It is a happy coincidence that Charlotte’s story is a similar one to that of Melanie, our guest last week. She also secured her first role as a House Manager fairly recently having worked a variety of different roles over her career to date. Her role involves a lot of cooking, which is fairly unusual for a house manager but when working on the beautiful but small island of the Isle of Wight, these more all rounded roles are more popular as the homes are generally much more relaxed.

Her role is definitely different to a typical London based house manager role but it’s good for people to know that roles of this nature exist as this may be a more suitable working environment for you.

Melanie is a valued member of our UK House Manager community and joins us today to talk about her fairly recent transition into the private industry. It’s just as inspiring chatting to guests who have entered this world more recently as can actually be more relevant to those listeners looking to secure their first role themselves also. Mel discusses how all her previous experiences have come together and made her a competent house manager and what she has learned since starting her role.

Her story just goes to show that it’s never too late to find a job you love!

The year is flying by so we thought we'd look back at some of the best bits of the 21 episodes we have already released!

From discussing trends with Silver Swans in-house expert recruitment consultants to Estate managers, House Manages and many more industry professionals.

Listen to Life in Private Staffings Best Bits now!

Chris is a long-time friend of Silver Swan having been one of our first people to kick off our Florida Estate Manager community and he was our first US brand ambassador also! He is well known in the industry as he makes a conscious effort to network and support others in the industry wherever possible. His story something different yet again, finding his way into the industry by initially working as a caretaker and building trust with the family that way first before they asked him to take over the Estate Manager role when he became available.  

He has gained a lot of experience over the years and set up his own Estate Management Consultancy firm which he runs with his wife, son plus a handful of other on the ground staff. Their services can range from stocking the fridge before the family arrive, to overseeing renovations and remodelling, to staffing (partnering with us of course!) to emergency response planning and everything in between. This service is so useful if the property is a secondary residence and doesn’t need a full time estate manager or to support a busy estate manager when extra projects crop up.  

We love Chris and so feel really fortunate to have managed to grab him to jump on an episode!  

-- 

His supplier shoutout is – Laticia Friend, Luxury Lifestyle Manager and Co-Host of the fabulous 5-star Service Clubhouse – also a highly experienced Estate Manager. Who also happens to be a friend of Silver Swan’s too! Her support to Chris has been great, she seems to have positively impacted many lives as I only hear amazing things about the fabulous lady 😊 

We head back out to the UAE in today’s episode and have a fabulous chat with Cat, whose life has been so fascinating with a completely different route into the private sector. From being born in Africa and studying in the US, she then spends 10+ years living in China and being fully immersed in the Chinese culture setting up her own business supporting many individuals with a huge range of different things. This PA support she realised she did very well and decided to invest in an MBA Butler Academy in the Netherlands where she learnt the true art of service. 

This shaped not only her career but her as an individual and was one of the best things she has ever done. Her training took her career over to the Seychelles and now onto UAE where she works as a House Manager and absolutely adores what she does. It is so refreshing to speak to someone so positive and grateful for what she does – and is a good reminder to us all the appreciate what we have and where we work! 

Today, we bring the conversation back in-house by talking to Michael who is our Middle East specialist and has been passionately placing hospitality professionals with various VIP clients across Saudi Arabia for the last 5 years. His passion for living and working in KSA has only grown over the years as the country has developed. We compare how things have drastically changed in Saudi when he visited earlier this year, compared to his last visit before Covid. 

The opportunities are immense and candidates who go and work over there for a 1-year contract, invariably stay for years longer. The work is great, the clients are truly respectful, and the lifestyle is just not what you would imagine. You’ll be part of a thriving Western ex-pat community and will make friends for life. 

Supported by our sponsor Kelly Dixon, Estate Management Systems and her fabulous new podcast called Dear Billionaire. Use discount code LIFE 25 for any of her products or services on her website.

Sutherland has had an inspiring career following a successful transition out of the military. Over the last 10 years, he has worked for a number of families, managing their entire estates and often additional homes elsewhere. The skills gained in the military regularly lend themselves extremely well to the private sector, as proved by Sutherland and he proves that you don’t necessarily need to work your way up or have a huge amount of relevant qualifications to succeed in this world.

He started Swell Property Management upon realising that many clients don’t need a full-time estate manager, especially for those homes that are not their primary residence. Swell now supports a range of estates on a consultancy basis, ensuring they are all well looked after. A great service for anyone looking for that extra layer of support. 

Supported by our sponsor Kelly Dixon, Estate Management Systems and her fabulous new podcast called Dear Billionaire. Use discount code LIFE 25 for any of her products or services on her website.

Following last week’s episode, Martyn also comes from years of living in the mountains working in the much-loved French ski resorts. When he randomly was working as a HGV mechanic, decided to help a friend by accompanying a school on a ski trip which happen to have a huge impact on the rest of his career – as having loved his time in a ski resort he promptly secured work for the following season. Fast forward 10 years and many ski seasons in the Alps, he spends time in the South of France before returning to the UK and choosing to work full time in the private sector.

He has managed his job hunting well and secured fantastic positions which he has both enjoyed but which have also helped him move up the ranks to his current role as a Global Estate Manager for a high-profile UHNW businessman. A role in which he is thriving in and can see himself doing for many many years to come.

Today we talk to someone I have known for years, ever since my ski industry days! Coming from the luxury chalet industry also, Monika discusses the incredibly eclectic career she has had since embarking on her very first ski season – from a remote Norwegian ski lodge to a crazy summer on the F1 circuit, to a private villa which led to her house manager role here in the UK. I love people who have ended up where they have by complete accident, but who have acquired in a great combination of skills along the way making them fantastic private service professionals! 

Monika was made for storytelling so this was such a fun chat. Tune in if you want to hear something about everything! 

We love talking to clients of ours and having recently worked with Vince in the placement of 2 new members of staff within his Principals’ household we felt he’d be a great person to give his insights into how best to secure a role in the private sector. We discuss how people can impress him at the interview stage which may help those interviewing at the minute. His journey into the sector is fascinating transitioning from amateur boxing back in South Africa, moving into event security, into private security and most recently into a Chief of Staff role.

Many people move through the service side into these senior private sector roles so it’s good to see that there are other routes to the top!