Not everyone needs full-time household staff. A lot of families just need help a few days a week.
The question is whether the role you need can actually function part-time. Some can. Some really can’t. And some can, but only if you structure it right.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we place part-time household staff all the time in San Francisco and across the country. But we also talk families out of part-time arrangements when they don’t make sense. Trying to make a role part-time when it needs to be full-time creates frustration for everyone.
The biggest misconception about part-time household help is that you can just take any role and do it fewer hours. That’s not how it works. Some responsibilities require consistent presence and can’t be condensed into two days a week. Others are perfectly suited to part-time schedules.
Here’s how to know which is which.
Which Roles Work Well Part-Time
Certain household positions function beautifully on part-time schedules.
Housekeepers are the most common part-time role. Cleaning doesn’t require daily presence in most homes. Two or three days a week handles it for many families. Your housekeeper comes Monday and Thursday, deep cleans the house, does laundry, and you maintain between visits.
Private chefs can work part-time effectively. A chef who comes Tuesday and Friday can prep the week’s meals, cook some dishes ahead, leave instructions for reheating or finishing. You eat fresh chef-prepared food all week from two days of cooking.
Nannies sometimes work part-time, though this is trickier. If you have school-age kids and just need coverage a few afternoons a week, part-time works. If you need actual childcare for young kids, part-time gets complicated. Who watches them the other days?
Personal assistants can function part-time for people who don’t need full-time administrative support. If you just need someone to handle errands, schedule appointments, and manage household admin a couple days a week, part-time might be enough.
Housekeepers who specialize in deep cleaning or specific tasks (like window cleaning, organizing, seasonal closet management) often work part-time by design. They rotate through different households each week.
We placed a part-time housekeeper with a family in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights who worked Wednesdays and Saturdays. That was perfect for their 3,000-square-foot home. The housekeeper deep-cleaned Wednesday, did lighter weekend cleaning Saturday, and the family tidied between visits.
Another family in Noe Valley hired a private chef for Monday, Wednesday, Friday. The chef prepped and cooked those days, family had fresh meals all week. Worked great.
Housekeepers: The Most Common Part-Time Arrangement
If you’re going to hire one part-time household staff member, it’s probably a housekeeper.
Most families don’t need daily cleaning. Weekly or twice-weekly deep cleaning with family members maintaining in between works fine.
The typical part-time housekeeper arrangement is two to three days per week, four to eight hours per day. That gives them enough time to actually clean thoroughly without rushing.
One day a week can work for smaller homes or families with minimal mess. But if you have kids, pets, or a house over 2,500 square feet, one day probably isn’t enough.
What makes housekeepers so well-suited to part-time work is that the job is task-based and doesn’t require constant presence. Clean the kitchen, clean the bathrooms, vacuum, do laundry, wipe down surfaces. Those tasks don’t need to happen daily for most families.
We worked with a family in San Francisco’s Marina District who tried one day a week with their housekeeper and it wasn’t enough. The house was always slightly messy. They bumped to two days (Monday and Thursday) and suddenly everything felt manageable.
The key is making sure the part-time hours you’re offering actually match the amount of work that needs doing. Don’t try to squeeze 20 hours of work into a 10-hour-per-week schedule.
Private Chefs: The Two-Day or Three-Day Schedule
Part-time private chefs are increasingly popular, especially in expensive markets like San Francisco where full-time chefs are cost-prohibitive for many families.
A chef who works two or three days a week can cover a family’s meal needs if the schedule is structured right.
Typical arrangements: Chef works Monday and Thursday (or Tuesday and Friday). On those days, they plan menus, grocery shop, prep ingredients, cook some meals completely, prep others partially with reheating instructions.
The family gets fresh chef-prepared dinners those nights. They get reheatable meals for other nights. They get prepped ingredients and recipes for the cook-in-the-family to finish on other nights. Weekends the family might eat out or cook themselves.
This requires a chef who can plan and prep efficiently. Not all chefs work this way. Some prefer to cook fresh daily. But many are happy to do advance prep and batch cooking.
A family in Russian Hill hired a chef for Tuesdays and Fridays. The chef shopped and prepped Tuesday, cooked Tuesday dinner fresh, left Wednesday and Thursday dinners ready to reheat. Same thing Friday for the weekend. The family loved it. They had mostly home-cooked meals without the cost of a full-time chef.
Part-time chefs cost less than full-time but still aren’t cheap. In San Francisco, you’re probably looking at $40-60 per hour for an experienced chef, even part-time. Two days a week at eight hours each is still $640-960 weekly, or roughly $2,500-4,000 monthly.
But that’s half the cost of full-time and still provides significant value.
Why House Managers Rarely Work Part-Time
House managers are one of the roles that usually doesn’t function well part-time.
The job requires ongoing coordination and presence. Contractors need managing throughout the week. Issues come up that need handling in real-time. Communication with vendors happens continuously.
A house manager who’s only there Tuesday and Thursday misses too much. Problems accumulate between their shifts. The continuity gets broken.
