Wealthy families in South Africa are often looking for staff to work in their houses and estates.
They need good people with real hospitality skills and experience to make sure their homes run well.
The work can range from running a Cape Winelands estate to looking after a busy family home in Sandton.
This guide walks through the day-to-day reality, what the pay looks like, and how candidates can get into the career.
The household roles in demand across South Africa
Morgan & Mallet’s South African recruitment effort is currently focused on candidates living in:
- Johannesburg and Centurion
- Pretoria
- Cape Town
- The Winelands: Paarl, Wellington, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Somerset West
The roles Morgan & Mallet recruiters are working on right now include:
- Chefs and private chefs
- Food and beverage managers
- Resort managers
- House managers and estate managers
- Chauffeurs
- Housekeepers
- Nannies
Some of our more recent South African briefs show the variety. A young VIP family in Constantia wanted a private chef who could prepare daily meals and international travel with the family.
A high-profile household in Bryanston, Johannesburg, was looking for a butler and house manager confident enough to cover any role in the home. We see this quite often now, a butler or house manager who can do just about everything in a home.
Out in the Cape, a respected client took on a butler and house manager to work alongside a chef, head gardener, stables manager, and accounts manager, with each staff member living in their own cottage on the property.
Every role can be quite different.
Meet Runet, our South Africa recruiter
Runet van Heerden is the Morgan & Mallet recruiter leading the South African expansion. She grew up in the country, started her career as a stewardess on superyachts, then trained as a private chef and worked for a family in Dubai.
She also qualified as a nutritionist and a personal trainer before moving into recruitment.
When asked how she finds the right hire, Runet says:
“You can immediately see if somebody is going to go the extra mile or not. You can definitely see the difference between somebody that has a passion for their job and somebody that’s really doing their job because it brings in money.”
She is just as clear on what families need to understand before they call her:
“The perfect candidate on paper doesn’t always translate into the right fit in reality. Personality, communication style, and lifestyle alignment are just as important as experience.”
And on the clients she enjoys working with most:
“I’ve got a few clients which I love working with because they go straight to the point. They tell you exactly what they want, what they don’t like, in a very respectful way. There’s no space for error, but they give you everything you need, straightforward.”
Runet is now building out the South African candidate base. She wants to hear from hospitality and private household professionals living in Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Winelands, Pretoria, and Centurion.
Listen to Runet’s podcast interview
Runet was a recent guest on the Morgan & Mallet podcast, talking through her route from private chef to recruiter, the differences between UHNW expectations in the Middle East and Africa, and how she reads compatibility between a candidate and a principal.
Listen to the full episode here: From Private Chef to Recruiter: What UHNW Clients Really Need to Know.
The skills that get you hired by a high-profile family
A few qualities tend to separate the candidates who get hired from the ones who do not.
1. A proven service background
South African families at this level want to see a clear record in service, hospitality, or household management. A few years in a five-star hotel, on a superyacht, or inside another private home is usually the foundation.
This applies whether you are pitching for butler, estate manager, personal assistant, chef, or chauffeur work. Runet came into private service through the yachting route herself and rates that training highly. The standards are exact and the pace is fast.
2. Real discretion
Discretion is at the top of the list. You will overhear conversations that belong only to the family, and keeping them to yourself is the job.
A family who lets you into their home is trusting you with their private life.
3. The ability to bend with the day
The schedule will normally change a lot. A chef in Constantia could be asked to plate for 12 guests with a few hours’ notice.
A house manager in Bryanston might cover for a staff member who is away, without any warning. The candidates who do well take that in their stride.
Salaries for household staff in South Africa
South African pay depends on the city, whether the role is live-in, the size of the property, and whether the brief includes looking after or managing other staff or travel.
One example from Morgan & Mallet’s is a live-in couple role recently advertised in Johannesburg which offered a combined R120,000 gross per month.
