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Contracts, Confidence and Job Security in Private Service
Join us for an in-depth conversation with Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, as he shares insights from his journey from butler and chauffeur to successful entrepreneur.
In this episode, Morgan discusses the ins and outs of domestic staff contracts, different job types in private service, and how to navigate the complex world of household employment across different regions.
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Listeners will gain practical knowledge about contract types, legal compliance, and professional protection in the private household industry. Morgan shares real-world examples and expert advice that both candidates and employers can use immediately.
Whether you’re considering a career in private service or looking to hire household staff, this episode provides the insider knowledge you need to make informed decisions.
Key Takeaways
- Permanent contracts represent 75% of private household positions globally, with temporary and freelance roles filling specific niches.
- Different regions have varying legal requirements – US and UK are more flexible, while France requires strict compliance procedures.
- Building trust through long-term employment creates superior luxury service as staff learn employer preferences over time.
- New household teams should start with hiring an experienced estate manager who can help recruit the remaining staff.
- Detailed contracts covering all scenarios protect both parties and prevent future disputes.
- Traveling staff regulations require careful planning and compliance with multiple jurisdictions.
- Agency representation helps candidates negotiate contract terms without damaging their professional reputation.
Full Transcript:
Transcript
Ben
Hello there, Morgan and Mallet podcast listeners. In today’s episode, we’re talking with the co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, Morgan Richez, about contracts, confidence, and the different job types in private service and domestic staffing.
Before we get started, Morgan, could you tell us about yourself and how you got started in this industry, and how you started Morgan & Mallet?
Morgan
Thank you so much for having me on the podcast today. My name is Morgan Richez. As you said, I am the co-founder of Morgan & Mallet. The company was set up in 2015, and I have a strong background in the domestic staffing industry, as I was a butler and chauffeur in London about 15 years ago.
Ben
Do you miss your days as a chauffeur or a butler, Morgan?
Morgan
Not anymore, because I really enjoy being an entrepreneur now. But I think it was a very good experience to do those jobs, because it gives me the perspective I need to manage the company well.
Ben
Absolutely. I think it gives the agency a real advantage having co-founders who’ve done the job themselves and hiring recruiters who have also done these jobs themselves. Like Danieli, she was an estate manager. Ellie, she was a nanny. Runette, she was a private chef.
Yeah, I think it really helps when the recruiters are interviewing candidates because they know what to look for and they know the situation as well. They’ve been there themselves.
Morgan
This is so important.
Contract Types in Private Service
Ben
What are the main contract types? Permanent, fixed term, freelance, temporary. Which ones are the most popular or common for private household work?
Morgan
My experience is that permanent roles are the most common. We get so many requests for permanent positions. I would say they represent 75% of the jobs we have today at Morgan & Mallet.
The second most common are temporary positions and temporary contracts. Freelance is the least common, and it is more often used for chef positions, private chefs, and similar roles.
Ben
And would you say that’s the same globally in every region?
Morgan
Yes, it is the same globally.
Choosing the Right Contract
Ben
How can candidates decide which contract best matches their professional and personal goals?
Morgan
I would say almost all positions and candidates request permanent contracts. But chefs are a very good example of a different pattern.
Some people want to work in Florida or in the South of France for the summer, and in winter they want to move to Aspen, the French Alps, or even Switzerland.
Between seasons, they can relax and stay at home, and it is good for the money as well because you can earn extra income working for very private properties in places like the South of France or Miami.
In winter, it is a very good opportunity, and as a freelance chef you can charge a lot because demand is high and clients ask for the best chefs.
Why Permanent Contracts Dominate
Ben
I guess it’s probably more economical for clients as well if the candidate is freelance because it’ll be faster to get started. It’s just an invoice that needs to be dealt with. There’s no admin work.
Morgan
Yes. What I see from ultra high net worth networks is that, especially for private chefs, they like to change.
They may want a chef for the next two weeks because they want a Japanese chef, and then next month, as soon as they move location, they may want to try something else.
