House manager jobs in the UK pay £45,000 to £80,000 in 2026, and the wider private household market, from housekeepers and nannies to butlers, chauffeurs and private chefs, offers some of the best-paid non-graduate work in the country. Demand is concentrated in London, the Home Counties and country estates, and it is served by a small number of specialist agencies rather than the mainstream job boards.
The visa picture is the part you need before you spend a day applying. There is no Skilled Worker route for household staff: none of these roles is at graduate level, none is on the Temporary Shortage List, and a UK family cannot sponsor a housekeeper or nanny from abroad. The only dedicated visa, the Overseas Domestic Worker visa, lasts six months, cannot be extended and is tied to an employer who is visiting the UK with you.
This guide sets out who can legally do this work, what each role pays live-in and live-out, how the agencies operate, what employers must give you by law, and how to avoid the fake “UK domestic worker visa” adverts that circulate every year.
Can you get a visa for domestic work in the UK?
The Overseas Domestic Worker visa
This visa is designed for staff who already work for a family abroad and travel with them. To qualify you must have worked for the same employer for at least a year, the employer must be coming to the UK for a visit, and you must intend to leave with them. It is granted for a maximum of six months, cannot be extended (except in limited circumstances for recognised victims of modern slavery), does not allow dependants, and does not lead to settlement. You may change to another household employer within the six months. Fees and full conditions are on gov.uk.
It is not a way to move to the UK to find household work, and any employer or agent describing it that way is misleading you.
Why there is no Skilled Worker route
Since July 2025 the Skilled Worker visa generally requires a job at RQF level 6 with a salary of at least £41,700. House managers, housekeepers, nannies, butlers and chauffeurs are classified below that level. Even a house manager earning £70,000 does not qualify, because the test is the skill level of the occupation, not the pay. The Temporary Shortage List, which keeps some RQF 3 to 5 trades sponsorable to the end of 2026, does not include domestic roles. Our guide to unskilled jobs in the UK with visa sponsorship explains which lower-skilled routes do exist.
Who can legally take private household jobs?
- British and Irish citizens, and people with indefinite leave to remain or settled status.
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with EU Settlement Scheme status.
- Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, aged 18 to 30 (35 for some countries) from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and other participating nations. This is the single most common route for young nannies and housekeepers in London.
- Dependants of Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and most other work visa holders, who can take any job.
- Graduate visa holders, and Student visa holders within their 20-hour term-time limit.
- Overseas Domestic Worker visa holders, for the six months of the visa.
- Refugees, people on the Ukraine schemes, and BN(O) status holders.
Every employer, including a private family, must check your right to work before you start and keep a copy. A family that skips this check is exposing both of you to risk.
What do domestic staff earn in the UK in 2026?
Pay depends on location, the size of the household, whether you live in, and the hours. The figures below are gross salaries typical of London and the South East at the time of writing; country positions outside the capital run 10 to 20 per cent lower but often include better accommodation.
| Role | Live-out (gross) | Live-in (gross, plus accommodation) |
|---|---|---|
| House manager | £45,000–£80,000 | £45,000–£70,000 |
| Estate manager (multiple properties) | £60,000–£100,000+ | £60,000–£90,000 |
| Housekeeper | £15–£20 per hour (£32,000–£45,000) | £32,000–£42,000 |
| Nanny (experienced, sole charge) | £16–£22 per hour (£38,000–£55,000) | £35,000–£48,000 |
| Butler / head of household | £45,000–£70,000 | £45,000–£65,000 |
| Private chef | £50,000–£85,000 | £50,000–£75,000 |
| Chauffeur | £35,000–£50,000 | £35,000–£45,000 |
| Domestic couple (joint package) | £65,000–£95,000 | £60,000–£90,000 with cottage |
Two things matter more than the headline. First, agencies and families often quote nanny and housekeeper pay as a weekly net figure; always convert to gross, because the employer’s PAYE obligations and your future mortgage and visa applications all run on gross. Second, live-in packages must still comply with the minimum wage. The old exemption for live-in “family workers” was abolished in April 2024, so every live-in employee aged 21 or over must be paid at least £12.71 an hour for all hours worked, and the maximum accommodation deduction that counts towards that is capped at a small daily rate set by gov.uk.
What does a house manager actually do?
A house manager runs a private residence as a small business: staff rotas and recruitment, contractors and maintenance schedules, household budgets and invoices, security and travel arrangements, event logistics, and often the principal’s diary. In larger households the role sits above housekeepers, chefs, drivers and gardeners; in smaller ones it is a hands-on housekeeper-manager hybrid.
