One of the first decisions when hiring domestic staff is whether the role should be live-in or live-out. It is not just a logistical detail — it shapes cost, coverage, privacy and the kind of candidate who will suit you.
Live-in arrangements offer the widest coverage. Staff are on hand across the day and often into the evening, which suits large households, families with young children or elderly relatives, and anyone whose needs do not fit neatly into fixed hours. The trade-off is accommodation: you need appropriate space, and you are inviting a permanent presence into your home.
Live-out staff, by contrast, keep clearer boundaries. They arrive for defined hours and leave, which many families prefer for privacy and simplicity. It works well for daily-help roles — cooking, cleaning, a school-run driver — where the need is predictable and time-bound. The consideration here is coverage: anything outside those hours is not covered.
Cost sits differently for each. Live-in roles often bundle accommodation and meals into the arrangement, while live-out roles are typically structured around hours worked. Neither is universally cheaper; it depends on your situation.
The right answer comes from your household’s real rhythm. Map out when you actually need help, weigh it against the space and privacy you are comfortable giving up, and the live-in question usually answers itself.