Could you have someone who handles house management tasks for 15-20 hours a week? Technically yes, but you’d need very specific parameters. They’d handle scheduled maintenance, vendor coordination, project management. But they wouldn’t be able to respond to day-to-day issues or provide the ongoing oversight most families need from a house manager.
We occasionally place part-time house managers for very specific situations. A family with a second home who needs someone to coordinate maintenance and vendors remotely or during occasional visits. Or a family downsizing from a large estate to a condo who still needs some household coordination but not full-time.
But for most families who need house management, part-time doesn’t solve the problem. They need someone consistently available to keep operations running.
Nannies: Part-Time vs. Nanny Shares
Part-time nannies work for some families but create childcare gaps for others.
If your kids are in school and you just need coverage for after-school hours three days a week, a part-time nanny works. If you need coverage during the day for young children, part-time means you’re still scrambling for childcare the other days.
Nanny shares are different from individual part-time arrangements. In a nanny share, two families split one full-time nanny. Each family gets two or three days of childcare, the nanny works five days and has full-time employment. This works well for families who don’t need full-time care but want consistent, reliable coverage.
Part-time nannies who work for one family two or three days a week are harder to find. Professional nannies often prefer full-time work for the stability and benefits. They might take part-time as a stopgap, but they’re usually looking for full-time positions.
If you only need part-time care, you might be drawing from a less experienced candidate pool. People who want flexibility over career advancement. That’s not necessarily bad, but it’s different.
We worked with a family in Cole Valley who needed a nanny Monday, Wednesday, Friday for their toddler. They found someone great who had another part-time position Tuesday, Thursday. It worked because the nanny had pieced together full-time hours between two families. But it took months to find that arrangement.
Personal Assistants: When Part-Time Makes Sense
Personal assistants can work part-time if your needs are truly part-time.
Do you need help with errands, scheduling, household admin, and correspondence but not full-time support? A PA two or three days a week might be perfect.
Do you travel occasionally and need help prepping for trips, handling logistics, coordinating schedules? A PA one or two days a week could handle that.
But if you need someone managing your entire life, responding to things as they come up, handling time-sensitive tasks daily, part-time won’t cut it.
The questions to ask: How many hours of work do you actually have? Could it be batched into specific days or does it need continuous attention?
A family in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights hired a part-time PA for 15 hours a week. The PA came Monday and Wednesday, handled all the household administrative tasks, ran errands, coordinated appointments. The family managed the rest themselves. It worked because they were relatively organized and just needed help with the time-consuming admin work.
Another family tried to hire a part-time PA but realized they needed someone available daily to handle incoming requests. They converted the position to full-time.
The Minimum Hours That Make Sense for Any Role
There’s a practical floor for part-time household employment.
Less than 8-10 hours a week usually doesn’t work for either party. It’s not enough hours for the employee to make it worth their time, especially if they have a commute. It’s not enough time to really get anything done or build continuity.
If you only need four hours a week of help, hire a service or task-based provider, not a household employee.
The sweet spot for part-time household work is usually 15-25 hours weekly. That’s 2-3 days at 6-8 hours each. Enough to be meaningful work for the employee, enough to actually accomplish things for the family.
More than 30 hours weekly isn’t really part-time anymore. That’s approaching full-time without the benefits of full-time structure.
How to Structure Part-Time Schedules
When you hire part-time, be clear about the schedule upfront.
Do you need specific days (always Monday and Thursday) or flexible days that change weekly? Most professional part-time staff prefer consistent schedules. It allows them to plan their other work or personal life.
Do you need the same hours each shift or does it vary? Consistency is better. “Every Tuesday and Friday, 9am to 5pm” is easier for everyone than “Some Tuesdays for four hours, some for eight, we’ll let you know.”
Can the schedule flex for family needs or is it fixed? Some flexibility is reasonable, but constantly changing part-time schedules makes it hard for staff to plan.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we help families think through logistics. A private chef who works for you Tuesday and Friday might have another client Monday and Wednesday. They can’t suddenly work for you Wednesday instead if you change your schedule at the last minute.
Build in some flexibility but don’t expect part-time staff to be on-call. They likely have other commitments.
A housekeeper we placed in San Francisco’s Richmond District works for three families on a rotating schedule. Monday and Tuesday for one family, Wednesday for another, Thursday and Friday for a third. It’s tight choreography. When families try to change their day at the last minute, it doesn’t work. Everyone agreed to fixed schedules and it runs smoothly.
Compensation for Part-Time vs. Full-Time
Part-time staff are usually paid hourly rather than salary.
The hourly rate for part-time household work is often equal to or slightly higher than the equivalent full-time hourly rate. Why? Because part-time staff don’t get benefits, paid time off, or the security of full-time employment.
A housekeeper who would make $25/hour full-time might make $27-30/hour part-time.
Don’t try to pay part-time staff less per hour because they’re part-time. That’s backwards. They’re accepting less total money and less security. The hourly rate should reflect that.
