Earnings of Mikhail Yefremov and Dmitry Dibrov as Drivers

In Dmitry and Polina Dibrov's opulent home, a team of hired help tackles daily chores, curated through a reputable staffing agency. With three replacements free of charge if they don't fit the bill, the pressure's on to find the perfect pair.

Let's take a peek into the skyrocketing wages for household help in luxury households. It's no secret that A-listers living in swanky Moscow suburban homes prefer their mansions hidden behind gated communities. We've got the scoop on the perks and paychecks of the crème de la crème of household staff working in elite settings on New Riga and Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway. We spoke to key players from several agencies known for their prowess in snagging domestic talent for these high-end neighborhoods.

FAMILY DRIVER

You've probably heard of celebs who don't dare drive themselves or possess a driver's license. Take talk show host Andrei Malakhov, who always travels with his trusted personal driver. Some stars prioritize their children's safety and hire drivers to chauffeur their kids to school — take blogger Ksenia Borodina, who splurged on a Mercedes minibus for her daughters to travel to and from their academy in style. Borodina has a driver exclusively for her kids, another for herself, a driver for her mother, and a housekeeper for mundane tasks like grocery shopping and errands.

Driving Privileges: What's a Star's ride or die?

An agency manager recruiting staff for Rublyovka and Novorizhsky revealed to KP.RU, "We are meticulous in selecting drivers, especially those for kids — we look for candidates under 50 years old with experience as family and personal drivers, preferably with Moscow or Moscow region registration. We prefer those who live closer to the job, in the Odintsovo district. They demand a monthly salary of at least 170,000 rubles, given their five-day workweek. Long workdays may ensue, picking up a mother-actress after a gig, welcoming a family patriarch after a business trip, or transporting kiddos from a concert or visiting grandma, and more. Rich folk usually avoid unknown drivers, so they abstain from using taxis, primarily when traveling to other cities."

Rumors swirled about a personal driver being on the hunt for the beloved actor Mikhail Efremov, who's banned from driving and declined to renew his license. However, no signs of hiring were spotted through agencies. In the past, when Efremov's and Sofia Kruglikova's younglings required minding, they previously employed a personal driver to smoothly handle the kids' school schedules, club outings, and transportation for mom on her engagements. As the children matured, their need for a driver diminished. For now, they make do with taxis and friends, residing centrally in Moscow.

SALARY: A Family's Game Changer

A family driver's salary in a VIP family stands at 170,000 rubles a month with an open-ended workday and a five-day workweek. In 2024, the typical income for this category hovered around 150,000 rubles.

While scouring suburban homes on New Riga, agencies revealed to KP.RU, "We seek housekeepers under 55 years old, with Russian citizenship, experience working in Moscow and the region, and recommendations. Generally, locals dismiss positions combining housekeeping and culinary duties. A highly experienced housekeeper might command 9,000 to 10,000 rubles for a day's work in a 100 sq m home — the maximum rate. Homes smaller than this size may result in a 20% wage reduction. Skilled workers from Uzbekistan are available for as little as 7,000 rubles per day. These fees include lodging and meals."

However, couples can be a challenge to find, but their value is unquestioned. Prosperous homes often prefer candidates under 50, while others may welcome older couples. In a couple, the female typically assumes housekeeping tasks, while the male tackles all male household chores, such as plumbing, electrical work, monitoring heating and water systems, smart home management, pool cleaning, lawn maintenance, minor repairs, and grocery shopping according to lists. The main drawback of hiring a couple is one partner may excel, but another may falter in their responsibilities.

HOUSEKEEPERS: THE ELITE CLEAN TEAM

TV host Dmitry Diбrov voices his challenges in finding the ideal staff: "We always hire a couple. In the past, we had an outstanding man, but his wife wasn’t top-notch at cooking, and we parted ways. With guests visiting and help needed in the kitchen, we offered her extra cash, but she packed her bags, claiming her workday was over." Despite this, Diбrov regards himself as a fair boss, showering favors on an assistant who completed a drawing and updated engineering communications. The agency takes care of staff replacements.

Actress Ekaterina Semenova took a bold step when she discovered her housekeeper was "not trustworthy": "I treat those working for me like kin. I never hid anything, not even safes in the house — she helped herself to what she found." When Semenova realized the housekeeper had stolen watches and jewelry, she gave her the boot without hesitation, as celebrities often do to prevent tarnishing their reputations. Meanwhile, actress Oxana Tumaykina reported a police investigation after her townhouse was burglarized, with personal items and jewelry valued at 713,000 rubles stolen. The thief, a 44-year-old housekeeper who had abruptly left her job, was eventually apprehended. Like others in her field, Tumaykina had found her housekeeper through an online ad, with no references.

SALARY: Elite Cleaning Pay

The average monthly salary for a housekeeper is 140,000 rubles for a five-day workweek in a house of at least 100 sq m; for a couple, it's 300,000 rubles. In 2024, these figures were 120,000 rubles and 250,000 rubles, respectively.

Working actresses, singers, and TV hosts often juggle busy schedules, which means a nanny for each little child is a must. When the kid grows up, the nanny may be handed off to trusted hands. The most sought-after nannies in opulent country households with lodging are females between 30 to 50, with Russian citizenship, work experience, and pedagogical education, taking two days off a week. They demand 8,000 to 10,000 rubles per day. Non-Russian workers with recommendations can earn 5,000 rubles. A nanny's duties for a newborn may set a family back from 10,000 to 12,000 rubles, depending on the worker's medical education, expertise, or exceptional references.

Nannies often reside with the employer's family, making it easy to accommodate them in a mansion's spare room. A nanny's contract details her duties, compensation, and time off, similar to other employment agreements. Common nanny duties consist of monitoring the child's daily routine, supervising activities, accompanying them to school or nursery, and other tasks.

Scandals involving nannies in high-profile families frequently happen. Recently, Anna Hilkivich reprimanded her nanny for placing her infant daughter on her bed to sleep and nodded off next to her. Hilkivich views this as unsafe (the child could suffocate in her sleep) and disrespectful: "Anything related to the child, the nanny discusses with me." Now, a new nanny is undergoing training with Hilkivich, ensuring a new beginning. Hilkivich admits she's cautious when selecting new staff: "I hope this time it will work out. But I think every time."

Among rapper DjiGan and entrepreneur Oksana Samoylova's four children, two nannies are always present, attending to the younger ones, while older children are watched by adults at school or activities. The nannies accompany the family on their world travels. Samoylova pays each nanny approximately 8,000 rubles per day of work. Stars deal with the same nanny issues as regular folks: singer Natalia Podolskaya switched her nanny when she didn't abide by her guidance, and actress Galina Bob made a change when her son was hospitalized after drinking spoiled kefir. All stars install CCTV throughout their homes to keep an eye on the nannies via their devices.

SALARY: Top-Notch Nanny Compensation

A nanny in a VIP family earns an average of 160,000 rubles a month with a five-day workweek, while a nanny for a newborn baby under a year old earns an average of 200,000 rubles a month with the same schedule. In 2024, the average salaries in this category were 140,000 rubles and 180,000 rubles, respectively.

Earnings of Mikhail Yefremov and Dmitry Dibrov as Drivers