To not want to pay £18 an hour for a cleaner

[Nishky]

That is very very expensive surely

[verytellytubby]

I pay £8.50 in London.

[dopeysheep]

I think we should pay less in the S.W because our water is probably more expensive than any other cleaning product!
£18.sounds loads but I have never had a cleaner.

[Hulababy]

I wouldn't pay that amount unless it was a very specialist type of cleaning being required, not just for your average weekly clean.

I would assume that she/he feels they are worth that however, so let someone lse have them and keep looking around for another one.

I get paid way less that that as a HLTA.

[stillenacht]

Right then I'm giving up teaching

[RoseRedder]

how big is your house and how much would you want to pay a cleaner

$18 an hour does soun d steep

[Opalite]

IHeartKingThistle could I politely ask why it is surprising for a cleaner to only get paid £2 less than an English tutor? This is only out of curiosity

[bumperella]

£18 seems steep. Here (posh rural Scotland) £12 is the going rate for good cleaners.

[thegreylady]

My dd pays £25 for 3 hours and I pay £20 for 2 to 3 hours depending on whar needs doing £18 is ridiculous [we are in Shropshire].

[IHeartKingThistle]

Argh I knew that sounded bad! Opalite I do appreciate your comment about cleaning being a difficult job that requires hard work, honestly. I couldn't do it! It's just that my fees reflect my qualifications too, not just my skills and experience - so 4 years of my life at university and a crapload of debt to go with it. Usually jobs that don't require qualifications pay a lot less than those that require postgraduate study. It's definitely not that I think I am automatically a more superior being!

[missmarplestmarymead]

Opalite. Would you find your question ridiculous if it was

'why is it surprising for a doctor to only get paid £2 less than an English tutor?'

English tutors are highly educated and have responsible jobs. Cleaners may also be highly educated but are not using that education to clean.

I am amazed that you find it surprising that an English teacher should only be paid £2 more than a cleaner. maybe you think a server in McDonalds should be paid about the same as a doctor or do you just reserve your comparisons for English teachers?

[missmarplestmarymead]

I should have typed 'why is it surprising for a cleaner to be paid only £2 less than a doctor.'

So overcome at the stupidity of such a question I made a tom tit out of my reply,

[Opalite]

missmarplestmarymead, I was asking a question.
I just wanted to hear an opinion because I have been thinking a lot about this type of thing lately...

[Opalite]

Why is it a stupid question?

[VerySmallSqueak]

Cleaners can be highly skilled and knowledgeable and have highly responsible jobs.

(key holders,skills to clean and handle a variety of antiques,responsibility with valuable items)

[Opalite]

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how the people who do the really grim jobs that nobody else wants to do often get paid very little.

[VerySmallSqueak]

Some of the skills,knowledge and confidence in their own field can take some cleaners years to amass.

[cathers]

I pay £10 per hour in the SW which is more than our previous cleaner (£8 per hour), BUT she is very reliable, does an amazing job and will even feed the pets, pick up post, do any jobs if asked, therefore I am prepared to pay her a high wage.

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

Blimey £8.50 here in Bucks

[Hulababy]

"could I politely ask why it is surprising for a cleaner to only get paid £2 less than an English tutor? "

Because in order to that job they do not reuire to have a high level of education and training in general. The level of responsibility is also greatly reduced.


I have worked as a cleaner as a student in all my holidays. I did training. I gained experience over the years. I used to clean schools for deep cleans in the summer and other public buildings. At no point did I need a require a high level of education for this though andalthough I did have a reasonable level of responsibility due to where I worked - it is nothing like I do have now with children, and certainly nowhere near what a doctor has with his/her patients.

Obviously specialised cleaning may well be very different nd require far more skill and training - that I can understand paying £18 an hour or more. For your average house weekly clean - I think it is too high.

[AnandaTimeIn]

I used to clean neighbours' houses as a SP for a few years.

Nothing fancy, just bog-standard

10-15 was the norm then.

Since I went back to other work and could (almost) afford a cleaner myself, I worked it out over a year and decided for that money I could have a last-minute week holiday in a warm country - no hard decision there then.

It's all horses for courses though.

[TessCackle]

I can't believe some of these hourly rates! I was considering doing some cleaning while DD is at nursery and was planning to charge £6 an hour!

[ProfPlumSpeaking]

£11 per hour here in London. My cleaner only asked for £9 per hour but that is barely a living wage so I paid her £10 an hour. She was then very good so after a year I gave her a wage increase (also rents/food etc have been going up and I am considerably better off that she is).

[magicberry]

always up to £10 and no more in London - but then (as well documented) there are many visiting workers here who will work for less. £18 still very steep though. Unless there are 2 of them!

[PhallicGiraffe]

I hope that, in the future, all the rubbish, unpleasant and dangerous jobs will pay the highest, and all the pleasant, fun and entertaining jobs will pay the lowest. I'm looking at you, cleaners and footballers.