Your professional nanny bears the important responsibility of supervising and caring for the health and well-being of your child/children and their guests. This is a busy, full-time position that includes all activities inside and outside of the home, including managing schoolwork schedules, activities and travel.
The ideal candidate has a patient, caring demeanor, is energetic and flexible, because this is also an on-call position that may include travel. She or he should have excellent communication skills, a college education or degree, a background in childcare-related activities (either previous nanny experience or work in education, therapy or nursing) and be certified in CPR and first aid response.

A governess covers the same ground as a nanny, with one notable addition: he or she is capable of tutoring your child/children, so a degree in education is necessary. If your child has special needs, you may consider hiring a governess who has expertise in special education.

Responsibilities

• Fully responsible for all childcare
• Arrange activities and play dates
• Schedule appointments
• Supervise school schedules and homework
• Prepare paperwork for school and extracurricular activities
• Transport children to/from activities and school
• Prepare healthy meals and snacks and/or coordinate child’s/children’s menu with the cook or chef
• Tidy child/children’s bedroom and play spaces
• Do laundry (if no laundress)
• Pack for trips
• Bathing and dressing children, including ordering/maintaining school uniforms
• Keep an up-to-date database of all key contacts (school, playmates, activities, doctors/dentists, etc.)
• Communicate with parents about child/children’s social, educational and behavioral development
• Care of infants
• Shop for gifts, school supplies and other child-related necessities
• Run errands & do chores, especially when the children are in school

Your professional companion is there to help you or an elderly loved one with daily tasks and activities, such as light housekeeping and meal prep, going to and from appointments, attending events, traveling and assisting with shopping. The ideal candidate is personable, reliable and attentive, with a background in private service or may have worked as a personal assistant.

Responsibilities

• Assist with daily activities
• Driving
• Light housekeeping
• Meal preparation
• Traveling
• Attend events
• Help with administration (i.e. budgets/paying bills)

Your chauffeur is responsible for driving you, your family members and any guests to and from appointments, events, work and school in a clean, well-maintained vehicle. The ideal candidate is professional, reliable, discreet and may have a background in security, especially if you require protection for you or your family.

Responsibilities

• Driving
• Running errands
• Maintaining vehicles

Your ranch staff is responsible for all aspects of the smooth running of your ranch or farm, including the expert care of your livestock. This is a multi-faceted responsibility — one that requires a strong work ethic and time commitment that includes nights and weekends.
Your ideal ranch staff candidate should have first-hand experience and a solid background running the kind of ranch or farm you own, and be willing to commit to the time it takes to properly manage your ranch or farm.

Responsibilities

• Care and maintenance of all aspects of the ranch, including livestock, the property and any improvements
• Preventative maintenance on the grounds and the animals
• Feed, water, shoe and otherwise care for livestock
• Hire, train and manage staff
• Manage vendors
• Live on premises for safety and security purposes (recommended)

Your facilities manager takes care of all maintenance concerns, both inside and out, for your home or estate.
Because this position is responsible for repairs, vehicle and machinery upkeep and dealing with related service vendors and technicians, the ideal candidate must not only be a versatile handyman, but he or she also must have excellent management skills, be personable, organized and thrive under pressure and strict time constraints.
This position commonly works directly with the estate manager on construction and renovation oversight. He or she is responsible for the property year-round, regardless of if the principal is on the premises or not.

Responsibilities

• Grounds and inside upkeep and maintenance
• Troubleshoot issues (i.e., broken sprinklers, faults in alarm system, lighting issues, etc.)
• Maintenance of pool, tennis court and/or bath house, if applicable
• Upkeep of vehicles and machinery
• General repairs (i.e. light roofing, repair siding on home, etc.)
• Oversee service/maintenance vendors
• Snow removal (if applicable)
• Help manage construction and renovations

Your groundskeeping staff works in concert with your gardening staff on the care and maintenance of your property grounds, including all land, shrubbery, walkways and yards.
The ideal groundskeeping candidate should have groundskeeping experience (perhaps by working for a property management company or in private service), be skilled in horticulture, and have a good understanding of plumbing, electrical work, simple mechanics and carpentry.

Responsibilities

• Maintain all grounds
• Maintain lawn equipment and machinery
• Manage inventory of machinery
• Light repairs and maintenance
• Oversee and/or coordinate vendors

Your gardener should have hands-on experience and deep horticultural knowledge, as he or she is responsible for the overall care and upkeep of your lawn, gardens and grounds.

The ideal candidate will be adept in horticultural topics including the plant cycle, pest control, the care of formal and informal gardens, vegetable gardens and fruit trees and more, and should have a background that includes certifications or a degree in horticulture and experience working in private gardening service or working for a high-end landscape provider.

Responsibilities

• Upkeep of all grounds
• Maintenance of lawn equipment
• Plant and prune plants, flowers and trees
• Application of insecticides and/or pesticides
• Application of fertilizers and herbicides
• Caretaking tasks, including repair of fences, paths and installations
• Grounds maintenance
• Overseeing vendors, especially landscaping service 

Your private chef is responsible for all aspects of meal preparation, from shopping for top-quality ingredients to preparing, serving and cleaning up, and must be attuned to the specific dietary preferences and necessities of your household.

The ideal candidate should be well-versed in the culinary arts, with a degree and/or formal training, outstanding organizational skills, dedication to cleanliness and kitchen safety, and a background that includes either private service or a history working for high-end restaurants, caterers or personal chefs.

Responsibilities

• Grocery shopping
• Meal planning and preparation
• Kitchen inventory
• Clean up and kitchen maintenance
• Budgeting and cost control
• Special events planning
• Table setting and table service

Your laundress is responsible for cleaning and caring for all of your laundry, garments and household fabrics. The ideal candidate is discreet, professional and has a background either in private service or in working for a hotel laundry, high-end dry cleaner or like.

Responsibilities

• Wash, fold and put away all garments
• Manage and inventory all dry cleaning
• Wash and press linens
• Care of fine garments
• Spot clean household fabrics
• Prep, clean and store seasonal garments
• Organize and maintain the orderliness of all closets and dressers
• Light tailoring
• Manage vendors including tailors, dry cleaner, and other garment/textile-related service providers
• Back up for housekeeper (i.e. light cleaning on housekeeper’s day off)

Your houseman handles any heavy cleaning in your home and is also responsible for the upkeep of vehicles and light maintenance. The ideal candidate has either a background in private service or experience working for a hotel or top-notch cleaning or maintenance service.

Responsibilities

• Housekeeping
• Deep floor care (steam cleaning, power washing, etc.)
• Light repairs and maintenance
• Upkeep of vehicles
• Running errands
• Overseeing vendors