Jack in well paid job to be a cleaner ??

[Beachside123]

I have a reasonably well paid job for the area I live (£35k). I work long full time hours and it’s quite stressful at times.
I’ve been hoping to move to a less stressful job and take a pay cut.
I’ve been offered a housekeeping position which is mostly cleaning but a bit of organising and the like. It’s paid much less of course but is the same amount of hours but hardly any commute.
I don’t know what to do, AIBU to take less stress and less money or continue to be work stressed but comfortable?

You'd never make as much as you do now. Two cleans a day can be over 7 hours a day of constant cleaning with no time for lunch!
I make sure that Friday is my day off. Think my arms would fall off otherwise.
I took up cleaning after being a registered childminder for 6 years. But I was trading long hours for shorter hours and more pay!

I would look more into what the other aspects of the job are, such as a bit of organising and such like. My friend is a housekeeper in a private residence and just about runs the household, she doesn’t just clean, she runs errands, meal prep, sometimes cooking, deals with small finances, callers, even builders when they had work done. It can be very stressful.

I'm a cleaner and it is so boring and physically hard work I do a maximum 6 hours a day and that's enough. Saying that I have no stress (except the odd late payer) I make ok money, plenty of holidays and savings and no boss.
I'd think twice about working for the nice couple, it could get very awkward if your cleaning isn't up their standards.
I'd clean for or a friend but not full time.

I can honestly say a desk job sounds like an utter nightmare to me!

Have you been watching Cleaning Up?

'There's a lot of freedom in manual labour' God, Bruce Almighty.

Someone I know took on a job such as Nanna describes above. She didn’t find it stressful and it was quite interesting at times but she was fairly isolated miles from anywhere and her employer, though quite nice, was a bit odd. She jacked it in after 18 months.

If you need to step away From your role for your sanity, do it

I’m so torn. I felt like I had a bit of a breakdown last year caused by work stress. It made me rethink whats important in life. Having said that, it’s been much much better since Christmas! I’m worried I’ll regret it if I leave.

The drop in wage must be massive - could you drop hours at your present job and retrain in the time you gain? Or look for a job that's something in between? It doesn't have to be a choice of your current job or this one.

I wouldn't.
I've worked in cleaning aged 43 for a year.
It was physically absolutely exhausting. I worked at Centerparcs and cycled to my lodges.
I had dreadful aches after work and needed painkillers each time.
I did some private house cleaning on my days off, and I learned how fussy and weird folk can be. Lugging the industrial hoover up stairs in communal flat hallways wasn't fun either.
The worst are the folk that stay in....when you're trying to do a top job in a tiny terraced house.
It will age you quickly.

What about pension - do you get that with your current role? Would you have enough money to put money into a pension in the cleaning job? Otherwise you could be cleaning until state retirement age.

Would you need an income if you were off sick for a while? In which case you'd need to take out insurance - another cost.

If you're considering switching roles, you need to look at the total reduction in your salary after any additional costs you'll need to incur (like pension and ill health insurance) - not just the reduction in gross salary.

I don't understand why you don't try to find another job that utilises your present skills and experience first. You can always do cleaning but once you leave your current role, you may not be able to get back to it at the same level as before.

Since you are willing to take a pay cut anyway, you should have choice. Don't jump at the cleaning offer. It is a trap.

snowgirl makes a good point. A cleaner is self-employed. You will lose your pension, holidays, sick pay and all other work benefits.

My cleaner just injured her hand. She cannot work fully while it heals. That means no income.

If you are willing to take the pay cut for a healthier work-life balance, have you thought of going part time in your current line of work?

I would put down exactly what you earn in the job each week and then deduct any things like travel, coffee, lunch clothes etc that you need to expend in order to do the job then taking into the calculation your travel time work put how much per hour you are working for.

Work out how much you need as s minimum to run, eat, maintain your home each week then see if you can find a job that pays more than you are getting now without the expenses.
Personally you could do various jobs not just one particular one all the time.

You could do a couple of mornings cleaning, work in restaurants, pubs, do extra work. You could do a wide variety of jobs that pay more than your net hourly rate at the moment.

I would research it very well before giving up your job.

My dp is a cleaner (at a school) full time

He is not yet 50 and his body is starting to fail him from the sheer physicality of the job.

He has issues with just of the top of my head
His
Feet
Knees
Elbow
Neck
shoulder
Back
Hands
Chest/rib muscles
Skin issues due to the chemicals

He does like his job though but it has stress especially how disrespectful people are about his role etc

Do you need the money op? In that, do you have a mortgage or any debts to pay? Other people to support? Usually I'd be all for the less stress is worth less money.

I'm not trying to put you off!

I'm just telling you so you can think about the possible reality of the job. It's not something you do because it's "just" cleaning, it can be a hard and sometimes relentless job but it can also be a rewarding and a job where you feel productive and a job where you can see the difference at the end of your shift.

id not just look at its a pay drop.look at your home life right now this would all have to change for if your way of income changes so will your way of life have to.so all the things you do,come home to,food,travel will have to be cut.and in this current climate I think its very risky.the cost of living is(most likely to) rise and quite massively in some areas.
and I can see how people in some jobs have to take time off for stress but in this time they have to work on thesmevles to how they cope and re-group their mental health as something in them meant they couldn't cope with it at this time.
is there anything else with the pay you do have that could mean you can get the balance right.anything you can do for yourself.some self care to ease the stress of the other?
cleaning is stressful but in other ways.and I think you will find once you are employed by this family you like you will be not just friends.she will be your employer and you will be treated as a cleaner to her.

Ugh avoid cleaning. I absolutely hated it and it completely wore me out. That wage wasn't worth that kind of work.

Don't do it. Look for another job but not a cleaning one. Most of the posts on here are against, many from first hand experience. Use the job you have now as a springboard to something better. Tempting as it is to go for what seems like a stress free approach, take the long term approach and get yourself out of your current role to something better. Stress free sounds painful anyway according to previous posts, so your mind will be stress free but your body won't be.

I know someone who did this. She worked in a bank but was laid off so set up as a self-employed cleaner. She loves it, and has told me the money is pretty good. She says she just plugs in her headphones and off she goes! She loves cleaning though, it wouldn't be for most people I reckon.

Seems like a huge drop in income. What is the average hourly rate for a cleaner?

A house keeper is not just a cleaner though is it
and you know the people
i cant believe it is that well paid though?
is it Live In?

@minithemix ,£10 to £12.50 a hour.