This is one of the best ways to find qualified staff: “steal” them!

(LONDON) — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge placed an ad for household help in January but, in the end, they didn’t have to look far to find the right royal servant to help with their growing family.

A 13-year veteran of Buckingham Palace and housekeeper to the Queen herself has been hired by Prince William and Duchess Kate to oversee their new home in Kensington Palace, the U.K.’s Express reports.

Antonella Fresolone, 42 years old, single and with no children, began her new job two weeks ago in preparation for the birth of William and Kate’s first child, due in July.  She has reportedly taken residence in a staff apartment at Kensington Palace, close to the Nottingham Cottage where the couple is staying while their residence is under renovation.

If Duchess Kate is craving carbs post-delivery, she is in luck with Fresolone, who is known by her peers for her “delicious Italian cooking,” according to the Express.

via World News for Nebraskans.

The era of TV series Downton Abbey saw the decline of the servant, but modern work and family demands, and a class of super-rich, make a school for butlers in Oxfordshire possible. Photo / Supplied

Here’s a good take on the domestic industry from across the pond. Enjoy.

The servant is back – and not just on the set of period television dramas such as Downton Abbey. A new study has uncovered the startling fact that there are more servants now working in Londons Mayfair than there were 200 years ago. The survey – by Wetherell, an estate agent catering to the international super-rich – has revealed 90 per cent of the 4500 people who own houses, and 80 per cent of those with flats, have their own servants. In 1790, there were only 48 servants living in Mayfair and working for its 1500 residents.And its not just Mayfair. The number of domestic servants is booming across central London: wherever the multiple between the wages of the rich and the poor grows, so does the number of servants. Much of the time, the towering Georgian and Victorian terraced houses of Belgravia now have only servants living in them – their masters and mistresses are drifting around the world, from yacht to schloss to Park Avenue apartment, in search of pleasure or tax avoidance. Drive round the area at night, and its often only the lights in the attics and the basements – the servants quarters – that are on.But the service industry isnt flourishing just in the gilt-edged parts of Britain. According to the Work Foundation, there are now more than two million part-time or fulltime domestic workers across the country. All told, 10 per cent of households now employ some sort of domestic help…

via Harry Mount: Not so hard to get good help these days – World – NZ Herald News.

Here’s an interesting discussion. Do certain terms describing areas of the home need new names?

The “master suite” is being phased out — not from our homes, but from our lexicon.

I surveyed 10 major Washington-area homebuilders and found that six no longer use the term “master” in their floor plans to describe the largest bedroom in the house. They have replaced it with “owner’s suite” or “owner’s bedroom” or, in one case, “mastre bedroom.”

Why? In large part for exactly the reason you would think: “Master” has connotation problems, in gender (it skews toward male) and race (the slave master).

Enter the owner’s suite.

“I imagine it’s not only a more accurate description but also a more politically correct term of art,” said Steve Nardella, senior vice president of operations for Winchester Homes Inc.

Either way, the “master suite” has been linguistically shoved aside.

Winchester, Pulte Homes, NV Homes and Ryan Homes (both under the NVR Inc. umbrella), Van Metre Cos. and D.R. Horton Inc. have all replaced “master” in their floor plans, some more recently than others.

Richmond American Homes, Shulz Homes Corp. Sekas Homes Ltd. (in some of its models) and Quaker Custom Homes LLC continue to employ the word “master” in their designs.

In general, said Grant Johnson of Sekas Homes, “we’re using owner suite, but sometimes it will come through as master.”

Over time, “master” will be filtered out entirely, he said. The change is “just working through the industry, and finally, bingo, we got it.”

via In residential real estate, bid farewell to the ‘master bedroom’ – Washington Business Journal.

Check out this quick reference chart for a starting point or last minute general guide to wine pairings. Enjoy.

Pairing wine with food doesn’t have to be a fussy process. Some wines definitely complement the flavor of certain types of foods, but in general picking a great wine to go with a great meal is as simple as picking a varietal you like from a range of good ones. The chart above click to enlarge, or visit the full version at the link below can help you when its time to order.It looks complicated at first blush, but the reason there are so many interconnected lines is because there are so many great pairing options for dishes that incorporate different ingredients. Enough, in fact, that you should feel comfortable tossing hard and fast rules out the window. For example, roasted veggies tend to go well with dry white wines, but if you’re making a meal with fish and roasted veggies, you might consider a sparkling wine— there’s no reason to wait until a holiday or celebration to open a bottle of bubbly. Similarly, red and cured meats pair well with bold or medium red wines like Malbecs or Temperanillos, but that cured meat and cheese plate you’re enjoying may do just as well with a sweet white wine to switch things up.

via Pair Any Dish to a Perfect Wine with This Handy Chart via Lifehacker.

