Questions & answers

A domestic staff recruiter will take the pressure off you to find staff. If you are looking for a high standard of domestic staff, coming to an agency like our gives you that peace of mind and guarantee of quality. You know that we are here for you through the hiring process and afterwards to make sure you’ve found the perfect domestic help for your home and family.

Bespoke Bureau is known as the most exclusive agency to hire household staff with. We are based in London’s Mayfair where we operate on a global scale. Needless to say, our clients are HNW individuals with the most discerning requirements. Our dedicated recruitment consultants will help you hire household staff. Obviously, we do the hard work for you. Your individual home and lifestyle requirements will be in our capable hands. Finally, we have an unrivalled selection of available household staff on our books. Most are well known to us and have worked for our VIP clients before.

Amazingly enough, we have a wonderful client base consisting of high net worth individuals, royal families from across the globe, 5-star hotels, super yachts and other luxury settings. Interestingly, the vast majority of our clients have been with us for a number of years. Of course, some of our clients hire their entire fleet of staff with. On the flip side, some clients hire one member of staff from us. Obviously, it is our job to make your life easier and therefore, we will see that you get the staff that you need. Finally, no job is too big or small for the agency.

• First of all, we can offer an unrivalled 12 month placement guarantee.

• Secondly, we don’t advertise! Similarly, all staff comes recommended to us.

• Thirdly, all our candidates and clients come to us by word of mouth.

• Bespoke service – Just like our name suggests, we offer a tailor-made VIP service.

• Quick and Efficient – Thanks to our large database of vetted staff, we will get you options straight away.

• We save you valuable time by only introducing you to closely matched staff.

• Top vetted candidates – All our staff have 5 years + relevant experience, top references and other checks.

To meet the demand of our Clients by offering a wide variety of service staff:

• Housekeepers
• Maids
• Domestic Couples
• Butlers
• Private Chefs
• House Managers
• Estate Managers
• Palace Managers
• Personal Assistants
• Private chauffeurs/drivers
• Nannies
• Carers
• Maternity nurses
• Hotel Staff

We specialise in Filipina housekeepers and have a large selection to choose from.

To sum up, an extensive database of top domestic staff is available for you.

First of all, our Domestic Staff are considered the best in the industry. Read why here:

• Bespoke Bureau place domestic staff candidates with the world’s Elite.
• In the light of our clientage’s high-profile, our vetting procedures are strict.
• Also, to register with us, candidates must come recommended.
• Moreover, our candidates come to us via word of mouth. As well as via our training Academy.
• Face to face meetings are in place to register candidates. Equally, when needed, we meet candidates over Skype.
• Work history, education, training is verified.
• In the same fashion, references from earlier jobs are checked.
• Uniquely, we only register domestic staff candidates with at least 5 years work experience.
• Candidates are asked to prove a complete work history list to us. The list should contain all contact details of ex employers.

To conclude, our candidates are of a very high standard.

The domestic staff candidates on our books are unique:

• At least 5 years’ experience in the field they work in
• Moreover, we only consider candidates who have already worked in the field of which they seek work
• They need to have stayed long term (3+ years) in at least one role but ideally in most their previous roles
• The right to work in the UK or the location where they seek employment
• Excellent checkable references
• A clear criminal record (DBS)
• The ability to meet with our clients in person

Of course, in the light of our clientage’s high-profile, our vetting procedures are strict.

• Also, to register with us, candidates must come recommended.
• Moreover, our candidates come to us via word of mouth. As well as via our training Academy.
• Work history, education, training is verified.
• In the same fashion, references from earlier jobs are checked.
• Candidates are asked to prove a complete work history list to us. The list should contain all contact details of ex employers.

To conclude, our candidates are of a very high standard.

Uniquely, we specialise in the placement of Filipina housekeepers, Filipina nannies and also Filipina carers.

Filipina Housekeepers are much sought after and have a large selection of candidates on our books. Filipinos have often been brought up with strong family tradition. Moreover, they come from tight knit communities where mutual respect are instilled from an early age. English is taught in school. As a result, our Filipina housekeepers often speak great English.

A few attributes that apply to our Filipina Housekeepers:

• Hardworking
• Honest
• Kind
• Loyal
• Discreet
• Naturally caring
• Have great respect for their employer
• Excellent Housekeepers
• Flexible
• Great cooks

The popularity of Filipina domestic staff is hardly surprising

Unsurprisingly, we have learnt that our Filipina housekeepers and nannies are valued and treated with the respect that they deserve. We hear so many lovely stories about how Filipina Housekeepers and Nannies help to bring up children. Moreover, they help to keep homes to the highest level. Similarly, they keep everyone well fed – even your dog!  It is no wonder that they are valued for their calm but caring personalities.

Domestic Worker visas for Filipina housekeepers

Something that many of our clients don’t know is that it is now almost impossible for a Filipina housekeeper to come to the UK to work. This is because it is now not possible to get a Domestic Worker visa if they do not already have a European passport (or are married to someone with a European passport). However, we have an excellent selection of Filipina housekeepers UK to choose from.

Yes, we do, and it’s possible to have a 12 month guarantee which is the longest in the market. We want you to have complete peace of mind. With full time permanent placements, we can provide an entire year of guarantee, ensuring that we are here for you to offer one free replacement for this prolonged period. Ask your recruitment consultant about this offer.

• We save employers months of time by delivering trusted and top candidates.
• Our brand attracts top talent that “Confidential Employer” ads on job boards can’t lure.
• We verify former employers, get recommendation letters, and run background checks.
• Most candidates are well known to us.
• We interview candidates for a living, so recruiters are much better at it than homeowners.

Actually, the list is much longer than this, but we can discuss all the ways that we can help when you contact us.