It is a bit like holiday homes: they want to change location and change the style.
Ben
It makes sense that permanent contracts are most common because this is a highly discreet industry. You want one person to trust to stay long-term rather than cycle through lots of temporary ones.
Morgan
Exactly. Turnover is not ideal for this kind of client because, as you said, they want discretion.
They can be celebrities, VIP clients, and the properties are very valuable. We advise clients that good recruitment is essential, because keeping staff long term is important and trust matters.
Even in service, as a butler, after five or ten years with your employer, you know exactly what he needs without having to ask. That is luxury service.
Ben
As the candidate learns week by week, they gain more experience, they know the personality. So the service is going to get better and more luxurious with each year.
Morgan
Yes, exactly.
Legal Variations by Region
Ben
How do contract types vary legally between the UK, the EU, and Middle Eastern markets?
Morgan
It is very important to respect the law and remain compliant. I always explain to clients that if you want to attract the best candidates, you need to be clear and respect the regulations, because unclear contracts can scare candidates away.
If I compare Europe, the UK, and the US, the UK and US are very flexible. You can hire someone and terminate the contract very quickly without a reason. The UK is a special case because after two years the process changes.
France is the most complicated country. You have to follow the process from the very beginning when you set up the contract, and also if you want to terminate someone. There are several steps, and you need a strong reason to end the contract. It is completely different.
Agency Support and Candidate Protection
Ben
Do you find candidates are contacting recruiters saying, “What’s my position here? What’s my situation or what rights do I have?” Do they ask for advice a lot?
Morgan
Yes, of course. Every single day we get requests from candidates and clients regarding laws and regulations.
It is important to say that we are not attorneys or lawyers, so it is essential to talk to a professional. We can give advice and share our feedback and experience, but for serious cases we always advise speaking to an attorney or lawyer.
Ben
How can domestic professionals protect themselves contractually while staying attractive to employers? It’s a tricky question.
Morgan
It is a very difficult question because as a candidate, you cannot be too picky when you get a new contract, because for the employer that can feel very scary.
That is why it is so important to be diplomatic and to speak to an agency. A big part of our role is to sit between the client and the candidate.
That way we can protect the candidate’s reputation, because the candidate is right to want to protect themselves and make sure the contract is fully compliant.
We can speak on behalf of the candidate without saying those questions came from them. We can preserve their reputation and make sure the contract is fully compliant from the client side because we now have enough experience.
Building New Household Teams
Ben
Does that happen often where you have to assemble a whole new team?
Morgan
Yes. Not every single day, unfortunately, but twice or three times a month we get a request for a new property and they need to build a team of between two and sometimes ten people.
Ben
I would guess it’s a more challenging work environment when everybody’s new in a household.
Morgan
Yes. But now we have enough experience and a method to build up a team. We start with the estate manager or household manager, and then we build the rest of the team step by step to make sure the atmosphere is good.
Skills are important in the household for every employee, but the atmosphere is very important too. That is why we start with management, so we have a good manager and a clear way of building the team. Some people know how to set up a new team because they have done it before.
Ben
What advice would you give to a candidate who is going to join a new team of all new butlers, all new housekeepers?
Morgan
The most important thing is to have a clear vision from the employer and to understand what he needs, where he wants to go, and how he wants the household organized, because the client is the one who decides first of all.
As a recruiter, the best advice we can give is not to go too fast and to make sure the coordination is right. We are not trying to create a team where everyone has to be friends. That is not the point.
What matters is that the atmosphere is good and the coordination is good. We want people who communicate well, stay professional, and work closely with the recruiter if needed.
For example, if I hire an estate manager to set up a new team, we may work in partnership to recruit the new people. He would be part of the recruitment as well.
Ben
Yeah, that makes sense because the estate manager probably knows what type of gardener he wants for that new household, for example.
Morgan
Exactly.
Common Contract Mistakes
Ben
Are there any common mistakes that candidates or families make when choosing contracts?
