A private staff agency specialises in finding, vetting, and placing professional staff within private homes, estates, and family offices. Unlike generalist recruitment agencies, a specialist private household agency focuses exclusively on domestic and personal service roles, maintaining an active database of pre-vetted candidates across positions including housekeepers, private chefs, personal assistants, butlers, estate managers, and domestic couples. The agency manages the search process on your behalf, from taking an initial brief and identifying suitable candidates, through to reference checking, shortlisting, and supporting the offer and placement process. The goal is to save you time, protect your privacy, and ensure that every candidate presented has already been assessed for both technical competence and cultural fit.
CLIENTS
Private Staff Agency UK: Recruitment
That Goes Above and Beyond
We provide a discreet private household recruitment service for
UHNW households seeking exceptional household staff worldwide.
Tailored, Trusted, and Discreet Private Staff Agency
As a specialist private staff agency UK families and international households trust, Bespoke Crew connects UHNW private residences, family offices, and estates with exceptional household staff worldwide. Based in the UK and working globally, our private household recruitment approach combines absolute discretion with a meticulous search process
Our private household recruitment approach begins with a meticulous understanding of your unique requirements and the dynamics of your existing household staff. For a more detailed overview of what to consider when hiring, our guide on how to hire private household staff provides useful insight. Combining a bespoke executive search methodology with absolute confidentiality, we identify and secure private staff who are an exceptional fit for your residence and long-term objectives.
Through a comprehensive evaluation process — including detailed briefings, pre-screening, verbal references, and rigorous background checks — our household staff agency presents only carefully vetted candidates who are fully prepared for the role and aligned with your expectations.
Working closely with you or your appointed representative, our UK-based team works with discretion ensure every private staff placement delivers the skills, experience, discretion, and character required to build a successful and enduring professional partnership.
We recruit Private Staff for a wide range of roles
Our promise to you…
At Bespoke Crew Recruitment, we pride ourselves on being a premier provider of exceptional domestic staffing solutions for private houses, estates, and private islands.
We don’t just provide highly qualified and experienced staff; we go the extra mile to ensure a seamless match of personalities within your household’s unique culture. Our ultimate satisfaction comes from your positive experience and the elevated standard of tailor-made service we deliver.
At Bespoke Crew, we specialize in creating long-term placements by deeply understanding your team’s needs and vessel demands. Our personalized approach ensures mutual fit, professional growth, and sustainable success. With a focus on quality and attention to detail, we match clients with dedicated professionals for stronger teams and smoother operations.”
Frankie Mason
Bespoke Crew Director
We provide
Opening Positions With Our Private Staff Agency
As an experienced private staff agency, we take the time to personally speak with you to fully understand what you’re looking for in your next household staff member. While the job specification, qualifications, and experience are essential, we also focus on understanding the dynamics of your existing household staff to ensure a seamless and successful fit.
Our private household recruitment process is designed to identify private staff who not only meet the technical requirements of the role, but who complement your residence, estate, or family office environment.
Interviewing Our Household Staff Candidates
As a trusted household staff agency, we prioritise building genuine rapport with our candidates. Our interview approach is conversational rather than formulaic, allowing us to gain deeper insight into their experience, character, and long-term goals.
We carefully assess expectations around future roles, salary, leave, and household structure, alongside previous experience, personal interests, background, and career aspirations. This thorough evaluation ensures that every private staff recommendation is aligned with both the practical demands of the role and the culture of your household.
Use the adjacent form to get the process started by submitting a job and we’ll get back to you to discuss your requirements in more detail.
Submit Your Job
Private Staff Agency UK: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often from families and principals considering working with a private household staff agency for the first time.
- What does a private staff agency do?
- What types of private household staff can you help me find?
- How much does it cost to use a private staff agency in the UK?
- How do you protect my privacy during the search process?
- What makes Bespoke Crew different from other private staff agencies?
- How long does it take to find and place private household staff?
- Do you place private household staff outside the UK?
What does a private staff agency do?
What types of private household staff can you help me find?
We place a wide range of private household professionals across both permanent and temporary roles. Current roles we recruit for include housekeepers, private chefs, personal assistants, nannies, butlers, house managers, estate managers, domestic couples, and chauffeurs. We also place for more specialist or hybrid positions, such as a housekeeper-PA or a chef-manager combination, which are increasingly common in smaller or more dynamic household setups. If you have a role in mind that does not fit a standard job title, we are happy to discuss it — many of the most successful placements we make are for positions that have been built around the specific needs of the household rather than a generic description.
How much does it cost to use a private staff agency in the UK?
Private household agency fees in the UK are typically charged as a percentage of the placed candidate’s first-year gross salary, most commonly in the range of 12% to 20% depending on the agency and the seniority of the role. At Bespoke Crew, we discuss our fee structure transparently at the outset so there are no surprises. Many agencies, including us, offer a rebate or replacement guarantee if a placement does not work out within a defined period, giving you additional protection on your investment. It is worth bearing in mind that the cost of a poor hire — in terms of time, disruption, and the expense of re-recruiting — typically far exceeds the agency fee, which is one reason specialist representation pays for itself.
How do you protect my privacy during the search process?
Confidentiality is built into every stage of how we operate. We do not share your identity, address, or household details with candidates without your express permission, and typically candidates are not given full information about the principal until they are seriously being considered for the role. We manage all initial outreach and screening on your behalf, and the first point of contact a candidate has with your household is one that we have already carefully controlled. For particularly sensitive searches, we can discuss additional confidentiality arrangements. All of our team members are bound by professional obligations of discretion, and we are happy to sign an NDA with you if that provides additional comfort.
What makes Bespoke Crew different from other private staff agencies?
Most private household agencies recruit exclusively within the domestic staffing market. Our background in superyacht recruitment gives us access to a candidate pool that no other household agency can match. Many of our candidates are experienced professionals who have worked alongside UHNW principals on private superyachts, where the standards of service, discretion, and adaptability required are comparable to — and often exceed — those expected in a private residence. This means we can present candidates with genuinely exceptional track records who are not available through traditional domestic staffing channels. We also operate with a strict maximum of three CVs per brief, ensuring that every candidate we present is a considered recommendation rather than a volume shortlist.
How long does it take to find and place private household staff?
For most roles, we can present a shortlist of pre-vetted candidates within one to three weeks of taking a brief. Senior or specialist positions — such as an estate manager or a travelling private PA with specific language requirements — may take a little longer, particularly where the brief is highly specific. If your need is urgent, we will always be transparent about what is realistically achievable within your timeframe and will advise if a temporary or interim placement would bridge the gap while a permanent search is completed. The more detailed and specific the brief you give us at the outset, the faster and more accurately we can identify the right candidates.
Do you place private household staff outside the UK?
Yes. While we are based in the UK, we place private household staff internationally for UHNW clients with residences, estates, and private islands around the world. Our superyacht recruitment background means we are accustomed to placing candidates into remote, international, and travel-intensive roles, and our candidate network spans professionals based across Europe and beyond. If you require staff for a property outside the UK, or for a principal who travels extensively between multiple homes, we are experienced in managing the additional considerations that come with international placements, including right-to-work requirements, travel arrangements, and multi-residence working patterns.
