In this episode, Philippa delves into the realm of private staffing in the Middle East alongside special guest Corina Goetz. They tackle prevailing misconceptions surrounding the GCC countries, shedding light on the advantages of working and living in this region for expats and private staff professionals alike. Tune in for some serious myth-busting and our top reasons why Middle Eastern job opportunities aren't one to miss, giving misconceptions the boot once and for all!

Today The Recruitment Diaries focuses on International Women’s Day, discussing raising a family and the impact this can have on your career Philippa gives an insight into her journey and how she has balanced having children whilst running Silver Swan We also invite Barbara Hepp to the show, a member of our UK House Manager community who has successfully navigated the journey of motherhood whilst working within the private sector  Wrapping up with a quick fire round with Laura Franzo, a...

Interviews. Yuck. Possibly the most daunting part of the hiring process, and one that we don't really get much education on 🤢. This episode, Philippa is joined by Latricia Friend and Russell Orford as they discuss how to navigate perfecting the résumé and finessing a private staff interview. From how to dress all the way up to post-interview etiquette, this episode has got you covered.

We've given our podcast a fresh lick of paint, have invested in a second microphone, and are now officially back for our fifth season (Whew😮‍💨)! As 2024 kicks off, we wanted to run over the 'dos' and 'don'ts' of using a recruitment agency when looking for your next role or employee. Philippa is joined in the studio by Silver Swan's very own Laura and Chris as they discuss how to get the most out of a recruitment agency... and perhaps how not to.

Another season of Life in Private Staffing has come to an end, wrapping up our podcast until the new year! In this episode, Philippa discusses some exciting changes happening at Silver Swan, and we go back through the fourth season and listen to some of our highlights from a year full of brilliant guests and interesting insights. We'll be back in 2024 with a new season… and perhaps a new name too 😉

This week, Philippa is chatting with one of our UK House Manager Community members, and past Silver Swan candidate, Georgina Gallagher! Philippa and Georgina talk about the importance of a good work-life balance, and how this coincides with high demands from UHNW principals. Philippa also asks Georgina about her own route into the private staffing industry, from working in hospitality in her teenage years all the way up to her current role.

Today, Philippa is joined by Helen Mann, all the way from San Fransisco, California. Helen talks about her career journey so far- from studying her master's degree in film journalism to working in all sorts of UHNW roles which have managed to remain relevant to her prior studies, and how she's found trying different roles within the private staffing industry to be beneficial in both personal and career growth. Philippa and Helen discuss a healthy work-life balance, the often inevitable...

We're back! After a short hiatus, Philippa is back with a new episode of Life in Private Staffing, and this week she's joined by the fabulous Jennifer Laurence. Since interning at a record label at the age of 17, Jennifer has devoted her whole professional career to private service; earning her master's degree in hospitality, spending a decade working as a member of private staff, to opening her own private service consulting practice in 2010. Jennifer shares her wealth of knowledge on the...

Today is a quick shout out from Silver Swan’s MD, Philippa to let you all know that we are taking a short podcast break whilst some of the team travel to the US. We’ll be back with more guests in a couple of weeks!  We use this opportunity to give you an update on Silver Swan and what we are up to; Our first workshop with the fabulous Tracey Jones takes place on Monday (7pm BST) which is focused on Active Listening & Effective Questioning – which will be a fantastic session. Get in touch...

Today I chatted to the fabulous Jean-Francois about the fascinating world of aviation. We have not delved into the world of flying yet on this podcast, so it was such a pleasure to hear Jean-Francois’ story. Starting his career working as a cabin steward with British Airways then led onto a 25-year career with the airline working his way up through to the ranks till he was the man in charge of the entire cabin, responsible for a team of 22 crew. Having done it all with BA, from training to...

In preparation for our upcoming trip to the USA, we wanted to sit down and chat all things US! I somehow managed to convince Jess, our US consultant and Chris, our Community Manager to join me today for a chat. We discuss how we are finding the American market at the minute and what roles we are currently recruiting for. Chris then provides an insight into our 5 communities across the US, reminding us the purpose of these groups and why people should join.  We then move on to discuss our...

Today we head back over the pond to the US to chat with Betsy who only entered this world a few years ago. During her previous career as a music teacher, she often taught in the homes of UHNW clients and would notice the domestic staff running the property. This soon became a regular observation, so much so that she looked into the world of private service as a career for herself. Her friend already worked in the industry which was a huge help when it came to educating her as to how to...

