Template & Sample

Recommendation Letter for Your Household Employee - Personal Template

Your cleaner is moving away, you're moving abroad, or the working relationship is ending on good terms. The work certificate is mandatory. A personal recommendation letter (also called a reference letter) is optional, but it often helps more for her next job. Create it below in 90 seconds, in five languages.

Updated: June 2026·5 min read

Recommendation letter in 90 seconds

Personal template in 90 seconds
Word and PDF download
Five languages (DE/FR/IT/EN/ES)
Helps your employee land her next job

In short

A recommendation letter is voluntary and does not replace the legal work certificate (Art. 330a CO) - but it often helps your employee more for her next job, and the generator below creates it in 90 seconds, in five languages.

Write warm and concrete - skip coded phrasings like 'to our fullest satisfaction'.
One page is enough: three to six concrete strengths beat generic praise.
Include your phone or email - a real contact carries more weight than ten adjectives.

Letter generator

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 OR

The work certificate

Legally required (Art. 330a CO). Contains dates, tasks, performance and conduct rating in Swiss coded language. Essential for formal job applications.

See certificate template →

Voluntary

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 conversation. Only the certificate is mandatory. If you have 10 extra minutes, add the recommendation. It's often the door-opener.

Recommendation letter generator

Fill in the fields, pick 3 to 6 strengths, and see the finished letter right away. Download as PDF or Word, in five languages.

What belongs in the letter

A good recommendation letter fits on one page and has six parts:

1Sender and contact: your name, phone and email at the top.
2Place and date: today's date is fine, even years later.
3Salutation: 'To whom it may concern', no name needed.
4Opening: who, which role, from when to when, how many hours.
5Strengths: three to six concrete ones instead of generic praise.
6Closing: a clear recommendation, contact for questions, signature.

Letter language:

Role

Employed from (month/year)

Employed until (month/year)

Hours per week

Strengths (pick 3-6)3/6

Pick 3 to 6 strengths that truly describe your employee. Fewer and accurate beats many and exaggerated.

Personal note (optional)

0/500

Place of issuance

Date

Send directly by email

Preview

[Your name]

[City], 4 August 2026

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

[Your name]

Next step

This recommendation letter was created with Clino's free generator, the Swiss platform for employing household staff. Clino handles registration, payroll and insurance - and can also generate an official work reference under Art. 330a CO.

CHF 19.90/month · 30 days free · clino.ch

Personal, no codes5 languagesPDF · Word · Text

The letter is written - how it actually helps

A reference letter only works once it is signed, in her hands, and the next family can check it.

1Print it and sign by hand: place, date, signature. An unsigned PDF reads like a draft to the next family.
2Hand over the original, keep the file: she gets the original for her applications, you keep the file so you can reissue it unchanged if needed.
3Agree how you can be reached: if you give a phone number or e-mail, confirm that new employers may contact you. A reference call that goes nowhere hurts the letter more than it helps.
4Do not forget the work reference: the recommendation letter is voluntary, the work reference is mandatory (Art. 330a CO). Together they give her the complete file.

Mandatory details

Your name, the employee's full name, the period and hours of the engagement, the tasks, place, date and signature. A contact channel is optional but effective.

Most common mistake

Adjectives with nothing behind them: "very reliable, very friendly" appears in every letter. One concrete detail - four years, never a missed appointment, a key to the house - carries far more weight.

Still missing the mandatory document? Work reference generator under Art. 330a CO

Asking for a reference letter

Roth

online

Hello Mrs Roth, I really enjoyed working for you. As I'm applying elsewhere, a short reference letter would help me a lot. Would you be able to write a few lines? I'm happy to send you some notes on my tasks.

10:05

Hello, I'd be glad to! You were always very reliable. Send me the notes and I'll write it up.

10:22

Thank you so much! I'll send you the points this evening.

10:24

Message

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.

Warm · 3 years · cleaning#1

The Brunner family 8002 Zurich 044 000 00 00 Zurich, 15 May 2026 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION To whom it may concern, it is with great pleasure that we recommend Ana Costa, who worked in our household as a cleaner from March 2023 to May 2026 (around 8 hours per week). Ana was remarkably reliable throughout our time together: we could always count on her showing up as agreed. She often spotted what needed doing and simply did it, without being asked. What she finishes is genuinely clean, down to the corners. She treated our belongings with real care and always respected our privacy. We recommend Ana without reservation. We are happy to answer any questions at 044 000 00 00. Kind regards, The Brunner family

Very warm · 7 years · nanny#2

Sophie and Marc Keller 1005 Lausanne 078 000 00 00 Lausanne, 15 May 2026 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION To whom it may concern, it is a great joy for us to recommend Maria Silva. She was part of our family from 2018 to 2025 as a nanny for our two children (around 25 hours per week). Maria had a wonderful way with our children: patient, attentive and warm. Over all those years she was utterly reliable; we trusted her with our children and our home, and she earned that trust every single day. Even on hectic weeks, Maria stayed calm and focused. She thought ahead, took responsibility and made our daily life noticeably easier. We say goodbye to Maria with mixed feelings and recommend her wholeheartedly. For a personal conversation, you can reach us any time at 078 000 00 00. Warm regards, Sophie and Marc Keller

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.
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).

For household employees

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.

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

With Clino, your help stays protected

Recommendation gladly - and an official certificate too

With Clino, your household employee stays legally registered, insured, and can request a compliant work certificate per Art. 330a CO at any time. CHF 19.90/month, 30 days free.

Start free →

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 and Spanish.

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.

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.

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