A large share of experienced household staff live in a different state than the families searching for them. Understandably, most don't want to uproot their life on the strength of a maybe. Just as understandably, most families hesitate to build a relationship, and sometimes a relocation budget, around someone they haven't fully vetted in person. Both instincts are reasonable. Here's how to work through the tension on each side.
Why Families Default to Local Candidates
It's worth naming this plainly, because most relocation advice skips it entirely: local candidates carry meaningfully less risk, and that's exactly why they're usually prioritized. Most families don't want to relocate a new hire only to have the placement fall through. There's a real adjustment period to a new city that has nothing to do with job performance, a candidate might simply find they don't like living there, and if the role doesn't work out, the relocation cost is already spent.
There's also a practical, less obvious factor. A relocating hire is usually being brought in for a more advanced or senior role in the first place, since it's rarely worth the cost and risk of relocation for an entry-level position. And local candidates typically arrive with something a new resident doesn't have yet: established relationships with their own preferred vendors, and a working knowledge of a home's seasonal needs and rhythms that only comes from having lived and worked in that market before.
None of this means relocating candidates are a lesser option. It means the case for relocating one has to be made deliberately, on both sides.
The Real Risk for Candidates
The flip side is just as real. Many household professionals live in another state and, understandably, don't want to move until they have a confirmed job. Packing up a life, ending a lease, and relocating a family on the possibility of a role is a significant risk to take on speculation, and most candidates are right not to take it lightly.
How to Signal You're Serious About Relocating
If you're a candidate searching from out of state, vague willingness doesn't do much to move a family's confidence. Specificity does.
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Note a Flexible or Immediate Start DateA candidate who can start within a defined, reasonably short window reads as far more serious than one who leaves timing open-ended.
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Mention What's Already in MotionA lease ending soon, family logistics already being planned around a move, or a spouse's job that's already portable all signal that relocation is a real, active plan rather than a hypothetical.
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Point Out Any Existing Ties to the AreaIf your skill set is similar to others already working in the local market, mentioning family or existing ties in the area you're relocating to can carry real weight. It signals stability and lowers the same risk a family associates with a fully local hire, without asking you to cover upfront costs of the process yourself.
When Employers Should Consider Relocation
For families in cities with a smaller volume of experienced household staff, limiting a search to local candidates can mean settling for a smaller, less qualified pool than the role actually deserves. In those markets, offering relocation assistance is often what opens the search up to genuinely exceptional candidates rather than whoever happens to already live nearby.
What a Relocation Package Signals
Offering a relocation package significantly improves candidate acceptance rates and signals a commitment to the working relationship from the outset. Relocation assistance packages typically range from $1,000 to $15,000, depending on the candidate's current location, the scope of the role, and the volume of belongings being moved.
Travel for an in-person final-round interview or working trial should always be covered by the family, no exceptions. Asking a candidate to cover upfront costs of airfare, a rental car, or accommodations puts the financial risk on the person with the least ability to absorb it if the role doesn't work out. This matters even more for highly specialized roles: a candidate being asked to uproot their life for a single opportunity, with real unknowns on both sides, is taking on far more risk than the family is. The family is almost always in a stronger financial position to carry that cost, and doing so is simply part of a fair process. It's worth going a step further for these searches by covering a rental car and building in a few extra days in the city, so the candidate has real time to explore the area and get a genuine sense of whether it's somewhere they'd want to live.
For more on how to structure the actual package once a family has decided to move forward, see our complete guide to trial-to-hire relocation packages for household staff.
How My Household Managed Handles Relocation
When a search involves a candidate who would need to relocate, we advise families on an appropriate package at the time of offer, informed by the candidate's location, the scope of the role, and current market norms. Candidates who require relocation are advised of a family's position on relocation assistance before an introduction is ever made, so expectations are aligned from the start rather than surfacing midway through a negotiation. Candidate acceptance can't be guaranteed in the absence of a reasonable relocation package, which is exactly why we address this early rather than leaving it for the end of a search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do families often prioritize local candidates over relocating candidates?
Local candidates carry less risk. If a placement doesn't work out, there's no relocation cost sunk, no adjustment period to a new city, and no employee who may end up unhappy with the move itself. Local candidates also often already have relationships with the vendors, contractors, and seasonal rhythms specific to that area, something a new arrival has to learn from scratch.
How can a candidate show they're serious about relocating?
Being specific rather than vague helps. A candidate can note a flexible or immediate start date, explain what's already in motion, such as a lease ending soon or family logistics already being planned around a move, and if their skill set is common in that local market, mention any existing family ties to the area, which can carry the same weight a local candidate's stability does.
Should families offer a relocation package?
It depends on the local talent pool. In cities with a smaller volume of experienced household staff, a relocation package can be the difference between accessing a much wider, more qualified candidate pool and staying limited to who happens to already live nearby. Offering one also signals a genuine commitment to the working relationship from the outset.
How much does a typical relocation package cost?
Relocation assistance packages typically range from $1,000 to $15,000, depending on the candidate's current location, the scope of the role, and the volume of belongings being moved.
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