To feel embarassed/ashamed of what I do for a living?

[Exvagabond]

I'm currently working as a cleaner at £10/hour with an agency in London. I've never cleaned professionally until a few months ago, but I was desperate to find work to support my family.

Whenever someone asks me what I'm doing, I tell them and you can just tell by the look on their face that they don't approve almost as if they feel sorry for me. Why does my job make people uncomfortable?

I dont have to work, my partner supports me but I see it like this;

-My DD (4) gets 30 hours at nursery, socialising with other children and learning what I don't have the time to teach her at home

• I'm bringing money in to the household so that we can put money away for emergencies, a holiday, days out etc.

• I'm putting money in to a private pension

• I'm paying tax

• On top of this I'm a part time student, so I won't do this forever

Why am I scum to some people?

@caringcarer

Me too pmsl

My nephew tells folk he’s a bin man, he says it sorts the wheat from the chaff socially. It is a truth based statement, main difference being he owns the company. It’s very interesting watching the reactions to his statement from the sidelines too. KOKO op.

Have not been in your position but just wanted to say that it's such an important job. I'm very grateful to my cleaner, it's such a relief to have that support as I work long hours and don't know how we'd manage (not being funny). I do think you should consider charging more per hour, I'd gladly pay more for a reliable cleaner and have found they are like gold dust in my area. Please be proud of yourself, you're doing so much for your family and making someone else's life easier on top of that.

Cleaning keeps us alive in hospitals, cleaning keeps our food safe, cleaning stops the spread of disease, cleaning creates environments that improve our health and wellness, cleaning attracts visitors to businesses and places of interest, and on and on. Not sure most jobs can say they achieve that on a daily basis. That is in addition to you contributing to society through tax, setting a work ethic example and supporting yourselves and not relying on someone else to provide for you. It is those who don't see this that have the problem. One more here who is passing on support to you.😄

YANBU! Money is money and it's honest and bloody hard work.

New member here.

I'd say people like you are the salt of the earth.
You working hard to provide for yourself and family, you have my respect.

I actually quite enjoy cleaning, very satisfying.

No need to feel ashamed! You're working to have a little self-sufficiency - nothing wrong with that. In fact, you should be proud.

Ignore the snobs.

Who are these stupid people who you say look down on you ? Those types give me the rage.. Some of them no doubt,have cleaners themselves..

My daughter has her own cleaning business,she started cleaning on her own initially, but now has a group of cleaning ladies with her, and it's been quite lucrative so far.

Cleaning is a good job and often pays above minimum wage. I'm a hairdresser on 8.21 per hour( been in this career for 20 years!) .. Thinking of jacking it in and taking up cleaning instead. Don't let people make you feel like that your earning not bad money at all good on you for doing it when like you say you don't necessarily have too.

Cleaning keeps us alive in hospitals, cleaning keeps our food safe, cleaning stops the spread of disease, cleaning creates environments that improve our health and wellness, cleaning attracts visitors to businesses and places of interest, and on and on. Not sure most jobs can say they achieve that on a daily basis.

^^ this. What you do is absolutely essential to a pleasant and functional society, which is more than can be said of many jobs.

im a cleaner in a restaurant and I have never been ashamed to say what I do, I was a chef for years and realised that it was long hours poor pay and bloody hard work so I now work less hours with less stress I go in do my job very well and when I finish my morning and look at the clean gleaming restaurant I feel proud of what ive achieved and yes I could have gone for a better job as I have a degree but im happier using my last few years befoe retiring doing a job I enjoy,

* I'd say people like you are the salt of the earth. *

Oh come on. This isn’t a scene from Mary poppins with the chimney sweepers.

In the words of the OP, she finds it boring and mind numbing. Most people would, but there’s many similar jobs.

Pays decently and affords the OP some real positives.

And I point blank refuse to believe that anyone has called the OP “scum” simply on the grounds that she’s a cleaner.

^
I clean for one client who has two children. When they were home from boarding school in the holidays, to persuade her daughter to get on with her homework she told her to "work hard at school or you'll end up as a cleaner like Clare".^

I feel sorry for her children, growing up to be such appalling, silly snobs. I lived in a town populated by people like this woman and I remember my dad saying to me ‘never trust anyone who looks down on bin men; they keep the world running and anyone who is snobbish about their job would damn well notice if they all quit because the streets would be ten foot deep in rubbish’

Both my nans worked as cleaners, if I had any airs I think I'd get a clip round the ear from beyond the grave.