The brief covered estate management, fine dining service, and housekeeping, and needed the candidates to have five to eight years in luxury hospitality or private homes.
Getting started without a private service background
Most people in this sector arrived from somewhere else. Laurine Mallet, who co-founded Morgan & Mallet, began as a nanny in London.
Morgan Richez, the other co-founder, washed luxury cars in the UK before working his way into chauffeur and then butler roles.
Runet’s route is different again. Years at sea as a stewardess, then a private chef position in Dubai, followed by nutrition and personal training qualifications, and finally a move into recruitment because the yachting lifestyle didn’t suit her anymore.
Where you start really depends on the role you are aiming for.
Private chefs and cooks
Start with South African families who post for a cook a few days a week. The work teaches you to handle someone else’s kitchen and respect their preferences without getting in the way.
Move toward more demanding households once you have something to show. After two or three years of good private references, an agency will take you seriously.
Housekeepers
Cape Town and Johannesburg’s five-star hotels are a really good place to learn. The expectations are very similar to what households expect from private service.
UHNW homes in South Africa want what you find in a top hotel. Two to three years in a hotel housekeeping team gives you a track record that private families recognize.
Nannies and household assistants
Look for families who want part-time help and are open to bringing someone in who is still building their experience.
Show that you are reliable and discreet. Childcare qualifications help, but Laurine has always said attitude is what decides it. A nanny who turns up when she says she will, takes instructions, and never repeats what she hears in the home will move up faster than one with lots of certificates and bad judgment.
How to get hired by a wealthy South African family
1. Approach a specialist recruitment agency
A specialist agency is the quickest way in. Morgan & Mallet has a global client base and an active South African network led by Runet.
The agency screens candidates, checks references, and matches profiles against what each family needs. Roles you reach through an agency are often not advertised elsewhere.
2. Tailor your resume to the role
Your resume should highlight the qualities that matter in this sector, areas like discretion, flexibility, and a high standard of work. Bring out any work in demanding settings or with clients who held you to high standards. Don’t waffle on the resume and keep it clear and easy to read.
Runet asks South African applicants to put the SA flag emoji and the role they specialize in into their email subject line. Send your resume to runet@morganmallet.agency.
3. Expect a thorough vetting process
Several interview rounds and proper background checks are quite normal. South African UHNW families need to feel confident in you before they let you into their home.
Prepare to talk through previous roles, how you handled confidential information, and times when things did not go according to plan. Talk about your composure and show off that if you can.
Runet says her own interviews look at how a candidate communicates, their willingness to flex, and the way they have handled past roles. She then weighs that against the household environment and what the principal wants.
4. Be ready for a trial period
Most South African families want a trial period before they commit. It gives the family and the candidate a chance to do a kind of test run.
Morgan & Mallet checks in with both sides after 10 days and then throughout the first 3 months.
What to include in your work contract
Once an offer arrives, read the contract carefully. The duties and the pay should be clear.
1. Spell out the role and responsibilities
The contract should describe the job clearly, whether you are coming in as a personal assistant, chef, or butler.
2. Pin down hours and on-call expectations
Hours rarely fit a nine-to-five frame in this work, so the contract should set out the working pattern, any overtime arrangement, and on-call expectations.
Live-in roles should specify the accommodation, the meals, and how travel costs are dealt with.
3. Include a confidentiality clause
A confidentiality clause is normal. It protects the family’s private life basically. It’s good to have as a candidate so you know where you stand.
Start your career with Morgan & Mallet
Private service in South Africa pays well, the work changes day to day, and there is variety, which you don’t often get in other jobs.
Morgan & Mallet has spent years finding the right people for high-profile households worldwide, and the South African network is now expanding.
If you live in Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Winelands, Pretoria, or Centurion, and you have real experience in private service or luxury hospitality, Runet wants to hear from you.
Send your resume to runet@morganmallet.agency with the South African flag emoji and the role you specialize in.
