What are the typical duties of a Housemanager?

[Anonymous]

What are the typical duties of a housemanager (as opposed to a nanny)? Or is this the role of a housekeeper? We are entering what seem to be in between years. Next year I'll have a 3 year old in PK3 and a 6 year old in 1st grade. Both will go to the same school from 8:15am until 3:15pm daily. PK3 isn't eligible for aftercare and the first grader will have some activities to go to that aren't at school and both have some therapy appointments on a weekly basis. Are there folks that want to work 12/1pm to 7/8pm who would be ok doing the following types of tasks (obviously not all at the same time):

-be home to meet repair people between 12 and school pick up
-pick up groceries/do returns/ run other similar errands between 12 and school pick up
-pick up kids and take them to activities / appointments or home if no appointments and get them a snack
-do kid laundry
-prep kid dinner and feed kids dinner / tidy kitchen after
-load/unload dishwasher
-supervise 1st grader homeworker (mostly just reading and making sure it gets done, maybe a spelling list)
-tidy toys away at the end of the day
-watch a sick kid if they had a mild illness but couldn't go to school
-bonus if the person would be willing to do some dinner prep for adult dinner (like chop vegetables, preheat the oven)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the typical duties of a housemanager (as opposed to a nanny)? Or is this the role of a housekeeper? We are entering what seem to be in between years. Next year I'll have a 3 year old in PK3 and a 6 year old in 1st grade. Both will go to the same school from 8:15am until 3:15pm daily. PK3 isn't eligible for aftercare and the first grader will have some activities to go to that aren't at school and both have some therapy appointments on a weekly basis. Are there folks that want to work 12/1pm to 7/8pm who would be ok doing the following types of tasks (obviously not all at the same time):

-be home to meet repair people between 12 and school pick up
-pick up groceries/do returns/ run other similar errands between 12 and school pick up
-pick up kids and take them to activities / appointments or home if no appointments and get them a snack
-do kid laundry
-prep kid dinner and feed kids dinner / tidy kitchen after
-load/unload dishwasher
-supervise 1st grader homeworker (mostly just reading and making sure it gets done, maybe a spelling list)
-tidy toys away at the end of the day
-watch a sick kid if they had a mild illness but couldn't go to school
-bonus if the person would be willing to do some dinner prep for adult dinner (like chop vegetables, preheat the oven)

- Laundry and folding
- Cleaning kitchen counters, light vacuum
- Snacks for kids when they get back from school
- Change clothes, wash face, comb hair of kids when they come back from school.
- Remove lunch boxes from bags, soiled clothes from day care, replenish supplies, check the papers and notices that the school sends.
- Line the trash bins and waste paper baskets.
- Replenish soap in the dispensers, toilet papers, and paper kitchen towels and other cleaning supplies.
- Water indoor plants. Give food and water to pets.

[Anonymous]

- Make beds
- Change bedsheets etc
- Take kids to medical appointments

[Anonymous]

No to making beds. That would be a housekeeper. Also, OP, make sure she takes her 1 hr break during 8 hr shift. House manager does shopping, returns, makes kids' appointments.

[Anonymous]

Sure, but just do grocery delivery.

[Anonymous]

Hope you’re loaded.

[Anonymous]

We have had a nanny with us for 7 years, and now that the 7 year old is in 1st grade, she has less to do to manage kids each day. Two older kids also in elementary.

She arrives now around 9:30, cleans up/straightens the house, does laundry daily, dishes, makes beds, goes to grocery store, dry cleaning, other errands we ask her to do, then meets the kids at the bus stop.

If we have something unusual, like a service appt at the house, a doctor appt for a kid, a car service, she will take care of it with instruction.

She is not proactively scheduling stuff - noticing the AC needs service, keeping track of appointments, etc. That would be nice.

If they have after school activities she'll pick them up, she'll do some evening sports drop offs but not pickups because she is done around 5:30-6 PM.

I think she has some downtime each day, but it would also be tough for us to do the above without her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have had a nanny with us for 7 years, and now that the 7 year old is in 1st grade, she has less to do to manage kids each day. Two older kids also in elementary.

She arrives now around 9:30, cleans up/straightens the house, does laundry daily, dishes, makes beds, goes to grocery store, dry cleaning, other errands we ask her to do, then meets the kids at the bus stop.

If we have something unusual, like a service appt at the house, a doctor appt for a kid, a car service, she will take care of it with instruction.

She is not proactively scheduling stuff - noticing the AC needs service, keeping track of appointments, etc. That would be nice.

If they have after school activities she'll pick them up, she'll do some evening sports drop offs but not pickups because she is done around 5:30-6 PM.

I think she has some downtime each day, but it would also be tough for us to do the above without her.

This is fine but the OP wants someone to stay until 7-8 pm and that would really preclude a normal person from having a home life of their own.

[Anonymous]

So, OP. you are only a mom on weekends?

[Anonymous]

Most nanny / housemanager will do everything you asked. The hard part is the sick days - if you want guaranteed coverage for that, they’ll regularly need to be scheduled for all those hours. Or you can ask them if they’re willing to do it (for some extra amount most likely) if available. We do that currently with our 2-8pm nanny/house manager - she’s often available and willing to come at least part of a sick day but not always.

Most will not do any heavy cleaning but many will do a wide range of things (some including all family laundry, taking cars for maintenance, doing returns, cleaning up from morning breakfast etc). The main thing is try to think of most everything you’d want - they understandably fear scope creep

[Anonymous]

I know you said house manager and not nanny, but you are listing a lot of childcare specific tasks that make me think you really want a nanny with flexibility to run some errands and willing to do chore around the house, versus a house manager.

When I think house manager, I think of them maybe doing a few hours of childcare in a pinch - not daily supervision.

It seems like you really need one person to fill three roles - nanny, housekeeper and house manager. Maybe focus less on the title and more on the duties? I think there’s probably someone perfect out there willing for this role, but you’ll have to be specific because some Nannie’s won’t do housekeeping, some house managers won’t babysit, etc.

[Anonymous]

OP you need two people.

House managers are not child care.

Guessing you did not grow up this way.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think the tasks are unreasonable. I think you’ll struggle to find someone to stay until 8pm 5 nights a week. I’d try and make it 630pm most nights and 8pm only on the nights you really need it.

[Anonymous]

I live in the greater Boston area and was considering a job like this, so looked at listings of openings with a couple of high end staffing agencies in Boston. House managers are getting ~$60,000 with paid sick days and holidays and vacation, and often with use of a family car for work related errands and tasks.

What’s the market like in DC area for house managers?

[Anonymous]

There is also a nanny house manager that is what you’re looking for — good for older kid supervision plus all of the aforementioned tasks. yes they can make beds. Just need to set that expectation upfront