Future Requirements

• What would you like to do or gain in your next job? I am looking for a secure, long-term live-in housekeeping position which combines my experience of housekeeping with my enjoyment of working in a family environment. I hope for a role where I can settle into a household and make a valued contribution for several years. I would welcome a varied role with housekeeping and cooking as well as involvement with children, pets and gardening when required. Ideally, I would love a rural position with a cottage and garden, where I can put down roots and become a reliable, trusted member of the household.

 

• Do you need accommodation? Yes please

 

• Do you have any special requirements for any animals you wish to bring with you? I have two outdoor rabbits.

 

• Do you have any ongoing commitments? I currently rent a cottage in Dorset and am required to give one month’s notice. I would be happy to discuss arrangements around a suitable start date.

 

• Do you have any holidays booked that an employer needs to know of? No. I am in Abu Dhabi from 28th October to 16th November 2026 and will be available for trails from 18th November onwards.

 

Experience with Horses

Outline your experience with horses here/the scope of your freelance services. If you’re looking for a non-equine or non- yard-based job please use this space to describe your experience skills/abilities and adapt the questions to suit your line of work. 1. Private Housekeeping: experience maintaining large private homes, including period properties, with high standards of cleanliness. 2. Family & Child Support: Proven experience working with private families, providing practical support with children’s routines, education and day to day needs when required. 3. Cooking & Meal Preparation: Over 20 years of home cooking including menu planning, preparing daily family and children’s meals, Sunday roasts and catering to individual tastes and preferences. 4. Family entertaining: Experience assisting chefs with dinner parties, family celebrations and large gatherings, helping with table set up, food preparation and serving. 5. Laundry & Garment Care: Confident with laundry, ironing and the care of household linens, clothing and delicate fabrics. 6. Country House & Property Care: Experience caring for large country properties, antiques, silverware, period furnishings and maintaining a property to a high standard when principals are absent. 7. Gardening, Pets & Household Support: Enjoy working as part of a team. Have gardening and pet care experience, house-sitting and working independently while maintaining the security and smooth running of a property.

 

 

Key Skills

What are you particularly good at? For example: working alone, working with others, clipping, plaiting, turning out for shows, handling stallions, handling/riding young horses, non-equine skills etc 1. Multi-tasking & Flexibility: Very adaptable and able to manage several tasks at once, prioritise effectively and adjust plans when guests arrive unexpectedly, family routines change or extra help is needed. 2. Working Independently: Happy working alone, using initiative and anticipating what needs doing (alongside my housekeeping rota of duties), while also working well alongside principals, chefs and other household staff. 3. Attention to Detail: Particularly good at making beds, keeping bedrooms and bathrooms immaculate, ironing to a high standard and taking pride in small details that make a house feel welcoming for example a vase of homegrown flowers. 4. Family Cooking & Hospitality: Enjoy planning menus and preparing home-cooked meals, especially using seasonal garden and organic produce, and helping to create a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for family and guests, including supporting entertaining and special occasions. 5. Gardening & Creativity: Good eye for garden design, planting, weeding, pruning and making outdoor spaces attractive. 6. Children’s Education & Engagement: Particularly strong at supporting children’s learning, explaining things creatively, creating educational games and activities and making day to day interactions and learning enjoyable while encouraging confidence and independence.

 

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses? Strengths: I am extremely hard-working, reliable and resilient with  a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty. I am discreet, capable and well-organised with excellent communication skills and a practical, can-do attitude. I take pride in my work, use my initiative and can be trusted to work independently. Weaknesses: I can sometimes become very task-focusses because I like to get things done properly and to a high standard. However, I recognise that family life is not always predictable and I am flexible and happy to adapt my priorities when circumstances change.

 

• Is there anything you’d like to improve? I would enjoy expanding my repertoire of home baking and developing my range of vegetarian and vegan dishes. My jam making could be better. I would also like to improve my technical IT skills with spreadsheets.  I am always happy to learn new skills that would be useful in running a household efficiently and that cater to a family’s tastes and interests.

• Why should employers consider you above any other job seeker? I bring good private household experience, a strong work ethic and a professional, discreet reliable approach. I am now able to settle into the right long-term position, bringing loyalty, initiative and genuine pride in my work. I would hope to be a member of staff that all members of the family could wholly rely on.