governesses are often highly qualified educators who also promote personal development.
Rota Governess: Educates and supervises the children, often focusing on academic development whilst working an agreed rota schedule.
This setup offers continuity of learning and care across alternating weeks. The rota allows for rest and balance, while still providing consistent academic mentoring and structured enrichment.
Doula: A trained professional who provides physical, emotional, and informational support to a person before, during, and shortly after childbirth.
Doulas do not replace medical professionals but serve as compassionate companions through the birthing experience. They support birth plans, advocate for the parent's wishes, and offer guidance through postpartum recovery and bonding.
Au Pair: A young person, often from another country, who lives with the family and provides childcare in exchange for room, board, and a stipend.
Au pairs contribute to light household tasks and childcare while experiencing cultural exchange. They often form close bonds with children and can assist with language learning or routine support, especially in informal or flexible care arrangements.
Manny (Male Nanny): Provides childcare, like a nanny, but specifically a male caregiver.
Mannies bring the same nurturing approach as traditional nannies, often contributing an energetic dynamic suited to active play and mentorship. They provide structure, emotional support, and developmentally appropriate care.
Weekend Manny: Provides dedicated childcare during weekends.
This role typically involves leading outdoor activities, managing routines, and giving parents much-needed downtime. Families may value mannies for their energetic, hands-on involvement during action-packed weekends.
Manny/PA: A split of childcare and Personal Assistant duties for a male.
In addition to child-focused care, this dual role often includes assisting with errands, managing schedules, and coordinating appointments. A Manny/PA brings versatility to both family life and daily logistics.
After-school Manny: Provides childcare during the late afternoon and early evening, typically after children finish school.
Additional hours could be required in the school holidays. After-school mannies help with pickups, homework, and recreational activities. Their presence offers consistency and structure, especially helpful for parents working late or managing multiple children.
Rota Manny: Works in shifts as part of a team to provide continuous childcare coverage.
Like rota nannies, rota mannies rotate schedules to ensure 24-hour or extended coverage. This high-demand role often supports children in busy households where consistency and team collaboration are essential.
Travel/Holiday Manny: Accompanies the family on trips and vacations, providing consistent childcare during travel.
They maintain structured routines in unfamiliar environments, manage logistics, and ensure the children are safe, entertained, and well-supported during travel, domestic or abroad.
Governor: A male equivalent of a governess, providing education and supervision to children, with a focus on academic and possibly physical activities.
Governors may blend academic tutoring with life skills, sports training, and etiquette. Frequently employed by UHNW families, they may hold advanced degrees and mentor children in both academics and character development.
Rota Governor: A male equivalent of a governess, providing education and supervision to children, with a focus on academic and possibly physical activities whilst working on an agreed rota schedule.
This arrangement allows for continuous education in a shifting but reliable format, ensuring the same high standards of tutoring and role modelling while accommodating international or full-time staff rotations.
Education and Tutoring
Private Tutor: Provides specialised education or tutoring for children (or adults) in the household. Tutors may support traditional schooling or offer a standalone curriculum tailored to the learner’s goals. They often specialise in particular subjects and provide one-on-one instruction that’s highly adaptable and results driven.
Music Tutor: Provides music tuition to children or parents, within the household.
Whether teaching piano, voice, or violin, music tutors offer lessons tailored to the student’s age and ability. They may prepare students for graded exams, recitals, or simply cultivate musical appreciation in the home.
Life Coach / Mentor: Guides and supports young people in building confidence, life skills, setting goals, and navigating personal or academic challenges through mentorship and structured coaching.
Often hired by families of teenagers or young adults, life coaches provide neutral, structured dialogue to help individuals clarify decisions, build self-awareness, and develop resilience.
Boarding School Staff
Houseparent (Boarding School): A resident caregiver responsible for the welfare, discipline, and daily life of students outside the classroom.
Houseparent’s serve as surrogate guardians during term time, monitoring bedtime routines, offering emotional support, supervising prep, and liaising with academic staff and parents.
Matron (Boarding School): Oversees students’ health and well-being, typically handling first aid, medication, and pastoral care.
Often a first point of contact for unwell or homesick boarders, matrons ensure students stay physically and emotionally supported throughout the school year. They may also play a key role in safeguarding and wellbeing programs.
School Nurse: A qualified healthcare professional responsible for the health, safety, and wellbeing of students during the school day.
School nurses provide first aid, manage chronic conditions, administer medications, and respond to medical emergencies. They monitor student health, maintain medical records, and liaise with parents, teachers, and external healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care.
