What must be completed every working day?
List the non-negotiable duties first. A role becomes unclear when every possible task is treated as equally important.
Which domestic help does your household need?
Choose the role by the work that must come first. Childcare points to a nanny. Household management points to a housekeeper. A realistic split between both points to a nanny-housekeeper.
What must take priority in the household?
The job title should follow the responsibility, not the other way round.
Childcare comes first
Start with a nanny
The children, their routines and child-related duties are the main responsibility.
Explore nanny services
The home comes first
Start with a housekeeper
Household management, cleaning, laundry, ironing, cooking and organisation lead the brief.
Explore housekeeper services Both areas matter Consider a nanny-housekeeperUse the combined role only when the childcare and household split can be stated clearly and scheduled realistically.
Compare the combined roleCompare the seven household roles.
Use the main responsibility and the role boundary to narrow the choice before deciding hours or working arrangements.
| Role | Primary responsibility | Important boundary | Best starting point when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanny | Children, routines and child-related duties. | General household management is not the defining responsibility. | Childcare must remain the priority throughout the working day. |
| Housekeeper | Running the home and completing agreed domestic duties. | Regular childcare should not be hidden inside a housekeeping brief. | The household needs consistent management, cleaning, laundry, cooking or organisation. See what a housekeeper actually does before finalising the brief. |
| Nanny-housekeeper | A defined split between childcare and household work. | The brief should state priorities, hours and what happens when both areas need attention. | Both responsibilities are substantial and the division can be made practical. |
| Maternity nurse | Temporary newborn-focused household support. | This route is not presented as medical treatment. | The household needs focused support during the early postnatal period. |
| Mother's help | Shared childcare and practical support while a parent remains involved. | The parent continues to take an active role in day-to-day care. | An extra pair of hands is needed rather than a fully separate household function. |
| Companion-care introduction | Non-clinical companionship and agreed practical household support. | Filipino Domestic Services is not a regulated care provider and this route does not cover medical or personal nursing care. | Companionship, routine and practical help are needed without regulated care provision. |
| Cleaner | Defined cleaning tasks. | Cleaning alone is different from wider household management or childcare. | You are engaging an individual cleaner for an agreed cleaning brief. |
The details that change the match.
After choosing the responsibility, make the brief specific enough for candidates to understand the role and for the household to compare suitability.
Who has primary responsibility for the children?
State whether the position is sole charge, shared care or mainly household-based with limited agreed childcare.
What working arrangement is required?
Set out live-in or live-out, full-time or part-time, temporary or permanent, location, days and expected hours.
Which additional requirements are genuinely essential?
Driving, cooking, travel, pet care, newborn experience and other requirements should be separated from preferences.
Common role mix-ups to resolve before enquiring.
Cleaner or housekeeper?
A cleaner completes an agreed cleaning brief. A housekeeper has a broader household-management role that may include laundry, ironing, cooking and organisation.
Nanny or mother's help?
A nanny is childcare-led. Mother's help is shared support where a parent remains involved in the children's day-to-day care.
Housekeeper or nanny-housekeeper?
Choose the combined role when childcare is a genuine, recurring responsibility, not an occasional task added to a housekeeping position.
Companionship or regulated care?
Filipino Domestic Services can introduce non-clinical companionship and practical support. Medical treatment, personal nursing care and regulated care provision require an appropriately regulated provider.
What Filipino Domestic Services does, and what the household decides.
Under the current client terms, Filipino Domestic Services uses reasonable endeavours to introduce candidates it considers suitable for the work described in the household's instructions.
The household interviews candidates, assesses suitability, follows up references and relevant qualifications, completes its own required checks and decides whom to employ or engage.
The household also remains responsible for the employment or engagement arrangement and the obligations that follow from it.
Read the current Filipino Domestic Services client termsOnce the household role is clear, compare typical costs before moving to the enquiry stage.
Questions households ask when comparing roles.
Can one person handle both childcare and housekeeping?
Yes, where the position is defined as a nanny-housekeeper and the duty split, priorities and available time are realistic. The combined title should not be used to make one person responsible for two full-time jobs at once.
What is the difference between a cleaner and a housekeeper?
A cleaner focuses on agreed cleaning tasks. A housekeeper has a broader role in running the home and may be responsible for laundry, ironing, cooking, organisation and other agreed domestic duties.
Is mother's help the same as a nanny?
No. A nanny is childcare-led, while mother's help generally supports a parent who remains involved in day-to-day care and may also complete agreed light household tasks.
Does live-in or live-out decide the job title?
No. Duties determine the role. Live-in or live-out, hours and length of engagement describe the working arrangement after the responsibility has been chosen. Once the role is clear, decide whether live-in or live-out fits the household.
Can companion-care introductions include medical or nursing care?
No. The Filipino Domestic Services route described here is for non-clinical companionship and practical support. Medical treatment, personal nursing care and regulated care services require an appropriately regulated provider.
Have you identified the main responsibility?
Write down the duties, schedule, location and working arrangement, then send Filipino Domestic Services one focused household brief.