 Starkey began placing within the Private Service Profession in 1981. Most placement agencies then, and still today, collect the resumes of potential candidates and randomly forward them to employer clientele seeking to hire. Today everything has changed. It was not until Starkey began to educate Household and Estate Managers in 1990 that we learned that who a candidate has worked for is just a portion of the overall placement process. The accountability of what a candidate really knows technically and their service style must be identified and communicated. Further, most employers are new to service hiring and rarely understand what they were asking a potential staff member to accomplish. Employers are frustrated, as our industry has not settled upon consistent titles, terms, or position descriptions; nor does it have generally accepted practices. Private Service continues to be new and somewhat unknown as a real profession. As a result, Starkey focuses on placing our Graduates, who we know, and understand exactly what management and technical skills they bring to the employment table; we also know their Service Management Style, which is essential knowledge in Private Service Placement.
Mrs. Starkey has created innovative techniques for qualifying and specifically placing her Graduates to supporting our high-net-worth clientele. She states, “Our Graduates are our life blood and our ability to place them in the right position – the first time – has become an art form.” She and the placement team provide a variety of consulting services to our Employer Clients including our Site Visit Services, customizing the Employer’s Service Management Plan, and then matching the perfect Graduate to manage their household or service management team. Starkey also provides on-going services which include helping our clients to identify their service standards, zone and customize task sheets, help outline and negotiate appropriate employment offers and salaries, offer assessments in risk management and other management support as needed.
Private Service Management Education for Homes & Estates, Luxury Hotels, Yachts & Corporate Jets
 Starkey has developed Special Curricula exclusively for the Luxury Market. We know that Service must be genuine, technically correct, mastered, and be a lifetime commitment to be successful.
We take great pride in preparing and placing our Graduates in Private Service. We are selective in who we train; we evaluate their attitudes and abilities; and we provide to them real Private Service Management Tools.
They have specialized knowledge to customize and carry out your Service Management Plan, and the software to provide the Technical Skills required to meet your individual Service Expectations.
We Identify Your Style of Service & Choose the Right Candidate for You!
 Placement assistance to New Wealth, Diplomatic, Legacy Families, Notable Personalities, Dot-Com Families, Luxury Service Hotels, and Retirement Communities are Starkey’s areas of service expertise. Our Placement services and recruitment process are outlined in our Placement Service Agreement. Starkey’s Employer-paid placement fees are based on a percentage of the first year’s taxable salary. In addition to providing educational consulting and support to identify your style of service and the right candidate for you, we also help position Private Service professionals to succeed with on-going follow-up! Contact our Placement Team, Starkey &Associates, Inc. at 1-800-888-4904.
Our Placement Team works with Employers to position Service Professionals for success!
Our team will work with you to establish:
- Identification of your individualized Service Preferences and Expectations.
- Present the Evaluation Tools essential in hand- picking the right Service Professionals for you
- Identify Day in the Life Duties
- The Number of Staff, their Abilities, and appropriate Position Descriptions for you.
- How Starkey’s Service Management System and Management Tools will systematize service delivery for you.
- Starkey on-going Follow-Up after Placement to maximize success!
Terms and Titles continue to be challenging for the Private Service industry due to old cultural patterns of the profession, the lack of knowledge and management expectations of both the employers and the employees, and because the industry as a group has not been able to agree upon titles as each position is unique. Salaries are typically determined based upon three main factors: The difficulty factor of the position, the experience, education, knowledge base required of the professional to be qualified for the position, and the location(s) and cost of living.
Service Management
The term Service Management has taken on life for Starkey as well as becoming a well sought after expertise on the national and international stage. Much more comprehensive than “Customer Service”, it refers to one’s in-depth knowledge of and ability to successfully “position service to succeed.” Service Management focuses on Service Defined, the Relationship of Service, and sophisticated Service Etiquettes, and Service as a Professional Expertise in whatever style of people you are serving or environment you are in! It can apply to those performing Household Management, Concierges Services, Butlering, or Senior Services. Service positions continue to grow in Hospitality, in Private Homes, in Concierges Companies, Private Clubs, and in Senior Communities. Salaries typically begin at $50K.
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 Identifying the Right Candidate for You
What does it take to maintain your quality of life? What price would you put on your peace of mind?
Each candidate will bring a unique set of skills, service-style knowledge and experiences that will need to be matched with your own.
Experienced individuals are typically seeking large estates and/or multiple residences that can provide them the challenge they desire. Their experience is reflected in their skill level as well as their ability to anticipate needs. Salaries for experienced Household Managers generally range from $80k to $200k annually plus benefits and housing.
Newly Certified Household Managers have completed extensive training through the Starkey International Institute of Household Management. Armed with the Starkey System, these individuals are flexible and eager to succeed, adapting easily to a household or family's service style. Salaries range from $50k to $80k plus benefits and housing.
Both New Graduates and Experienced Veterans require one to three months to assess your specific preferences and service style as well as one to three additional months to implement your unique Service Management Plan.
 The Placement process has become quite sophisticated for Starkey. Typically within the domestic industry, a number of resumes of candidates are forwarded to you expecting that you know what you are looking for; and that you know how to choose the most appropriate person for your position. These resumes list who they have worked for, a position title, and generally what they did. Unfortunately, our industry is still in its infancy stages, and operates without a standardization of position titles, duties, accepted practices or required education or certifications.
We have learned over the years that a good deal of interpretation with resumes must take place to learn what candidates’ real abilities are and what they actually know. Starkey has created unique evaluation tools that help us to sort this out.
Understandably, our Employers can be challenged when hiring. Some Employers have had private staff in the past, and are looking to upgrade, or just replace. Others are new to Private Service and do not know the degree Household Management positions vary, how to evaluate their level of difficulty, essential abilities, or how education and experience positions a candidate’s understanding of the profession. A Candidates Skills, Attitude, Etiquette, Boundaries and their ability to customize a written Service Plan for you is essential knowledge.
Make a Difference in the Life of Another
 The Starkey International Institute for Household and Service Management is deeply committed to meeting the needs of industry Service Professionals and their Employers.
Mission Statement:
“Create and serve a world-class Private Service industry in which Estate Management, Household Management, the Personal Assistant, Butlering, and Private Chef Service are viewed as art forms, where continuing education and growth are valued and standards of professionalism are recognized, honored, and fortified.”
History and Philosophy
Starkey began as Starkey & Associates, Inc. in January 1981, offering housekeeping and placement services. In November 1989, Starkey International Institute for Household Management was created in response to marketplace requests for trained and skilled professionals. Since its first class offering in January of 1990, the Institute has benefited from the presence of old-world European and American Butlers, experienced service professionals, and Household and Estate Managers from the United States and abroad.
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Starkey International has always led the way in leading edge Service Management Education and Placement; we seek those who desire the highest of standards in Service Delivery. Every school seeks a particular Style of Client to place its Graduates. Starkey clientele has been nourished over 30 years and are considered the overall high-net-worth community. These employers typically have assets of $200 million and above. Their unique expectations continue to exceed those abilities of candidates who have not been educated in Private Service. Starkey’s clientele want the best of the best and are willing to pay well for high “quality” candidates. To learn more about the High-Net- Worth, read Richistan by Robert Frank, Senior Writer of the Wall Street Journal.
Placement
