Cleaning Jobs Bristol

If you left school with few qualifications and no training or skills, you might want to think about getting into a cleaning job. It may not be the most glamorous job in the world but the work is fairly constant as businesses and institutions always require their premises to be clean. Even private individuals employ cleaners if they have busy lives or just don’t like doing it. Cleaning jobs are flexible and can pay well if you are willing to work hard enough.
 
Bristol is an ideal city to get a cleaning job in. The large business sector situated in the city takes up a large amount of buildings and offices, all of which require regular cleaning. There are also a large number of schools and hospitals serving a large population, which again all need to be cleaned daily, every other day or once a week. The population of the city centre is around 300,000 rising to 900,000 when the city’s suburbs are included. The percentage of people wanting to hire a professional cleaner amounts to a fairly high number of clients.

There are three common ways in which to get into cleaning jobs; agency work, self employment, and directly for a company. There are benefits and negatives to each; it is up to you to decide which one you prefer.

Working For A Company

Local companies advertise for cleaners online and in local newspapers. These include national companies with regional offices in the city as well as small Bristol based businesses. The benefits of being employed directly by the company is that you sign a contract, which protects you against unfair dismissal, secures your pay and entitles you to holiday and sick pay. Generous companies may even offer a pension package. Unfortunately, the hours of work are usually unfriendly. Late night and early mornings are the most common times of work as there are no employees in the building and trade has stopped for the day. Corporations tend to view cleaning as an unskilled trade so pay is normally minimum wage with little opportunity for pay increases.

Working For An Agency

Agencies are contacted by companies and individuals looking for a cleaner, and their reputation is based on the job that their cleaners do. This means that they want their staff to be well trained and comply with high standards. Because of this, working for a cleaning agency often includes training in health and safety as well as how the agency like the cleaning completed. You are also provided with the cleaning equipment, a uniform and have your travel expenses paid if necessary. The downside to agency work is that you are competing with hundreds of other cleaners for the same job. If the agency finds itself with less work on than usual, they cannot guarantee everyone work. The pay may not be any better than working directly for a company and agency work does not come with the benefits of a contract.

Working For Yourself

Becoming a self employed cleaner is the best choice for motivated and hard working individuals. The amount you get paid and your number of clients all depends on how well you work, how efficient you are and your personal manner with your clients. Older people are one of the biggest employers of self employed cleaners. They need help with cleaning around the house and will normally be at home when they want you to work. In order to maintain them as a client you need to be able to chat with them without becoming too personal. For any self employed cleaner, you need to be trustworthy; otherwise people will not feel comfortable hiring you to clean around their home. You need a special combination of being an efficient cleaner without being too intrusive. If you tick all these boxes, you clients will recommend you to friends and family in the area, so you can build a substantial client list in a short time. It is also reasonable to charge over the minimum wage, especially if you take on extra roles like the ironing or collecting a prescription for your elderly clients. The major downside of working for yourself on the cleaning industry is that you have no assurance of continuous work. You don’t get holiday or sick pay and your clients can stop hiring you whenever they wish.

Assess your personal situation to decide which type of work is right for you. Keep in mind that if you become a very popular self employed cleaner you may be in the situation where you can set up your own business and need to hire more people. If you would prefer the security of a contract either for family reasons or to ensure you always have enough money to pay the rent, you may want to think about one of the other options.