How to Hire a Family Assistant: One Person to Support Your Kids and Your Home

Let me guess—You need help at home, but the idea of hiring two separate people—a nanny for the kids and a household assistant for everything else feels overwhelming.

I hear this from moms all the time: “Can I just hire one person who can do both?”

The short answer? Yes, you can. But (and this is a big but)... only if you structure the role correctly.

If you treat this like a "catch-all" position and hand someone an endless list of responsibilities without clear priorities, you're going to end up frustrated—and so will your new hire. But with the right structure, the right person, and the right communication, hiring a Family Assistant can completely transform the way your home runs.

What Is a Family Assistant?

A Family Assistant is someone who supports both your children and your home. It’s a dual-focus role that blends childcare and household support—think help with school pickups, snack time, and bedtime and laundry, errands, tidying, and meal prep.

Sounds dreamy, right? It can be—but only when expectations are clear and realistic.

Think of it like this: you're essentially asking one person to step into a role that supports both your people and your place. It requires someone who is nurturing, adaptable, proactive, and highly organized. And those unicorns do exist—but they need a job description that sets them up for success.

The Most Important Thing: Define the Primary Focus

When hiring a Family Assistant, you have to decide what comes first. Is this primarily a childcare role with household tasks added in? Or is it a home-focused role with occasional support for the kids?

Trying to hire someone for "everything" usually ends in disappointment. Defining the primary focus keeps the expectations clear and helps the candidate decide if the job is a fit.

For example, if your top priority is having someone who is fully engaged with your baby or toddler, then childcare comes first, and house-related tasks will need to happen only during nap time or school hours. If your children are older and more independent, and your bigger pain point is the house falling apart around you, then the role may lean more household-focused, with the ability to jump in and help with the kids after school.

What to Include in a Family Assistant Job Description

Here's what I recommend including to make your job post clear and effective:

1. Primary and secondary responsibilities

List out the tasks, and put them in order of importance. Be specific.

For example:

• Primary: Childcare (engaged play, meals, transportation, bedtime routine)

• Secondary: Household tasks (laundry, dishes, light organizing, errands)

  
  

Clarity is everything. This helps the candidate know how to structure their day and where their energy needs to go first.

2. Clear schedule

Be as specific as you can about the hours and flow of the day. Will they have downtime while the baby naps? Is there a predictable rhythm, or will the tasks change daily? The more structured you can make it, the better chance you'll attract someone who can handle both parts of the role well.

3. Pay that reflects the scope

This is not an entry-level position. You are asking one person to wear multiple hats and pivot between tasks throughout the day. For that reason, pay should reflect both the complexity and the value of the work. In most cases, that means at least $28+/hour, and ideally 20+ hours/week if you want someone to stay long-term.

4. Realistic expectations

This is the part that can make or break the experience. Be upfront about how busy your household is, how often you’re home, and what type of support you’re truly looking for. If you’re working from home and will be in and out all day, name that. If you need someone who can independently manage tasks without a ton of direction, say that too. And if the role does not include deep cleaning, be clear—don’t leave room for confusion.

Who This Role Works Best For

Hiring a Family Assistant works best in households where:

• The children are in school or have structured daytime care

• The family has clear priorities and a predictable routine

• There's an understanding that no one can do everything at once—and some days, flexibility wins

This role tends to attract people who love variety and are task-oriented. They might have a background in both childcare and hospitality, or experience working in private homes where they had to juggle multiple responsibilities.

When It Doesn’t Work

In my experience, this type of hire falls apart when:

• The parent is expecting someone to deep clean the house and also manage young kids

• The candidate is unclear on what their "main job" is

• There is no system or rhythm to the household, so the assistant is constantly reacting instead of supporting

This is where structure and communication come in. If you're not sure how to create a role that works, my Full-Service Hiring will handle everything for you—from crafting a clear job description to vetting and training the right person.

Ready to Hire a Family Assistant the Right Way?

Hiring a Family Assistant can be a total game-changer for your household—when it’s done with intention, clarity, and the right support from the start.

At INJOY, I help working moms create roles that are crystal clear, realistic, and fully tailored to their home and family. I don’t just write a job post—I do the vetting, interviewing, and onboarding for you. And every candidate I place is trained in household best practices, so they walk into your home knowing how to help.

Need help hiring your own Family Assistant? Get started today for free.

You manage enough. Let me take this off your plate.

Want more real-life hiring tips and behind-the-scenes support? Follow along on Instagram @helloinjoy for tips, tools, and encouragement every week.