In our blog last week we discussed some advantages of hiring a couple for one’s home. In this installment, we’re going to focus on the needs of families who require a formally trained couple in their home or estate.
I’m often told by various employers “I run a formal home so don’t waste my time unless you have couples who have worked extensively in my type of home.” The question which immediately presents itself is what specific skills and experience does the couple need to have to operate effectively in this environment and equally important, how exactly does the employer define their “formal” home?
To tackle the first issue, couples need to have expertise in certain critical areas. First of all, one or both members of the team must know how to properly set a formal table and perform formal table service for family dining, small gatherings, or parties. Next, the couple must be comfortable with wearing formal uniforms and gloves, depending on the individual home.
Formal homes often have multiple staff beyond the couple. This often includes a house or estate manager who is responsible for the complete oversight of the home. Here couples must be able, on one hand, to get along well with other staff and on the other to both take directions professionally from the manager and delegate authority to others according to directions given. In cases where there is no house manager, either the housekeeper or the butler must have considerable experience running a sophisticated, formal home as well as helping to supervise staff. In many formal homes, there is a chef who the couple will support through prep cooking, serving the various dishes to the family and guests and coordination.
Also, there is an emphasis in this type of home on the “finer things” such as the proper care of expensive clothes, antiques, knowledge of treating high end surfaces such as marble/stone, fine woods/metals, polishing silver and evening turn down service. Equally important, the couple should have extensive long term experience working in these type of elegant formal residences. At least six or to eight years’ experience is always more desirable to such an employer as opposed to one or two.
This being said, what are the major characteristics of a formal home? One distinguishing feature is that the meals are served in a formal manner, on a formal table setting. The ability to greet guests and keep things flowing seamlessly during supper hour and especially parties is also key to a professional couple’s success in a formal residence. As important, there is usually a fairly strict “chain of command” in which directives and orders from the employer are relayed through either a house manager or a personal assistant. By the same token, any problems or questions should be directed to their superior unlike an informal home where there is more of a direct relationship between the employer and the couple.
Whereas in an informal position, the emphasis is usually on the “nuts and bolts” part of the job, housekeeping, laundering and family style cooking, there is often an equal emphasis in a formal home dealing with contractors and vendors as well as bringing in repairmen and other outside workers while overseeing their activities. This is not to say that housekeeping and laundering are disregarded in this type of home. Quite the contrary, since greater attention to detail is often stressed in a formal home, the amount of housekeeping and laundering is often less.
While in an informally run home the family generally only needs family style or light cooking, in a formally run home the employers, assuming that they do not already have a chef, usually require either a very good or a gourmet cook who can efficiently and professionally handle frequent parties and special formal occasions.
In summary, it takes a formally trained couple with a unique skill set and temperament to be successful, while enjoying the challenges they face performing their role in formal residences.