What does work on Necker Island look like? Here are the backstage of the private island of billionaire Richard Branson

Earlier I worked as a sales manager and organization of events in London. I have been observing Virgin Limited Edition for a long time, because this brand was close to my style. I lived abroad before. After studying for seven years I worked in Florida as a member of the Walt Disney World team, but I have never lived on the island before.

I saw an advertisement about work as the head of the guest service department and sent my CV. I was invited to an interview and then went to the final stage. I told my husband that we could move and he replied: “Okay, let's do it.”

We didn't know much about the island of Branson

I heard that Necker Island is an amazing place, but I also didn't have any specific ideas. My husband and I have always been eager for adventures, so we submitted visa conclusions and took this step.

We sailed to the island by Łódź in April 2022. We moved our whole life to a tiny island, which was both exciting and stressful. I remember how we got to the employee village and were welcomed by new colleagues … who just arranged a party. The next morning I could finally see Necker Island in all its glory. It's a real paradise.

There are 24 rooms on the island – some are located in the main building called “Great House”, the rest are individual houses in a Balinese style, scattered throughout the island. Necker also has two private beaches. We have a team dealing with nature protection, which looks after giant turtles and lemuri.

Guests can book the entire island exclusively or share it with others from June to December.

We don't have a “typical” guest. Some come to conferences, others celebrate their birthday, and Richard often invites groups related to philanthropic activities. Who guests with us usually stays between us, but I met people I would never expect to meet.

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What does my work day look like?

My duties are very different, from coordinating boats receiving guests, through conversations with wind turbines, to help rooms when changing bedding.

I usually look at the Great House in the morning, where I talk to guests at breakfast about last evening. Then we have the team briefing and we discuss the plan of the day. It can include, for example, yoga with kangaroos, lemurine feeding, lunch on turtle beach or afternoon tennis.

Sometimes I work from 9 to 17, and at other times I finish the day, partying with guests until 4 am. After work, it happens that we go to watch the sunset on the beach, but it also happens that we just start Netflix. Sometimes we leave the island for the evening.

Many Necker employees come from the area and live on a cake or neighboring Virgin Gorda. We also have an employee village at Necker Island itself. Surprising, but the costs of living on the British Virgin Islands are comparable to London.

The island is a paradise, but there are difficult days

In our free time, we can use the island's attractions, grow kitesurfing, play tennis or dive. One of my favorite places is the Jacuzzi on the roof of the Great House. I love to look at the stars there, because there is almost no light pollution here.

When Richard Branson and his wife Joan do not travel, they live on the island. We see them often. They are very cordial and hospitable, they often invite us to dinner.

There were also difficult moments, e.g. when Hurricane Ernesto came in 2024. We have established procedures for such situations, but it was one of the most terrible nights in my life. We had to take care of the safety of guests and crews. Many things were destroyed, and we had 48 hours to prepare the island for subsequent guests.

Everyone time “island sucking”. We leave the island once a week. We have boats for employees who swim on Virgin Gorda, where about 4,000 people live. We go there for dinner or grocery shopping.

Every Thursday, a barge with food products ordered in a tortol supermarket comes to us every Thursday. This island is 30 minutes away by boat. I miss the possibility of a spontaneous trip to the cafe in London, but thanks to this we saved a lot.

We miss family and friends, but they can visit us and we have special discounts.

You have to come here to feel this energy of the island, because only then everything makes sense.

Amazing how quickly you can adapt. Necker employees are like one big family. We couldn't hit better.

The above text is a translation with American Business Insider edition