A recommendation letter for your household employee, ready in 90 seconds
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Letter of Recommendation
To whom it may concern,
it is with great pleasure that I recommend [First Last], who worked in our household as Cleaner from ___________ to ___________ (around ___ hours per week).
[First Last] was remarkably reliable throughout our time together - we could always count on her showing up as agreed.
We trusted [First Last] with our home - and she earned that trust every single week.
[First Last] was warm and friendly with every member of the family.
I recommend [First Last] without reservation. I would be happy to answer any questions.
Kind regards
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The work certificate is mandatory; the recommendation is a personal extra. It is often what opens the door to her next job. Fill it in below, in six languages.
Recommendation ≠ work certificate - and why both matter
A recommendation letter and a work certificate are not the same thing. The certificate is the formal, mandatory document: neutral, coded, often dry. The recommendation is your personal voice. For example: 'Maria supported our family for seven years, and I would hire her again without hesitation.'
Art. 330a CO
The work certificate
Legally required (Art. 330a CO). Contains dates, tasks, performance and conduct rating in Swiss coded language. Essential for formal job applications.
To the work certificate generatorVoluntary
The recommendation letter
Voluntary, personal, warm. Addressed to 'To whom it may concern', no codes, one page. Reads like a real reference, not a form.
Together they make the strongest package: the certificate for the file, the recommendation for the interview with the next family. Only the certificate is mandatory. If you have 10 extra minutes, add the recommendation. It's often the door-opener.
Is the employment ending right now? The closing checklist shows what is still open after the certificate and the recommendation: final payslip, de-registration with the compensation office, accident insurance.
Two ready-made samples to copy from
Prefer a finished example? Here are two complete recommendation letters, one warm, one very warm. Swap the names, dates and strengths, and you're done.
Tone - how warm should it be?
A recommendation is neither a marketing letter nor a government form. Three tonal levels help you find the right balance:
Polite-neutral
For short engagements (under one year) or when you knew the person professionally but not personally. 'I am happy to recommend Ms X for her reliability.'
Warm
The default for most household employees who worked for you one to five years. Personal, concrete, but measured. 'Maria has been a valuable support to our family.'
Very warm
For long engagements (5+ years), nannies, eldercare workers, or when the person became part of family life. 'We say goodbye to Maria with mixed feelings - proud for her, sad for ourselves.'
Tip: stay honest. An overblown recommendation comes across as fake - and hurts more than it helps. If 'very warm' doesn't feel right, choose 'warm'.
Four mistakes that are easy to avoid
These four things weaken a recommendation letter most often:
- Listing only adjectives: 'hard-working, kind, honest' convinces no one. Describe a concrete situation instead.
- Leaving out the period and role: without 'from when to when' and 'what exactly', the letter reads vague and less credible. For the 'what exactly', a list of typical household tasks helps.
- Overdoing it: over-the-top praise sounds fake and backfires. Honest beats glowing.
- Treating it as a certificate substitute: the recommendation is a plus, not a replacement for the legal work certificate (Art. 330a CO).
Are you the household employee and want to ask for a recommendation?
That's completely normal, and most employers are happy to help. Ask kindly and make it easy for your employer, with this short message and the link to this template. Later, attach the finished letter to each application together with a CV from our template.
You can copy this message:
Dear [Name] family, my time with you meant a lot to me. For my next job, a short personal recommendation letter would help me a great deal. Would that be possible for you? There's a free template that takes only a few minutes to fill in, I'm happy to send you the link. Thank you so much!Open and share the template
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to write a recommendation letter?
No, there is no legal obligation. Only the work certificate is mandatory (Art. 330a CO). A recommendation is a voluntary personal gesture - but it often helps more than the certificate, because it sounds concrete and warm.
What's the difference from the work certificate?
The work certificate is formal, coded, designed for job applications. The recommendation is personal, short (one page), addressed 'To whom it may concern', and ideally includes your contact for follow-up questions. They complement each other.
Should I include my phone number?
If you're willing to answer a few questions: yes, absolutely. A real contact gives the recommendation enormous weight. Many employers do call - and a brief 'I would hire her again' on the phone often decides the hire.
Which language should I write in?
The language she needs for her next job. If she's looking in the French-speaking part: French. In the German-speaking part: German. If unsure: write it bilingually or generate both versions - the generator covers German, French, Italian, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Can I still write it years later?
Yes. A recommendation has no expiry date. If a former employee asks you two years after the contract ended, that's completely normal. Just date the letter today and mention the original period.
Do I have to sign the letter, and who keeps it?
Yes, sign it by hand with place and date. Without a signature it reads like a draft. The original belongs to your household employee, who attaches it to applications. Keep a copy or the file so you can reissue it unchanged if she asks later. At the goodbye she usually returns the key too: record it with a key return receipt.
How long does a reference letter stay useful?
It does not expire, but it loses weight over the years. In practice a letter from the last two or three years counts most. That is why the period and the date of issue always belong in it: whoever reads it should see at once when and for how long you worked together. If the work continues later, simply issue a new letter with an updated period.