Employers look for five or more years in a comparable household, hotel or yacht role, discretion (you will sign an NDA), a clean driving licence and a full DBS check. Hospitality management, butler schools and five-star hotel backgrounds are the common routes in; see our hotel front desk careers guide and housekeeping jobs guide for how those paths convert.
How the agencies work
Most senior household roles are never advertised publicly. Families use specialist agencies such as Greycoat Lumleys, Eden Private Staff, Silver Swan, Bespoke Bureau and Polo & Tweed, which vet candidates, check references and DBS status, and present a shortlist. Registering with two or three of these is the normal starting point, and each will interview you before putting you forward.
A crucial legal point: in the UK it is unlawful for an employment agency to charge a work-seeker a fee for finding them a job, other than in a few excluded sectors such as modelling and entertainment. Genuine household agencies are paid by the family, typically a percentage of your first-year salary. If an “agency” asks you for a registration fee, a placement fee or a “visa processing” payment, walk away.
Your rights as household staff
Private households are employers like any other. Whether live-in or live-out, you are entitled to:
- A written contract or statement of terms from day one, including hours, pay, duties and notice.
- Pay through PAYE with payslips, tax and National Insurance deducted, usually via a nanny or household payroll service, and auto-enrolment into a workplace pension if you earn above the threshold.
- 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, statutory sick pay, and maternity or paternity rights.
- Rest breaks and daily rest, although some working-time limits apply differently to domestic staff in private homes.
- Protection from your passport being held, from unpaid overtime and from being confined to the property, all of which are indicators of modern slavery that you can report to the police or the Modern Slavery Helpline.
How to get a house manager or domestic job: step by step
- Confirm your right to work and generate a share code if you hold an eVisa or settled status.
- Get the checks done: an enhanced DBS certificate (register for the Update Service so it stays current), a paediatric first-aid certificate for childcare roles, and a clean driving record printout.
- Prepare a household CV with a professional photo, a short profile, each position with household size and duties, and at least three written references from previous principals or employers.
- Register with two or three specialist agencies and attend their interviews in person or by video.
- Expect a trial period of a few days to two weeks, paid, before a permanent contract.
- Negotiate the package in gross terms and get the contract, accommodation terms and hours in writing before you move in.
Costs and money matters for live-in staff
Living in removes rent, worth £900 to £1,500 a month in London, but it can leave you without a tenancy history for credit purposes. Open a UK bank account in your own name, keep a payslip trail, and consider a low-cost contents policy, because the family’s home insurance rarely covers your belongings. If you send money home, compare specialist transfer services with your bank, and build an emergency fund of two to three months’ costs, since live-in work can end overnight if the household changes.
Scam warning
Domestic work attracts a specific fraud: adverts for “UK housekeeper visa sponsorship” or “British family hiring nanny, visa provided”, usually with a WhatsApp number and a request for a fee. No UK family can sponsor a domestic worker from overseas, the Overseas Domestic Worker visa lasts six months only, and no legitimate agency charges candidates. Verify agencies through their registered company details and never send money, passport scans or bank details to an unverified contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a wealthy UK family sponsor me as a house manager?
No. Private household roles are not eligible for the Skilled Worker visa regardless of salary, because the occupation is below graduate level. Families cannot obtain a sponsor licence for these roles, and no other work visa covers them.
Can I switch from an Overseas Domestic Worker visa to another visa?
Generally not. The visa is for a single six-month visit and does not permit switching into work or study routes from inside the UK. If you are identified as a victim of modern slavery you may be granted further leave to work as a domestic worker.
Is an au pair placement a legal route?
The UK has no au pair visa. Au pairs from eligible countries come on the Youth Mobility Scheme visa and are treated as employees for minimum wage purposes if they are not genuinely living as a family member. Check the rules on gov.uk before accepting a “pocket money” arrangement.
Do live-in nannies pay for their accommodation?
Employers may count a capped daily amount for accommodation towards the minimum wage, but they cannot deduct actual rent from a live-in employee’s pay in a way that takes it below the legal minimum. Meals and accommodation are otherwise part of the package.
How is domestic work in the UK different from the United States?
The UK has stronger statutory rights (paid holiday, sick pay, pension auto-enrolment) but no employer-sponsored visa for household staff. In the US, some household roles can be filled on temporary visas in limited circumstances; see our guide to domestic and household jobs in Texas for a comparison.
Bottom line
Private household work in the UK is well paid, professionalised and agency-driven, and a good house manager can out-earn many graduates. But it is only open to people who already have the right to work here, typically through settled status, a Youth Mobility Scheme visa or a dependant visa. If you are overseas without one of those, the honest advice is to build your experience with an employer in your own country and, if they travel to the UK, use the Overseas Domestic Worker visa for what it is: a six-month visit, not a migration route.