How to attract and retain the best domestic staff in 2025
The best companies attract and retain the very best talent in several different ways:
Why should household staffing be any different? As a whole, the domestic staffing industry is struggling in so many ways:
This is the short list. Domestic staffing employers have been struggling for decades to attract, hire and retain the very best staff. Actually, the employers that run their homes like the top companies are the ones that have the top-tier candidates.
Since 2007, The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network has been staffing the homes of celebrities, high-net-worth families, billionaires and royalty. Our success comes in large part to our founder’s philosophies.
Brian Daniel is the world’s only retained-search headhunter that has actually worked with American aristocracy, ultra-high net worth families and A-listers; he knows what it takes to be successful in the roles that he fills.
- Competitive salaries
- Terrific benefits
- Perks and incentives
- Professional development opportunities
Why should household staffing be any different? As a whole, the domestic staffing industry is struggling in so many ways:
- Salaries vary wildly
- Inadequate job descriptions
- Unlawful employee classification
- Unpaid overtime
- Thrifty hiring practices
- No year-end bonuses
This is the short list. Domestic staffing employers have been struggling for decades to attract, hire and retain the very best staff. Actually, the employers that run their homes like the top companies are the ones that have the top-tier candidates.
Since 2007, The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network has been staffing the homes of celebrities, high-net-worth families, billionaires and royalty. Our success comes in large part to our founder’s philosophies.
Brian Daniel is the world’s only retained-search headhunter that has actually worked with American aristocracy, ultra-high net worth families and A-listers; he knows what it takes to be successful in the roles that he fills.
Here are the top reasons that employers can’t attract and retain the very best staff
- Unrealistic expectations of duties (3-in-1 roles, for example)
- Substandard pay
- A lack of benefits/no benefits
- Candidates don’t feel respected
Brian Daniel can have an honest conversation with you about how to hire staff that will stay with you for 10 or 20 years; that way you don’t have to go through the pain and anguish of re-staffing your home every time someone leaves.
The reason you should hire an experienced domestic staffing expert
There is a reason that most domestic staffing recruiters don’t have biographies on their websites: there isn’t anything remarkable about their experience. If you have used a domestic staffing recruiter in the past and weren’t very impressed with the results, there are a number of reasons why so many are substandard:
The placement that you are making is the most important thing in the world to you because nobody wants to just let a stranger into their home; but to the average domestic staffing agent, it’s just another one of 10 jobs they have that month.
While the “Jack of all trades, master of none” agency is searching for your perfect personal assistant, they are also trying to find a birthday clown, dog walker, nanny, magician, auto detailer, and housekeeper for other clients as well.
- A lack of firsthand experience in the profession
- A “Jack of all trades format” (generalists, not specialists)
- Running too many placements at once
- High-volume, low-quality operation
The placement that you are making is the most important thing in the world to you because nobody wants to just let a stranger into their home; but to the average domestic staffing agent, it’s just another one of 10 jobs they have that month.
While the “Jack of all trades, master of none” agency is searching for your perfect personal assistant, they are also trying to find a birthday clown, dog walker, nanny, magician, auto detailer, and housekeeper for other clients as well.
Here’s why Brian Daniel is so successful in the industry
- He tells you what other agents are afraid to (because they either don’t have the confidence or the experience to do it -- addressing the elephant in the room is important)
- Brian often goes into the field to visit your property and meets all of the players and understands your operation from a “boots on the ground” perspective
- He matches hard and soft skills, as well as characteristics and personality traits
- Because Brian has “street credibility” in the industry, he attracts the best talent
- He will tell you if you’re being whimsical, eccentric or unrealistic because that drives away talent
So many employers fail to understand why demanding or eccentric behavior, coupled with low wages, creates the perfect “revolving door” of staff. Here are just some of the justifications some high-net-worth employers share with us:
- “We are easy to work for; we just have to find the right fit”
- “We know plenty of other families who don’t pay overtime”
- “Other similar jobs actually pay even less than we are paying”
So, while most employers are left scratching their heads wondering why staff leave or even walk off the job, the employers that are doing it right are the ones who don’t have a revolving door of candidates. Having loyal staff takes a solid plan, and that involves more than just good wages.
Cutting corners costs more in the long run
Here’s a winning formula for attracting, hiring and retaining the best domestic staff:
The figures don’t lie. In the long run, families will spend infinitely more on talent by cutting corners and underspending. Because of the cost of constantly having to recruit, hire, and train candidates, it would be less expensive to do it right from the beginning. Not to even mention the heartache and heartbreak of getting those uncomfortable emails from candidates: “Thanks for the opportunity, but I’ve decided to go in a different direction.”