In expensive markets like San Francisco, part-time household staff command strong hourly rates. Part-time housekeepers might make $30-40/hour. Part-time chefs might make $50-70/hour. Part-time PAs or house managers might make $35-50/hour.
Yes, that means your part-time housekeeper working 16 hours a week costs $1,920-2,560 monthly. Part-time isn’t necessarily cheap. It’s just less than full-time.
Benefits for Part-Time Staff
Part-time household staff usually don’t receive benefits, but there are exceptions.
If someone works more than 30 hours weekly consistently, they might qualify for benefits under ACA requirements. Check current regulations.
Most part-time staff (working under 30 hours) don’t receive health insurance, paid time off, or retirement contributions from employers. That’s the trade-off for part-time work.
But some families offer prorated benefits as a retention tool. A part-time housekeeper working 20 hours weekly might get one week of paid vacation (versus two weeks for full-time). A part-time chef might get a small retirement contribution.
These aren’t required but can help you attract and keep good part-time staff.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we’ve seen part-time positions that offer limited benefits retain staff longer than positions that offer nothing. If you find great part-time help, it’s worth considering how to make the arrangement sustainable long-term.
The Coverage Problem: What Happens When They’re Not There
The challenge with part-time household staff is coverage on their off days.
If your housekeeper comes Tuesday and Friday, who maintains the house Wednesday and Thursday? You do.
If your chef cooks Monday and Wednesday, who handles Tuesday dinner? You figure it out.
Part-time only works if you’re prepared to handle things when your part-time help isn’t there. You can’t expect part-time coverage to solve full-time needs.
Some families try to cobble together multiple part-time people to create full-time coverage. A Monday-Wednesday housekeeper and a Thursday-Saturday housekeeper. This can work but creates complexity. You’re managing two people instead of one. They might have different standards or approaches. Coordination gets messy.
Usually it’s simpler to accept that part-time help is truly part-time and you’ll handle the gaps yourself.
When Families Think They Need Part-Time But Actually Need Full-Time
This happens often. Families underestimate how much help they actually need.
They think “a housekeeper two days a week should be plenty” and then they’re disappointed that the house still feels chaotic.
Or they hire a part-time PA for 15 hours weekly and then get frustrated when things don’t get done because there aren’t enough hours.
If you’re constantly thinking “I wish our housekeeper was here today” or “I need to ask our PA about this but she’s not working until Thursday,” you probably need more hours than you’re getting.
Be honest about your actual needs. Part-time works when your needs are truly part-time. It doesn’t work when you’re trying to make do with less than you need because of budget constraints.
We worked with a family in San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill who hired a part-time house manager for 20 hours weekly. Within three months they realized they needed someone full-time. The volume of work was too much for 20 hours. They increased to full-time and everything ran better.
Better to hire the right amount of help than try to force a part-time arrangement that doesn’t meet your needs.
Starting Part-Time With Plans to Go Full-Time
Sometimes it makes sense to start part-time with the intention of moving to full-time.
Maybe your budget is tight right now but you expect it to improve. Maybe you’re not sure how much help you need and want to test it. Maybe you’re building up to more comprehensive household staffing.
If this is your plan, be upfront with candidates. “We’re starting part-time but expect to move to full-time within six months if it’s working well.”
Professional household staff appreciate knowing there’s growth potential. Someone might accept a part-time position they’d otherwise turn down if they know full-time is on the horizon.
But don’t promise full-time if you’re not sure. That creates resentment when it doesn’t materialize.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we help families think through trajectories. Are you genuinely planning to increase hours or are you hoping part-time will just work forever?
A family in Noe Valley started with a part-time house manager at 25 hours weekly, knowing they’d likely need full-time within a year as their household got more complex. They were upfront about that with the candidate. When they increased to full-time nine months later, the house manager was ready and happy to expand.
Finding People Who Want Part-Time Work
The challenge with part-time household positions is that many professional staff want full-time work.
Full-time offers stability, benefits, predictable income. Part-time is less secure, usually no benefits, requires piecing together multiple jobs or other income.
Who actually wants part-time household work? People with other commitments or income sources. Parents who need flexible schedules. People semi-retired from full-time household work. People building careers who need flexibility. People with multiple clients who piece together full-time hours.
You’re drawing from a different candidate pool than you would for full-time. That’s not bad, but it’s different.
The best part-time household staff are often people who’ve made a deliberate choice about their working style. They value flexibility over security. They’re comfortable managing their own benefits and retirement. They prefer variety over routine.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we represent part-time candidates who are highly professional but prefer part-time arrangements. They exist. But there are fewer of them than full-time candidates, so finding the right fit might take longer.
Part-time household staff can work beautifully if your needs are genuinely part-time, you structure the arrangement clearly, you compensate fairly, and you accept the limitations of part-time coverage.
But don’t try to force a role into a part-time structure that needs to be full-time. That just frustrates everyone. Be realistic about what you need, what part-time can actually accomplish, and whether the trade-offs work for your household.
