Gobsmacked about Housekeeper Hourly Rate

[Aweekoffwork]

After training for four years part-time and getting a Diploma, I got myself a nice Charity role but am somewhat disillusioned about the fact that I could earn £5 more AN HOUR in a Housekeeper role. I work as a Housekeeper, part-time, and have done for nearly 20 years but now thinking I might as well forget my full-time Charity role and apply for the Housekeeper job (well, already have done!!). It’s less hours but more money!

CRAZY!

The charity sector is notoriously low paid so I’m not too surprised, especially as you have a lot more experience in the housekeeping role. Is it a housekeeper at a hotel or for a private family?

I don't see why it's crazy. A lot of people would say housekeeper is harder work than any desk job.

As you said, you can earn more doing that so do so. But it's more physically challenging so I wouldn't burn your bridges in your other career as if you get physically unwell the housekeeping will become harder.

But if you can get enough hours and you want to switch for now then go for it!

I'm not sure what's crazy about it. The charity sector is notorious for being badly paid.

What’s the pension like? Holidays etc factor it all in …

This is very vague. Training in what exactly? What was the diploma?

Housekeeping is a very demanding job requiring various skills. Often it's antisocial hours as well.

Yes but you don't know whether you can get the housekeeper role. It's one thing to see a job ad and completely another to successfully get the job. I've seen jobs in my industry advertised at a much higher salary than what I'm on but they're always inundated with applicants within a day of posting, and despite my experience and qualifications, I would struggle to secure those jobs due to sheer competition.

You're comparing apples with oranges a bit though because you're comparing a job in your old industry where you have experience with a job in your new industry where you're starting again with no experience. Presumably there's room for progression and to build a career in the new field.

Additionally, think about pension and also the physical demands of the job when making the decision. I'm almost 40 so for me, a job with a good employer contribution to my pension (or good enough salary that I can pay into a private pension) is a must! An extra £5 an hour wouldn't cut it.

I don’t want to give too much away in case I’m recognised 😂

It’s housekeeping in a Care Home

I appreciate the work is physically exhausting but it is only 26 hours per week which sounds manageable …?

Right so what will the total pay increase be weekly or monthly? Don't tell us if you don't want, but you need to compare the two. £5 an hour extra but only working 26 hours isn't going to earn as much as £5 an hour less full time.

So what kind of role? Will you be expected to work nights and weekends?

I earn £459 gross working 34 hours pw in my current role

and

£444 gross working 26 hours

It hasn’t mentioned evenings or night shifts but this might come to light if I get interviewed…

This doesn’t surprise me at all. Housekeeping is bloody hard work. I’ve worked in the charity sector (with a master’s degree at the time, now have a PhD). It is definitely much easier to sit on my bum at a desk and attend the occasional Teams meeting that do housekeeping scrubbing up someone’s piss stains. I know which one I’d rather do.

@mindutopia 😂😂

I do love keeping fit and HATE sitting on my arse TBH

Trouble is, I might be too knackered to do those activities I love 😂😂

Apart from a very few roles mainly in London, there's really no point going to uni to improve your income for the average person. This is because under plan 2 if you do get a "graduate" job and earn a middle income, you pay a 9% tax for your entire working life. You will never earn enough to pay off the principal but still earn too much for the loan to be wiped. It's obviously a bad deal, mathematically, unless you can be sure you will never earn more than 29k or less than 75k. Guess what most people earn?

If you are only working 26hrs in the carehome, I'd be also looking for part-time work that relates to your diploma- but outside the charity sector. You never know when the carehome work becomes too much- physically and emotionally, and it would be a shame to not use the skills from the diploma.
Can you give us a rough idea of what the diploma was for?

With advancements in AI, I think people are going to have to get over their snobbishness over degrees and qualifications. Knowledge is becoming cheaper and cheaper as it becomes more easily accessible. There’s no reason why someone doing hard manual labour shouldn’t be paid the same or more than someone sitting in their backside behind a desk.

How much do you think the average graduate earns across their lifetime?

How much do you think the average graduate earns across their lifetime?

Our gardener is £27 an hour but self employed so that covers their taxes, holiday, sick pay, vehicle costs etc.

As a business owner the rate my staff cost me per day is not the amount they take home at the end of the day.

Latest figures shows graduate lifetime earnings are on average £100k net positive over non-graduates even after loan repayments are factored in. They also have more options of where to work and in what roles.

There is variety in this of course, some graduates don't earn more than non-graduates.

@7238SM yes I do have a part-time role which makes use of the Diploma (wouldn’t be able to do it without the qualification) but it’s on a self employed basis and there’s lots of peaks and troughs ..plus not enough money to survive on

Without giving too much away, I support people on a 1:1 basis

sorry to be vague but want to remain anonymous - I know lots of people who read Mumsnet

I don’t really understand why you are so surprised. Different roles attract different pay rates.

I definitely don’t have the skills or abilities to be a professional housekeeper.

I think it depends on the role. My friend manages recruitment for a chain of nursing homes, housekeeper is similar to house keeping in a hotel and more akin to cleaner, but in a care home it’s a tough gig.really tough due to the bodily fluids,

A middle income, definitionally in my statement, though not the average income.

It depends very much on your degree.I was earning six figures in my twenties back in the nineties.