Specialist Private Staffing for Exceptional Homes Worldwide

We are a private household recruitment agency supporting UHNW principals and decision-makers with private household staff recruitment across single residences, estates, and multi-property set-ups. We run controlled, discreet searches for hires where service standards, judgement, and confidentiality matter as much as experience.

Private household and domestic staffing is usually high risk and sensitive. The work is personal, the environment is high-trust, and mis-hires create disruption fast. We keep processes tight, senior-led, and replacement-safe when needed.

## Private estate recruitment, tailored to your household

We recruit for both private household recruitment and private estate recruitment, depending on whether the centre of gravity is the principal, the household operation, or an estate-wide service model. Scope is defined first, then we search. That is how you reduce churn and protect privacy.

Who we support

We work with principals and families, and also the operators who run the day-to-day:

• UHNW principals and family members hiring household talent

• Estate Managers and House Managers leading staffing across residences

• Chiefs of Staff and Family Office leadership coordinating household operations and risk

• Property and facilities leads supporting complex estates and multi-site delivery

Roles we recruit across private homes and estates

We recruit across the full household and estate spectrum, from senior leadership to specialist support. These are typical private household staff recruitment mandates we run.

Personal Support

Private PA recruitment and lifestyle support roles that protect time, travel, and continuity:

• Private PA

• Lifestyle Manager

• Travelling PA

• Family Assistant

Private Household & Estate Management

Leadership hires that hold standards, vendors, rotas, and multi-property operations:

• House Manager recruitment

• Estate Manager recruitment

• Head of Household

• Director of Residences

Private Chefs

Search-led chef hiring for high-touch service, events, and travel:

• Private chef recruitment

• Head Chef

• Travelling Chef

Childcare & Education

Childcare hires where safety, discretion, and fit are non-negotiable:

• Live-in nanny recruitment

• Rota nanny recruitment

• Nanny/Governess

• Tutor

Domestic & Service Staff

Service roles that keep the household running smoothly and consistently:

• Butler recruitment agency searches

• Housekeeper

• Housekeeper-cook

• Chauffeur

• Couple roles

How to scope the hire

Most hiring problems in private households are scoping problems. We scope roles by separating responsibilities, coverage, and authority, then making the boundaries explicit.

Key points we lock early:

• Responsibilities: service delivery, household management, childcare, travel, admin, vendor coordination

• Coverage: live-in or live-out, rota patterns, weekend expectations, travel cadence, multi-residence support

• Boundaries: what sits with the principal, the Estate Manager, and household leadership, including decision rights

• Reporting line: who sets priorities week-to-week and who signs off performance and change

If coverage and boundaries are implied rather than agreed, the role will drift and churn risk rises.

What to look for: discretion, service standards and cultural fit

In private households, CVs converge quickly. What decides outcomes is behaviour under pressure and the ability to hold standards without creating noise.

We prioritise:

• Discretion as a habit: need-to-know instincts, careful language, clean information handling

• Service standards: consistency, taste, and calm delivery in a live environment

• Judgement under ambiguity: knowing when to act, when to confirm, and when to escalate

• Household dynamics: respect, boundaries, and the ability to work with long-standing staff

• Reliability: rotas, travel, handovers, and follow-through that does not wobble in busy periods

How Oplu finds and vets private household talent

We run private recruitment with controlled disclosure and high signal assessment. We do not broadcast briefs. We approach quietly, qualify fit, then increase detail only when intent and suitability are clear.

Our process is designed to protect the household while keeping decisions fast:

• Tight scoping before outreach, including coverage and boundaries

• Targeted search and direct approach, not broad advertising

• Assessment focused on judgement, service standards, and discretion behaviours

• A deliberately small shortlist, designed for comparison and decision-making

• Referencing where possible, staged to protect privacy and avoid unnecessary visibility

Shortlist quality: role-fit, salary expectations and references

Shortlists are built to reduce surprises at offer stage. Where possible, we align early on:

• Scope-fit and working pattern constraints

• Compensation expectations within your structure

• Evidence of comparable standards and household context

• References focused on trustworthiness, behaviour, and reliability under pressure

International hiring considerations

We support international searches and multi-location hiring, including where travel, languages, and differing service cultures matter.

Typical considerations include:

• Visa and right-to-work constraints

• Rota and travel readiness

• Language requirements and cultural service expectations

• Onboarding and handover planning across residences

Browse current private estate opportunities

If you are a candidate exploring private household roles, view current opportunities and submit your CV confidentially.

Next steps

Hiring now

If you are hiring household staff, start here.

We explain how we scope the brief and run a discreet search end-to-end.

Explore roles by category

- Personal Support

- Private Household & Estate Management

- Private Chefs

- Childcare & Education

- Domestic & Service Staff