We want to make sure that you are serious about the search. If you are, you should be willing to invest 200GBP plus VAT to sign up. The amount is deductible on the final invoice and if you do not finalise the search with us, the amount can be used anytime in the future for a new search.

All in, we have more than 8,000 candidates registered but our Global network is more like 80,000 people. This makes finding the right talent for you easy. In fact, we can find the most specialized set of skills in candidates in less than 2 weeks.​

How much to pay as salary to your staff is a tricky question. There are many considerations when calculating compensation for employees:

• Overall level of responsibility
• The market conditions
• The city they are working in
• Accommodation and other logistics on offer?
• Number of hours to be worked each week
• Amount of travel required
• Education and experience level
• Number of subordinates they will oversee
• Number of languages they speak
• Will the candidate wear multiple hats (hybrid roles)?
• Will they be expected to be on call 24/7/365?

If, for example, an employer wants a world-class personal assistant that has worked with the best of the best employers (and they will be on call 24/7/365), then this person will be asking for a big salary.

Regardless of the position you are trying to fill, reach out to us and we can make salary recommendations.

We don’t start the process unless we have a job description and a salary range. We can help you refine the Job Description and compensation specifics. However, we can’t start the process until we know what your expectations and parameters are. This policy in place is designed to save the employer time; and that’s why our success rate is so high, because no energy is spent interviewing candidates that aren’t a fit.

Additionally, experienced candidates in the know are usually reluctant to interview with an employer unless there is a job description and salary range.

No, we can’t just indiscriminately send our candidate’s confidential information to a third party without following protocol. We need to have a thorough understanding of your needs, and there is documentation that needs to be completed first. We have a moral and legal obligation to protect the privacy of the candidates we represent, so we appreciate your understanding.

The single most important piece of advice that we can give employers is that they need to be realistic about what they expect to get for the salary that they are willing to pay. Being humble is important before, during, and after the process because that attracts and retains the best of the best candidates. There is a worldwide shortage of elite private service talent, and the top candidates are very selective about the employers they work for.

NOTE: Once we consult with you and a price range is agreed upon, it’s important to stay committed to that salary bracket. If you go through a weeks-long interview process and then surprise a candidate with a lowball offer,  the candidate will walk away from the negotiation forever without a counteroffer, and then you will have to start the process all over again.

Good agencies act as advisors and coach employers toward success to make a long-term match.

Hiring a candidate for your home or family office using an elite agency comes with big advantages. You can expect the following:

1. An experienced candidate who has worked with high-net-worth families before.
2. A candidate who has a “service heart” and a no-excuses attitude.
3. Someone who is very presentable with a high level of emotional intelligence.
4. A candidate who is loyal and knows about discretion.
5. A candidate who can pass a background check.
6. Non-smokers (in almost all cases).
7. Someone with strong letters of recommendation
8. Someone you can feel completely comfortable with inside of your home.
9. A candidate willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
10. ​Someone who is tech savvy, proactive, and gets in front of problems.
11. ​Someone who thinks long-term
12. A candidate who understands lateral service, can multitask, and doesn’t have to be repeatedly told how you like things done in your household.

Yes, we will sign a non-disclosure agreement. Feel free to forward it to us for review. You will have to reveal yourselves however. We operate similarly to a top-tier talent agency or law firm in the sense that we don’t engage with anonymous parties. We must know who we are sharing confidential information with so we will ask you to verify yourself before we can proceed.

We are based in central London and we also have virtual offices. We have reception who takes calls if we are not available.

Impressively, we operate worldwide and place placements in all corners of the world.

We only have experienced staff working as recruitment consultants with us. Same with all our teachers who conduct in-house training. In fact, as it stands, all employees at the agency have at least 15 years experience in the industry. You won’t be dealing with any temp employees, interns or anyone else who is not an expert in the industry.

The short answer: We recruit worldwide for high-net-worth families who come from all walks of life, and everybody receives celebrity treatment when they work with us. As a matter of fact, we make placements in family offices and households across the globe.

Contact us

Contact us by phone or email. Tell us about your domestic staff recruitment needs. We will listen, ask some questions and put together a job spec. We will send you our agency information and terms.

Review Cvs

Pick out the candidates you like.

Interviews

Soon after you have agreed to our terms, we will submit hand selected suitable candidates for you to review. We will arrange meetings in person or by video upon your request. You can have several rounds of interviews if you wish. You also have the option to trial staff too if you wish.

Job offer

Once you have found your ideal match, it’s time to make an offer. We will help you draft one if you wish. Similarly, we will help you with the employment contract and other logistics.

Follow up

We will stay in touch with you and your new staff member throughout the placement period, however long. We are here to offer advice and support.

Contact us by phone or email. Tell us about your domestic staff recruitment needs. We will listen, ask some questions and put together a job spec. We will send you our agency information and terms.

Soon after you have agreed to our terms, we will submit hand selected suitable candidates for you to review. We will arrange meetings in person or by video upon your request. You have the option to trial staff too if you wish.

We will stay in touch with you and your new staff member throughout the placement period, however long. Of course, we are always here to offer advice and support.

• All housekeeper training
• Butler training
• Silver service training
• Service etiquette training
• Table management
• House management training
• Maternity nurse training
• Laundry & wardrobe management
• Valeting skills
• Communication & cultural differences
• Etiquette & protocol
• Wine and food pairing
• VIP service
• Meet & greet service
• Coffee & tea service

The going rate for housekeepers is around 20 GBP per hour net or 25 GBP per hour gross.

Live in housekeepers typically seek around 45k a year or 650 net per week.

Live in housekeepers do not always charge less than a live out housekeeper. The reason is that live in housekeepers are more sought after and therefore harder to hire.