It was an absolute pleasure to have Michele on the show today. He has been a friend of Silver Swan for years and we have been able to help him secure his last couple of positions so I was thrilled when he agreed to come and share his story.    He is one of the most passionate chefs I know who worked his way up through a number of excellent Michelin restaurants before moving into the private sector a few years ago. It is evident that he adores his job and his enthusiasm is...

We decided to get Tracey back on the show to discuss our upcoming program of 6 different modules all designed to help you develop your skills as a House/Estate Manager. When do you ever take time out for yourself to step away from the everyday and look at everything from above? When have you ever had a safe space to work through challenges you are experiencing in your role?   These sessions are just for that – for you to come and spend time working in yourself. With modules varying from...

Tim was one of our original members of our House Manager UK community and so am glad we managed to talk him into coming onto the podcast to tell his story. Yet again, I found another new route into the industry which I have not seen before as Tim was a game keeper for a long time before he transitioned across to the domestic side of things. He was always impressed with the staff who ran the interior of the estate and so decided to embark on a formal Butler course with The British Butler...

Today’s conversation with Joanie was fascinating as she is (one of the only!) proud advocates of a hybrid role, providing it’s the right type of hybrid and with the right family. Having had a long career working in the music industry, working backstage with A-listers managing all their catering she came into the private sector already well versed in working with UHNW demanding clients. She openly admits it took her along time and a lot of patience to actually break into the industry, but she...

It is a happy coincidence that Charlotte’s story is a similar one to that of Melanie, our guest last week. She also secured her first role as a House Manager fairly recently having worked a variety of different roles over her career to date. Her role involves a lot of cooking, which is fairly unusual for a house manager but when working on the beautiful but small island of the Isle of Wight, these more all rounded roles are more popular as the homes are generally much more relaxed.   Her...

Melanie is a valued member of our UK House Manager community and joins us today to talk about her fairly recent transition into the private industry. It’s just as inspiring chatting to guests who have entered this world more recently as can actually be more relevant to those listeners looking to secure their first role themselves also. Mel discusses how all her previous experiences have come together and made her a competent house manager and what she has learned since starting her...

The year is flying by so we thought we'd look back at some of the best bits of the 21 episodes we have already released! From discussing trends with Silver Swans in-house expert recruitment consultants to Estate managers, House Manages and many more industry professionals. Listen to Life in Private Staffings Best Bits now!

Chris is a long-time friend of Silver Swan having been one of our first people to kick off our Florida Estate Manager community and he was our first US brand ambassador also! He is well known in the industry as he makes a conscious effort to network and support others in the industry wherever possible. His story something different yet again, finding his way into the industry by initially working as a caretaker and building trust with the family that way first before they asked him to take...

We head back out to the UAE in today’s episode and have a fabulous chat with Cat, whose life has been so fascinating with a completely different route into the private sector. From being born in Africa and studying in the US, she then spends 10+ years living in China and being fully immersed in the Chinese culture setting up her own business supporting many individuals with a huge range of different things. This PA support she realised she did very well and decided to invest in an MBA Butler...

Today, we bring the conversation back in-house by talking to Michael who is our Middle East specialist and has been passionately placing hospitality professionals with various VIP clients across Saudi Arabia for the last 5 years. His passion for living and working in KSA has only grown over the years as the country has developed. We compare how things have drastically changed in Saudi when he visited earlier this year, compared to his last visit before Covid.    The opportunities are...

Sutherland has had an inspiring career following a successful transition out of the military. Over the last 10 years, he has worked for a number of families, managing their entire estates and often additional homes elsewhere. The skills gained in the military regularly lend themselves extremely well to the private sector, as proved by Sutherland and he proves that you don’t necessarily need to work your way up or have a huge amount of relevant qualifications to succeed in this world.   He...

Following last week’s episode, Martyn also comes from years of living in the mountains working in the much-loved French ski resorts. When he randomly was working as a HGV mechanic, decided to help a friend by accompanying a school on a ski trip which happen to have a huge impact on the rest of his career – as having loved his time in a ski resort he promptly secured work for the following season. Fast forward 10 years and many ski seasons in the Alps, he spends time in the South of France...