Here is a great set of factoids from the British traditions. Enjoy.

This article is a composition of our five favourite lesser-known traditions in the British Monarchy. Some of you may have heard of some of these, others will be a surprise and shock. We hope you enjoy our compilation. If you know of any further ones, drop us a line in the comments box below.

1. Death Of The Sovereign

Upon the death of the Sovereign and the immediate succession of the new Sovereign, it is customary, but not compulsory for the phrase ‘The King Is Dead, Long Live The King’ (or Queen where appropriate) to be uttered. This symbolises the never-ending continuity of the crown and that the very moment the Sovereign dies, he/she is immediately succeeded. The part, “The King Is Dead’, refers to the previous, then deceased King. The part ‘Long Live The King’ refers to the new King.

In fact, as a point of interest, legally, the Sovereign never dies. Whilst individual Kings and Queens do of course die, the Sovereign never dies as the Sovereign is the present reigning Monarch and

Click through for the full list via 5 Secret Traditions In The Royal Household | Royal Central.

Pay your household employees on the books? Yes, it’s the right thing to do for you — and for them.

As tax season gets underway, it’s a good time to learn the laws regarding your nanny, housekeeper or gardener.

“We estimate somewhere between 70% to 80% of families don’t pay legally,” Tom Breedlove, director of business development at Breedlove & Associates, a household employer payroll, tax and compliance service told the Daily News. “They absolutely should. Not only is it the law, but it helps the employee tremendously.”

Under IRS rules, if a household worker earns $1,800 or more in a calendar year, the employer is required to withhold Social Security and Medicare (collectively, FICA, which stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes from their pay.

Click through to the full article:

via Paying household staff on the books is good for them and can save you tax woes  – NY Daily News.

Our groundbreaking new service offers top service professionals a way to set themselves apart from the rest of the field. You can now record a professional introduction video to share with potential employers and agencies, providing a way for them to meet you virtually, and  in effect, completing a first interview!

The video interview is the new standard for introducing yourself during a job search, and candidates with a video profile are far more likely to receive callbacks. Video is the most effective way to interview remotely, and now you can offer an immediate interview experience to employers and recruiters in any location!

The video interview package includes:

via Exclusive: Private Service Video Interviews | EstateJobs.

Over the past 30+ years as a recruiter, I can confirm that at least two-thirds of my hiring manager clients weren’t very good at interviewing. Yet, over 90% thought they were. To overcome this situation, it was critical that I became a better interviewer than them, to prove with evidence that the candidate was competent and motivated to do the work required. This led me on a quest for the single best interview question that would allow me to overcome any incorrect assessment with actual evidence.

It took about 10 years of trial and error. Then I finally hit upon one question that did it all.

Here’s it is:

What single project or task would you consider the most significant accomplishment in your career so far?

To see why this simple question is so powerful, imagine you’re the candidate and I’ve just asked you this question. What accomplishment would you select? Then imagine over the course of the next 15-20 minutes I dug deeper and asked you about the following. How would you respond?

via The Most Important Interview Question of All Time | LinkedIn.

Here’s an awesome tip sheet on stain removal for the holidays. Click through on the graphic for a large version. Enjoy!

The holidays are a food-filled time of year between all the parties, turkey cooking and pie baking. With all that feasting, stains are bound to happen. To help keep your stress levels low, we’ve put together the ultimate stain removal guide for everything from gravy to red wine. We’ll show you how to keep your tablecloth, clothing, and carpet, stain-free this year using things you probably already have around the home, like vinegar, baking soda, and regular old dish detergent. Keep this handy guide nearby and when the inevitable stains occur, you’ll be armed and ready!

via Holiday Stain Removal Guide Infographic | PartSelect.

The Nanny Institute has announced a November training session in Los Angeles. Click through to the site for full event details.

Our mission is to bring all childcare providers together in a forum where they can engage with professionals in the industry, and learn from specialists in the field.

Our Next Training Day

November 10th, 2012

Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles

8:30am – 5:30pm

Prevention Rather Than Cure – by Stella ReidAn

Infant’s Point of View – by Kathleen Sullivan

Career Development – Marta Perrone

via thenannyinstitute.com – Home.