Administrative Household Manager/Butler and Personal Assistant
Home Study Certificate Program

Last Updated June 29, 2004

With Household Management training or experience as the foundation, students will be required to expand upon their current abilities in providing World Class Service to develop a higher standard of administration, supervision, and high-level management of a wealthy estate. The intensive program requires computer proficiency and the level of commitment and determination necessary for success as an administrative manager. Responsibilities may include caring for multiple homes while providing continuity between properties, staff management, conservation practices, supervising renovations, and offering families a higher level of sophistication in purchasing.

General Studies: This course, too, extends the basics of the PHM program and also covers the following topics of importance to the AHM or PA:

Personal Dynamics

The long hours and hard work of an Administrative Household Manager or Personal Assistant can be stressful. This valuable section provides many tools and pointers for keeping one’s personal life on an even keel.

Family and Home Safety & Security

The world of the wealthy requires you to be more mindful of security issues. In this advanced course, you will learn about the many aspects of keeping your employer (and yourself) safe and secure, including preventing identity theft, combating the threat of bio-terrorism, safe rooms, high-tech security systems, and more.

Social Correspondence & Communication Skills

Correspondence for the wealthy can be quite different from the average person’s correspondence. They often use high-quality stationery, send formal invitations, employ calligraphers, and so on. As an AHM or PA, you will also need to write thank-you notes and business letters and will likely be answering e-mail, faxes, and phone calls. Learn all this plus telephone etiquette, placing international calls, and more.

Manners, Etiquette & Protocol

We will go beyond the basics of etiquette taught in the PHM program to provide information about attitude, employer-employee interactions, and official protocol, including precedence and receiving lines.

Special Family Affairs, Issues & Concerns

This section provides information on issues rarely discussed, such as family dynamics, employee/employer gift-giving, ethnicity, celebrations, and more.

Cameras, Photography & Documents

As a Household Manager, you may be asked to take photographs of the family or to care for old albums. In this section, you will learn about finding a good camera, the basics of taking great photographs, selecting and caring for photo albums and scrapbooks, caring for old photos, and more.

Managing a 21st Century Home: This course gets into the particulars of high-level household management! It includes how to manage records, conduct financial tasks, purchase personal and major items, legal issues, arranging travel, and more. Course specifics include the following:

Setting Up a Household
Do you know how to recognize what your employer needs in additional household staffing? How much space does a live-in employee require? What other accommodations will staff need? How do you determine the number of staff needed, their responsibilities, and their salaries and benefits? When is cross-training beneficial? All this and more is addressed in this section.
Successful Management Techniques
Management of household staff is far different from management of corporate staff. Learn what abilities/qualities to look for in the ideal household employee, how to interview, hire, manage, and terminate household staff, and how to write a letter of reference (for both good and bad employees!). Here we also share real-life situations with you for discussion.
Household Employee Book
This will be one of the most necessary tools in your arsenal for managing your staff. Learn how to establish one and what it should contain
Setting Up a Home Office
What kind of equipment does an AHM or PA need for his/her office? How can such an office be set up ergonomically and arranged for maximum efficiency?
Maintaining Household Files
Filing in a wealthy household is more complex than it first appears. Learn how to maintain files for ease of access for others who use them; learn also what files should be made in duplication.
Check Writing, Payables & Financial Records
Finances for the wealthy household can also be more complex than you are accustomed to. Learn how to keep accurate records that are above reproach.
Purchasing for a Wealthy Household
Can you imagine paying $2,400 or more for a set of bed linens? How about floral arrangements at over $250 a piece? Or, a villa rented for thousands of dollars per night? Are you accustomed to purchasing toiletries and cleaning supplies in bulk? Learn how to shop for wealthy individuals and families, with quality in mind.
Contracts & Negotiations
As a Household Manager or Personal Assistant, you will find it necessary to sign and, perhaps, negotiate contracts with many individuals. This could range from your employer (for a raise, for example) to a contractor who is building an addition to your employer’s home. Learn what a good contract should contain, how to ease the path of negotiations, dos and don’ts of negotiating, and more.
Inventory Your employer’s home will likely contain millions of dollars’ worth of possessions that must be protected in case of fire, flood, burglary, and so on. Careful inventory is key to ensuring these items’ protection. Learn the principles of good household inventory and where to logically start. Legal Issues Whether you are hiring new employees, working with contractors and companies, or assisting an attorney on your employer’s behalf, you will need to be aware of a wide range of legal issues. Insurance In order to protect your employer’s property you need to be aware of and understand different insurance options and terminology.
Managing Multiple Homes
How do you provide continuity between your employer’s primary home in San Francisco, the beach home in Florida, and the villa in the south of France? This section will help you provide this vital service and explains the importance of careful, accurate, and synchronized record keeping.