Whether you’re considering a house manager position or feel like your current job has transformed into house management, it’s essential to understand precisely what a house manager does.
How does a house manager differ from a housekeeper or nanny? How much money can you make as a house manager, what will your primary responsibilities be, and what skills should you develop to position yourself for success?
Pocketbook Agency answers these questions and more. Keep reading to learn about what it means to become a house manager and how to forge a successful career.
House managers — also known as “household managers” — are often responsible for a wealth of tasks within a household. For starters, they must help the family manage their schedules. This includes overseeing the family calendar, scheduling and planning the kids’ activities and appointments, making travel plans, arranging parties, managing home maintenance appointments, and more.
Many house managers shop for groceries, children’s clothing, and household supplies while keeping an organized inventory of the home’s items. And you must be able to organize each family member’s closet, drawers, essential documents, and other things.
It’s also common for a house manager to care for pets (e.g., walking, feeding, pottying, etc.), do the laundry, and tackle light housekeeping duties. And there are plenty of miscellaneous errands and tasks you might be asked to fulfill, such as:
– Budgeting
– Vehicle maintenance
– Cooking
– Dry cleaning
– Managing other household staff members
In other words, you should prepare to take care of just about anything related to the household you’re managing.
Similar to many other professions related to assisting people, you don’t technically need a formal education to become a house manager. However, taking courses in hygiene, protocol, food, wine, and other home-related areas can certainly help you prepare for your day-to-day duties.
Various programs train people in household management and provide certifications for their resumes. But the best way to learn how to manage a house effectively is to seek entry-level job opportunities in a large house, which will provide you with invaluable real-world experience, enable you to learn from experts in all departments, and help you build healthy work relationships.
House managers are considered to be professionals, and you can expect to make anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000 base pay plus benefits. Many household staff members are paid by the hour and work part-time, but management is a full-time role. A household manager’s salary primarily depends on:
– How many employees they’re supervising
– How much responsibility they’re taking on
– How long they’ve worked for the house
– The size of the house
In many cases, the manager receives meals and housing in addition to their salary and benefits. This situation can work out in favor of everyone involved and often results in the manager becoming an unofficial family member.
The house manager position is often confused with the housekeeper and nanny positions, but there are critical differences between these job titles. First, a house manager prepares meals, organizes events, runs errands, helps with administrative tasks, walks pets, pays bills, and the like. They’ll also declutter and organize a home’s rooms and spaces, wash dishes, and organize belongings. A house manager essentially tackles all the tasks you don’t want or have the time to do.
House managers often handle light cleaning tasks like wiping kitchen counters, dusting ceiling fans, and vacuuming floors. But since they’re managing so many other aspects of the home, they won’t devote a lot of time and energy to those duties. A housekeeper is hired to focus solely on cleaning and organizing a home, which is why many families hire both.
Similarly, a nanny focuses on childcare alone. Yes, a house manager might be responsible for specific tasks related to the kids, but a nanny works full-time to ensure the child (or children) has everything they need to live safely, healthily, and happily. They provide complete care for the kids, including:
– Activity pickups and drop-offs
– Doing children-related laundry
– Doing the children’s dishes
– Planning play dates
– Disinfecting toys in play areas
– Keeping tabs on clothing sizes and finding new clothes
– Shopping for the kids’ groceries
– Helping the children study and complete homework
House managers, housekeepers, and nannies are all essential roles that involve a range of duties. A housekeeper concentrates on maintaining order and cleanliness, a nanny focuses on the children’s needs, and the house manager does a little bit of everything to ensure the house runs smoothly.
As discussed, house managers must possess a wide-ranging skill set. It helps to have experience as an HM, but don’t count out the possibility of finding a family who recognizes the skills and value you can offer regardless of previous experience.
Leadership is one of the most crucial skills of a house manager because you often need to manage other employees and vendor appointments. You need to be assertive and able to guide others. You also need basic organizational skills to keep the rooms, closets, pantries, and other spaces in order. And since you’ll be responsible for a wealth of tasks, you must be able to do several things simultaneously; make sure your multitasking skills are up to par!
Household management also requires you to be flexible for unexpected obstacles and problems. You never know what may pop up, and you must be able to adapt and change course before a potential issue becomes a major one.
And, of course, you need to be an excellent communicator to become a successful house manager. You’ll be speaking with many people on an average day and responsible for delivering and receiving messages. Communicating effectively will help you do your job well.
So, you want to be a house manager. Here are a few quick tips for getting started!
There are many job requirements for the house manager position, some universal and some unique to each house. Before committing to a specific job, learn as much as possible about the family and house to ensure you’re up to the task. It can also help to speak with other house managers to get an idea of how you can prepare for the role.
You don’t need a college degree to succeed as a house manager. All you need to do is prove that you are discreet, responsible, efficient, and organized. Assure your potential employer that you can handle any tasks that come your way, and you should be good to go. That said, a little training never hurts anyone, so consider taking a relevant course or two at your local community college.
When you excel at one household job, you can demand higher pay at your next. Look for an entry-level position in a large house, and go to work every day seeking to learn as much as possible about how to manage a household. Real-life experience is your greatest asset as a house manager.
Finally, understand that job growth trends for house managers are uncertain and untracked (for the most part). As long as there are affluent families who need help around the home, the house manager position should thrive. But a poor economy naturally comes with fewer opportunities. If you get a job, don’t take it for granted, and keep working become indispensable.
Becoming a house manager could be right up your alley if you are well organized and enjoy handling many different tasks simultaneously. Work with Pocketbook Agency to find potential employers and begin your career on the right foot. You could be managing a large house in no time!
Sources:
Nanny Job Description: Salary, Skills, & More | The Balance