As wealth concentrates and the economy becomes more reliant on the ultra-rich, a number of Gen Z workers are choosing to work directly for them, according to Business Insider.
Instead of climbing a wobbly corporate ladder, they're opting to be nannies, chefs, assistants, and estate managers in exchange for high pay and luxury perks.
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Cassidy O’Hagan, 28, started out in medical sales, making $65,000 a year and logging long hours in hospitals. Now she travels the world as a nanny to the super wealthy, earning between $150,000 and $250,000 annually, with full benefits and perks like private chefs, custom wardrobes, and Uber rides to work.
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“My orthopedic medical sales job could never compete,” she told BI.
Julia Dudley, 26, made the switch after earning multiple degrees and attending culinary school. She left restaurant work to become a private chef in the Hamptons and says preparing just two or three meals a day over the course of a summer can pay a six-figure salary.
“I was like, okay, I can make my own hours, I can make more money, I’m my own boss,” she said. A few months of seasonal work now bring in more than she ever made in traditional food service roles.
Brian Daniel, who runs the Celebrity Personal Assistant Network, says the rise of the ultra-rich has created an explosion in demand for elite household staff. “Each one of these billionaires employs small armies of people to cater to their every whim,” he told BI. He estimates there are now 1,000 staffing agencies worldwide, with half based in the U.S.
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BI reported that job listings regularly advertise salaries well into six figures. A recent posting for a “head of personal assistants” offered up to $280,000. Another for a nanny topped out at $150,000 and a “director of residences,” who is expected to fly between properties in Colorado, California and New York, can earn from $200,000 to $250,000 annually.
Working at these positions isn’t easy. Staff are often expected to be on call and to do whatever is needed, for example, cleaning up after a billionaire’s dog. “The stress can be more than even on Wall Street,” Daniel said.
And privacy is critical. Most roles require extensive nondisclosure agreements and squeaky-clean social media profiles. O’Hagan, now working for an unnamed high-profile New York family as part of an eight-nanny rotation, said, “You’re not just working for a family, you’re living alongside them, immersed in their rhythms, dynamics, and private moments.”
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While the work can be isolating — she's spent holidays away from her own family — O'Hagan says the rewards are unmatched. “This career has offered stability and meaning and a level of personal connection that I hadn’t really found anywhere else yet,” she told BI.
O'Hagen plans to move on from nannying. She’s now building her own agency and coaching service to help others enter the field. Even her younger brother followed her lead and now works as an assistant to a celebrity esthetician in Beverly Hills, California.
In a world where economic stability increasingly flows through the wallets of the wealthy, Gen Z is making a pragmatic choice: serve the rich, and get paid well to do it.
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