- Hire a domestic staffing recruiter that’s not a “Jack of all trades”
- Get a specialist that understands the world of the high-net-worth firsthand
- Be competitive on salary and benefits (give candidates a reason to choose your estate)
- Have that brave conversation with an agent about what you’re doing wrong
- Learn more about how to properly interview candidates and ask the right questions
- Don’t have “Champagne taste on a beer budget” (know fair market rates)
- Go out of your comfort zone and realize that the perfect candidate won’t fall into your lap (some of the best candidates are passive job seekers that have to be lured from other jobs)
The figures don’t lie. In the long run, families will spend infinitely more on talent by cutting corners and underspending. Because of the cost of constantly having to recruit, hire, and train candidates, it would be less expensive to do it right from the beginning. Not to even mention the heartache and heartbreak of getting those uncomfortable emails from candidates: “Thanks for the opportunity, but I’ve decided to go in a different direction.”
Breaking employment law is expensive and damaging to reputations
Having a candidate quit and just walk away is a best-case scenario. Worst case: If you’re not properly paying a domestic staffing worker, then it can cost you fantastically when you get caught after they report you to the government or go to a lawyer.
There have literally been dozens of high-profile cases where domestic staff have sued their celebrity and billionaire employers for not following the law when it comes to pay, breaks, and independent contractor status. If you break the law, you will lose every time – no matter what.
Not only do employers take a hit on their reputations, but it is terrifically expensive to hire a lawyer to defend yourself, not to mention the backpay and penalties waged against you.
Hiring the right domestic staffing agency to advise you on these matters saves you in the long run.
Many high-net-worth employers don’t realize that the candidates in the elite domestic staffing industry all know each other. They are part of associations, and they are connected to each other on LinkedIn.
Once you get a bad reputation for low wages and/or unreasonable behavior, it makes getting top talent that much more difficult. It’s like trying to climb Mt. Everest without any gear. Once you have the "scarlet letter A," then when your job gets posted, candidates will say: "Guess what? That family is hiring again." They will recognize your job description right away and run the other direction.
There have literally been dozens of high-profile cases where domestic staff have sued their celebrity and billionaire employers for not following the law when it comes to pay, breaks, and independent contractor status. If you break the law, you will lose every time – no matter what.
Not only do employers take a hit on their reputations, but it is terrifically expensive to hire a lawyer to defend yourself, not to mention the backpay and penalties waged against you.
Hiring the right domestic staffing agency to advise you on these matters saves you in the long run.
Many high-net-worth employers don’t realize that the candidates in the elite domestic staffing industry all know each other. They are part of associations, and they are connected to each other on LinkedIn.
Once you get a bad reputation for low wages and/or unreasonable behavior, it makes getting top talent that much more difficult. It’s like trying to climb Mt. Everest without any gear. Once you have the "scarlet letter A," then when your job gets posted, candidates will say: "Guess what? That family is hiring again." They will recognize your job description right away and run the other direction.
Here are some considerations for paying domestic workers a competitive wage
- Cost of living in the area
- Level of experience
- Education and specialized training
- Market conditions
- Your desirability as an employer
We often get employers contacting us wondering why they can’t get the right candidate, or why a candidate quits after only six months on the job. “Desirability” of your workplace plays a major role. Most candidates will never tell you why they left; they just leave. It often isn’t about the money.
One high-net-worth employer called us recently and tried to justify substandard pay by saying many celebrities pay the same. But then we needed to have “the talk” with that employer and explain that they don’t have the desirability that some other high-profile employers have.
It's true that some high-profile celebrities don't pay top wages, but here are many of the perks that celebrity assistant jobs come with:
- Flying around on private jets
- Visiting exotic locations regularly
- Sleeping in luxury hotels on satin sheets
- Taking Ferraris and Lamborghinis to the shop
- Eating 5-star meals with your boss
- Meeting other celebrities, billionaires and rock stars
- Limitless opportunities after the job is over (doors fly open)
For the employers who can’t offer all of the “bells and whistles,” then the only way to compete is to outspend the other employers you can’t compete with. This is basic business economics.
Take, for example, the start-up companies in Silicon Valley. They want and need the best talent to make their companies successful. Many of those candidates work at Apple and Google making $150,000+ a year (plus phenomenal benefits and perks).