Morgan
Yes. Sometimes they want to put a contract together too quickly, and that is the biggest mistake. It is important to take time and cover all the cases. Compliance with the law is a must.
Take your time, discuss everything, and try to list every duty, every task, and every case, including when the employer is present or absent, and whether it is a live-in or live-out position.
There is no such thing as a contract that is too long. It is important to cover everything so that both parties are clear.
Ben
So a very long detailed contract that covers almost every eventuality if possible, or as many as they could think of. So everything’s just crystal clear for both parties before the actual employment starts.
Morgan
Yes, exactly. Some clients and family offices use a simple template, sometimes something generated by AI like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini, and set it up in one page. That is not the way I advise my clients.
Working with Legal Professionals
Ben
When you see a contract like that, you’ll say, “Oh no, we can’t work with this. It’s going to cause problems later down the line.” Do you give them draft contracts or do you advise them to go to a lawyer?
Morgan
For contracts, it is very important to talk to an attorney or lawyer. The only thing we can do as recruiters and as an agency is advise from experience and share tips.
For example, we can remind a client to discuss the accommodation, describe what can and cannot be done in the accommodation, and cover other practical points like that.
Sometimes we are happy to discuss and partner with attorneys because attorneys know compliance, but they may not always have enough experience in households. That is why we work closely together. But the contract itself is the attorney’s or lawyer’s role.
Ben
Is it quite common for Morgan and Mallet to be involved in writing the contract and saying to the attorney, “Hey, you need to cover this situation or this environment. Redo the contract, please.”
Morgan
I would not say it is common, because in ultra high net worth or even high net worth households, they usually have a family office, single or multi-family, so they already have an attorney or very good advisors. But sometimes we do have very close collaboration and meetings to cover every topic.
Flexible Employment Models
Ben
Final question. Are we seeing a shift towards more flexible employment models? Because we see this in society with Uber, Just Eats, and the gig work economy. Is there a similar trend towards more flexible employment in ultra high net worth households?
Morgan
To be honest, no. We do not face any issue with that because this is a niche market. We are very protective of contract flexibility, and I do not think we are affected by it at this time.
Ben
And it also just goes against what we were talking about before about the privacy, the discretion, the building up to luxury service through years of experience.
Morgan
Yes. And again, when you own a very big property, whether it is a mansion, penthouse, chalet, or whatever, you need full-time and permanent people to maintain it and make sure everything is very well cared for.
Traveling Staff Regulations
Ben
Is there anything about laws, contracts, or regulations regarding candidates that I should have asked you but didn’t?
Morgan
Yes, I think it is very important to talk about traveling staff. We published an article about this recently because we get many requests from clients in the US, Monaco, and the Middle East.
They often travel with staff such as housekeepers, PAs, and private chefs, which are the most common roles for this kind of arrangement.
It is very important to stay compliant. If you spend too much time in France, the UK, or the US, you need the right contract and you need to cover this topic to protect yourself in terms of laws, regulations, medical insurance, and visas. It is a very important issue and we get this kind of request often.
Ben
So if there’s a family based in the south of France and they’re taking everybody over, including the whole team, to watch the World Cup games in the US, for example, they would need to really review the contracts and see if there’s any changes. And I guess as well there would be a limitation to the amount of days they can spend in the new location.
Morgan
Exactly. There are limitations. For example, in French regulations there are forms you need to fill out before you go. You need to advise the administration, make everything clear, and explain the situation, because it is not wise to take the risk and be questioned overseas about people working under a French contract in the US or in the Middle East without authorization.
That is why clear organization is so important, and we are always happy to assist and give tips to the family office or even the PA to reorganize things.
Ben
Super interesting. Okay, that’s it from me today. Thank you very much, Morgan. I’d just like to say to all listeners that you can get in contact, and you can have a look at the jobs at householdstaff.agency/jobs. You can see all the positions there. Get in contact if you’ve got any questions. Thank you for listening and wishing you a super day.
Morgan
Thank you so much. Have a lovely day. Thank you.
Ben
Cheers. All right. Good stuff.