Recruiters Journal, Apr 2024

Dear Journal…

The journey of ‘Shire & Wold’ was somewhat organic and somewhat planned.

When I made the move from working in private household to recruiting for other private households, I was struck by how different it actually was in comparison to what I thought it would be like.

Firstly, I felt like I went from working with one family/client with the demands and high expectations that comes with an UHNWI to working with more than I can count on both hands. All wanting (and quite rightly so) to be the priority.

Secondly, this wasn’t traditional recruitment like I had pegged it to be. I wasn’t even sure what I’d thought ‘traditional recruitment’ was. I think all I had felt about it previously was a sense of disconnect and ‘sales’. This was different. This was personal. This was relationship building. This was not salesy, if fact it felt often more like matchmaking.

And just like a successful match-make, my courtship with private household recruitment turned into love.

I worked hard within the London agency in my position as Senior Consultant and felt proud to be part of a growing agency with a great reputation. However, one thing that kept rolling around in the back of my mind, were all those countryside roles we would get stuck on. Those ones we didn’t really have time to concentrate on or understand.

When the pandemic hit, so did pregnancy with my second child. I had observed the huge shift in clients (like a lot of us) either wanting to be in their countryside residence more or buy a 2nd/3rd property outside of London in the countryside. I had been watching the already very popular and chic Cotswolds boom. 

After I had my daughter, I decided to make the move and set up on my own solely focusing on client’s residence in the countryside, starting with the Cotswolds. I had the experience working in private households, recruiting for private households, UHNW and High-Profile clients and I was in the right location in Oxfordshire – on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Shire & Wold was born. The name derived, if you hadn’t guessed already, from the shires, (HertfordSHIRE, OxfordSHIRE, WiltSHIRE, WarwickSHIRE, YorkSHIRE and so forth) and CotsWOLD. Actually, it was the result of a brainstorming session with a genius friend in my kitchen who came up with the name after a few glasses of vino whilst parenting on many of our children dinner dates.

We are now in our third year, an amazing team of 5 strong, with clients in Cotswold area and throughout the UK countryside. Whilst, private household recruitment is our core, we have started to widen our reach into luxury hospitality with there being such a synergy between the two, and also a rise in luxury hospitality venues, both in the Cotswolds and throughout the UK countryside.

Our USP?

• We only look after clients and business’ in the UK Countryside. We do not touch London or international. Why? I truly feel that searches in the countryside are so different to searches in London.
• We are where we say we are – in Oxfordshire.
• Our team is a mix of consultants with backgrounds working in private households and luxury hospitality and this gives us a great understanding what it is we are recruiting for.
• Every search is personal, and we would always rather start a search by visiting a client at their home, estate, or business to be able to build that relationship that will surpass the initial placement.
• We are B-Corp pending. We don’t just say we’re a good recruitment agency. We continuously strive to show you in everything we do.

If you are starting your search and want to know more, please contact myself directly for an initial conversation: zoe@shireandwoldstaffing.com