So, the only way to attract them away from their tenured positions that include all the free food and massages at the Google workplace campus is to outspend them. It’s just that simple.
Don’t get preoccupied with unrealistic expectations
A final word about putting things in perspective…
We recently had an employer contact us with a very “tall order.” The short story: He wanted a world-class (bilingual) personal assistant that’s worked for billionaires and celebrities that would be “White House material,” which would have been about $250,000 a year based on the very long job description he provided. He was only willing to pay $60,000 to $80,000 in the Los Angeles market.
Here’s what he didn’t consider:
The cost of living: It’s become so expensive (and dangerous) in Los Angeles, that it costs $5,000 a month just for a safe apartment (security entrance with gated parking and laundry machines in the suite). That’s $60,000 a year just to cover the cost of rent before you even turn on the lights.
The cost of your image: Hiring a personal assistant who won’t “cramp your style” means that they need to drive an entry-level Mercedes or BMW (at the very least). That car payment, gas and insurance will cost another $1,500 a month.
Education: Hiring the very best assistant means that they have the experience, but also the education. Many students graduate and are saddled with tremendous debt, so it’s not uncommon to have a student loan payment at $1,000 a month.
Entertainment: Dinner out, movies, and other misc. excursions are more expensive now than ever before. Without breaking a sweat, weekend entertainment to unwind after a long week can cost another $1,000 a month on the conservative side.
Groceries and utilities: Another $1,000 a month (on the low end).
Savings: Of course, nobody wants to be just getting by and they want to save a bit, so let’s say another $1,000-a-month goal to save some money.
All in, we are not talking about $10,500 a month ($350 a day) to live in a major city like Los Angeles, San Francisco or NYC (again, this is all on the low end). Anyone who has a house, children and credit card debt will have substantially more expense.
Now, ask yourself this: How much is your “peace of mind” worth? That is another very important consideration when calculating salary. Once you share your secrets and credit card numbers with your assistant, it’s excruciating to have to do it all over again in six months if someone quits on you.
Top notch domestic staff with great experience are in demand -- just like a professional athlete. It’s a misnomer to think that agents are trying to drive up the prices for top talent. It’s not true. The market and candidates themselves set the prices. As agents, we just try to help both parties come to an agreement.
Essentially, it’s like the talent agents that represent the A-list stars in Hollywood. Top talent costs good money and the agents just help the deal along by being in the middle.
We recently had an employer contact us with a very “tall order.” The short story: He wanted a world-class (bilingual) personal assistant that’s worked for billionaires and celebrities that would be “White House material,” which would have been about $250,000 a year based on the very long job description he provided. He was only willing to pay $60,000 to $80,000 in the Los Angeles market.
Here’s what he didn’t consider:
The cost of living: It’s become so expensive (and dangerous) in Los Angeles, that it costs $5,000 a month just for a safe apartment (security entrance with gated parking and laundry machines in the suite). That’s $60,000 a year just to cover the cost of rent before you even turn on the lights.
The cost of your image: Hiring a personal assistant who won’t “cramp your style” means that they need to drive an entry-level Mercedes or BMW (at the very least). That car payment, gas and insurance will cost another $1,500 a month.
Education: Hiring the very best assistant means that they have the experience, but also the education. Many students graduate and are saddled with tremendous debt, so it’s not uncommon to have a student loan payment at $1,000 a month.
Entertainment: Dinner out, movies, and other misc. excursions are more expensive now than ever before. Without breaking a sweat, weekend entertainment to unwind after a long week can cost another $1,000 a month on the conservative side.
Groceries and utilities: Another $1,000 a month (on the low end).
Savings: Of course, nobody wants to be just getting by and they want to save a bit, so let’s say another $1,000-a-month goal to save some money.
All in, we are not talking about $10,500 a month ($350 a day) to live in a major city like Los Angeles, San Francisco or NYC (again, this is all on the low end). Anyone who has a house, children and credit card debt will have substantially more expense.
Now, ask yourself this: How much is your “peace of mind” worth? That is another very important consideration when calculating salary. Once you share your secrets and credit card numbers with your assistant, it’s excruciating to have to do it all over again in six months if someone quits on you.
Top notch domestic staff with great experience are in demand -- just like a professional athlete. It’s a misnomer to think that agents are trying to drive up the prices for top talent. It’s not true. The market and candidates themselves set the prices. As agents, we just try to help both parties come to an agreement.
Essentially, it’s like the talent agents that represent the A-list stars in Hollywood. Top talent costs good money and the agents just help the deal along by being in the middle.