Cleaning & Clothing
Housekeeper: Responsible for cleaning and maintaining the household, including laundry and other domestic tasks.
Housekeepers are often the backbone of a well-run home. Their duties may extend beyond cleaning to include organising spaces, polishing valuables, managing supplies, handling delicate laundry, and sometimes overseeing other domestic staff. They help create a polished and welcoming environment while upholding high standards of care.
Domestic Couple: Typically consists of two individuals, often a married or long-term couple, who work together to manage the various aspects of household operations, including cleaning, cooking, maintenance, gardening, and other domestic tasks.
This role may also include administrative tasks. Domestic couples provide a cohesive and efficient team dynamic, especially valuable on larger properties or estates. One partner may handle indoor duties while the other focuses on maintenance, driving, or groundskeeping. Their combined skill set offers comprehensive household coverage, often with a live-in arrangement that ensures consistent support and privacy for the principals.
Laundress: Specialises in laundry, ironing, and garment care. A professional laundress brings meticulous care to each garment, from luxury fabrics to everyday essentials.
Tasks include stain removal, handwashing, steaming, mending, and seasonal wardrobe rotation. This role is vital in homes where appearance, wardrobe longevity, and textile preservation are priorities.
Wardrobe Manager: Oversees the care, organisation, and styling of clothing and accessories, ensuring the employer’s wardrobe is maintained and ready for all occasions.
They may curate seasonal outfits, manage packing for trips, maintain inventory, coordinate with personal shoppers or designers, and ensure each item is cleaned, stored, and altered to perfection. A wardrobe manager ensures that every look fits the occasion, and the individual, flawlessly.
Valet: A personal attendant who manages the employer’s wardrobe, assists with dressing and grooming, runs personal errands, and ensures overall personal comfort and convenience.
Valets often prepare outfits based on the day's schedule, handle shoe shining, suit pressing, grooming tools, and pack or unpack wardrobes for travel. They work closely with their employer to uphold presentation and comfort, often anticipating needs before being asked.
Cooking & Food Service
Private Chef: Conducts food shopping and prepares meals according to the family’s preferences and dietary requirements within the family home.
Private chefs create bespoke menus tailored to individual tastes, allergies, and cultural preferences. They manage food inventory, source seasonal or specialty ingredients, and ensure that each meal is presented to restaurant standards, whether it’s a casual lunch or a formal dinner party. Many also accommodate wellness plans or specific culinary diets such as paleo, kosher, or plant based.
Drop-off Chef: A professional chef who prepares meals off-site and delivers them to a client's home, ready to be served or reheated.
This service provides the convenience of home-cooked, gourmet meals without the need for the chef to cook on the premises. Ideal for busy professionals or families who prefer privacy, drop-off chefs often provide weekly meal packages, custom prep instructions, and containers that suit the household’s reheating preferences. It's a flexible, low-interruption service that blends personal attention with convenience that’s growing in popularity.
Kitchen Assistant: Supports the chef with prep, cleaning, and organisation. Kitchen assistants help maintain a hygienic, organised, and efficient kitchen space.
Their tasks may include chopping ingredients, washing produce, and cleaning down after service. They’re crucial in helping chefs stay focused, particularly in large households or homes that entertain frequently.
Nutritionist/Dietitian: Plans meals based on health goals or medical needs.
Working alongside chefs or independently, nutritionists craft tailored meal plans that support specific objectives such as weight management, energy support, food intolerances, postnatal recovery, or disease prevention. They may analyse dietary intake, educate families on food choices, and monitor progress over time.
Waiter/Server: Personalised dining service, including setting the table, serving food and drinks, and attending to guests’ needs.
A household waiter ensures that mealtimes run smoothly and with polish, whether that’s by following formal service protocols, presenting plates with elegance, or timing courses discreetly. They may also coordinate with the chef, manage drinks service, and reset the dining area with attention to every detail.
Grounds and Property
Gardener: Maintains gardens, lawns, and outdoor spaces.
A gardener ensures that all green spaces are healthy, tidy, and flourishing year-round. Responsibilities may include planting seasonal flowers, pruning hedges, mowing lawns, caring for ornamental trees, managing irrigation systems, growing food, and supporting overall landscape aesthetics. In larger estates, they often work closely with landscape designers or horticulturalists to bring long-term garden visions to life.
Groundskeeper: Oversees the care and maintenance of the grounds, including landscaping and outdoor structures.
Their role involves broader responsibilities than gardening alone, groundskeepers also maintain driveways, patios, fences, outbuildings, and outdoor furniture. They ensure the grounds are safe, well-lit, and seasonally prepared, often handling equipment maintenance, pest control, or minor repairs. In estate settings, they may also coordinate with external contractors for large-scale landscaping.
Houseman: Takes care of the property, including security, maintenance, small repairs and sometimes caretaking of animals as well as driving duties.
A highly versatile role, the houseman often operates behind the scenes to ensure the household runs smoothly. Duties might include painting and handyman work, assisting with deliveries, chauffeuring, pet care, and monitoring alarm systems or surveillance equipment. In many homes, a houseman is a trusted go-to for anything that needs fixing, lifting, transporting, or safeguarding.
Personal and Medical Services
Caregiver/Companion: Someone who provides personal care, assistance with daily activities, and emotional support to individuals who need help due to age, illness, or disability.
Caregivers often support bathing, dressing, meal preparation, medication reminders, and companionship. They play an essential role in improving quality of life, offering not just practical aid, but comfort, companionship, and stability to those navigating physical or cognitive challenges, often helping clients remain in the comfort of their own home.
Registered Nurse: A licensed nurse providing medical care, health monitoring, and support within a private household.
Registered Nurses offer skilled care such as administering medications, wound care, post-surgical recovery, and chronic condition management. In domestic settings, they liaise with private doctors, maintain patient records, and provide peace of mind through vigilant, compassionate clinical oversight tailored to the individual’s health needs.
Paramedic: A qualified paramedic who delivers emergency care, first aid, and medical support, often whilst travelling.
In private service, paramedics are often on standby during travel or high-risk scenarios, equipped to respond swiftly to sudden illness, injury, or logistical emergencies. They may also monitor general health, assist in disaster planning, and ensure advanced first-response readiness wherever the principal may be.
Personal Trainer (PT): Provides fitness training and wellness guidance for parents and children. Personal Trainers may include, but are not limited to, Yoga, Pilates or Gym instructors.
PTs craft bespoke exercise plans that align with family schedules, physical abilities, and wellness goals. Whether conducting sessions in a home gym or outdoors, they focus on motivation, injury prevention, and long-term habit-building for strength, balance, and health. Family PTs often cater to both adult goals and age-appropriate youth programs and often specialise in certain sports such as tennis.
Masseuse/Masseur: Offers massage therapy services to household members. Trained in a variety of techniques, from deep tissue and sports massage to relaxation and prenatal care.
They help reduce stress, alleviate pain, and support overall wellbeing. Private household therapists tailor sessions to individual preferences.
Transport and Security
Chauffeur: Drives the family, their guests and manages vehicles.
Beyond daily driving duties, a chauffeur ensures all vehicles are cleaned, fuelled, serviced, and road ready. They plan routes, monitor traffic conditions, and prioritise safety. In many households, the chauffeur also acts as a reliable point of contact during errands, airport runs, and events.
Bodyguard/Security/Close Protection Officer/Residential Security Team: Provides personal security and protection for the family and property.
These professionals assess risk, coordinate travel security, monitor surveillance systems, and provide close personal protection at home and on the move. Discretion, vigilance, and advanced training in conflict de-escalation or defensive driving are key. Many also liaise with external security services and ensure household safety protocols are upheld. Security personnel are often ex-military.
Animal Care
Pet Sitter/Dog Nanny: Cares for pets, including feeding, walking, and general care.
Pet sitters and dog nannies provide companionship, exercise, and routine care in the pet’s familiar environment. Duties may include administering medication, handling special diets, providing stimulation through play, and maintaining a consistent schedule while the family is away or at work. They're a comforting and reliable presence for both pets and owners.
Stable Manager: Manages the care of horses and the stables in households with equestrian facilities.
A stable manager is responsible for all aspects of horse welfare including feeding, grooming, exercising, and health monitoring, as well as overseeing grooms and coordinating with veterinarians or farriers. They ensure the stables are clean, organised, and operating smoothly, and may also supervise tack care, training routines, or competition preparation in high-level homes.
Pet Groomer: Offers grooming services for pets at home.
Mobile or in-home pet groomers provide convenience and comfort for pets needing coat care, nail trimming, bathing, or breed-specific styling. Their expertise helps keep pets looking and feeling their best while reducing stress associated with travelling to salons.
Dog Trainer: Provides obedience training and behaviour modification.
Dog trainers work with families to instil foundational commands, correct behavioural issues, and promote positive habits. Using reward-based or specialised techniques, they help improve communication between dogs and their humans, making daily life safer and more enjoyable for everyone in the home.