I think in your position I'd be guilty of bigging it up as "self employed cleaner/professional cleaner/cleaning business".

My sister is currently working as a parking attendant, now that's a conversation stopper!

OP, I've not read the whole thread, but you seem really well motivated. I worked as a cleaner in my student days. I think I learned a lot from it, that stood to me going forward. I also worked (illegally) doing cleaning while waiting for a visa many many years later as an adult abroad.

Many of us have worked in jobs we really are not too proud off. I worked in a legal company that was in the news in a bad way, and that was VERY difficult explaining, and I often did not mention where I worked. But it was job, and I really had no choice.

Also, as I get older I do take pride in doing any job well. Whatever it is!

You're providing for your family. That is something to be proud of. Screw anyone else's opinions.

I'm a TA in a special school... and probably take home less than most cleaners. Trust me we are equally looked down upon (with the occasional patronising 'Oh but it must be SO rewarding' as if that makes up for being so poorly paid...)

I have degree, and a reasonable brain but one of us had to be around for the children, and now an adult son with disabilties and I don't apologise for doing a job that I can do, and leave behind at the end of the day (usually).

One of my kids is a doctor, another is a check out boy. Both are earning, contributing, paying taxes and the check out boy is much loved for his lovely personality amongst his regulars. A job is a job!

Sorry, not read the whole thread but have to.say OP, i think this thread is great!

I had a very high flying senior role prior to retirement but if I had my time over again I think I would leave that early and invest in a quality cleaning business and get my hands dirty myself.

A close relative of mine lives in a very affluent Cotswold village and can't get a decent cleaner! She currently pays £17 per hour to this shitty small business who, quite frankly, take her for a mug. They dictate when THEY will turn up and only do half a job when they do. 😠. I am actually a bit of a clean freak and I have told her if I lived nearer I would take over the job and wouldn't be charging £17 per hour. Pity you are in London, OP, as my relative would treasure you and pay you way more too. 😊 Anyway, isn't the pc term for cleaners now domestic operatives or similar? 😂

It is a perfectly respectable job and anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t worth talking to.

I am a dog groomer and sometimes feel a little inferior when talking to others with high power stressful jobs. I do remember once talking to a woman who used to be a model. I told her what I do and she said “oh darling, you’re not a dog groomer, you’re a pet stylist. she meant well but I thought to myself...I see no problem with being a dog groomer, should I!? Why should I feel I have to dress it up to people.

I’d consider cleaning if I was any good at it and was comfortable with people being there whilst I did it.

If I had just met a person above a certain age who told me early in the conversation that they worked as a cleaner, I might initially feel a little sorry for them, because it is hard work that is not well paid.

That is not the same as feeling any disrespect..

On the contrary, with all of the things you are doing at once - parenting, studying, and working - I feel respect and admiration.

Good luck with the studies! Hopefully, in not too long you will find more interesting work that pays better.

Meanwhile, if you find people's responses annoying to you then you might considering instead telling them "I'm a student", or "I'm a student and funding that by working as a cleaner". But only if their responses annoy you or make you uncomfortable. If they are the ones who are uncomfortable, then it is their problem and it is no reflection on you.

Some young people consider bar work a ‘cool job’ but cleaning is a substantial part of that. I worked as a bartender for a while when I was a student and we spent at least an hour cleaning the place up after closing time. Sticky floors, vomit covered toilets, clearing glasses away, emptying ashtrays etc.

Cleaning is a vital job, we all need them. I know what you mean though, I always added the caveat ‘but I’m only doing it part time while I study’ when I worked in places like Greggs. I was mortified when I saw people I went to school with in there.

@fastaway

Anyway, on the last night I got drunk and demanded to know what they did for a living
.
Wasn't that nice of you

The woman started weeping silently and then we all went to bed.

Probably because of how you treated them, you sound totally obnoxious.

Now THEY were ashamed of what they did.

You should be ashamed of what you did.

I lost my job last January after my family business folded following 44 years of trading. I've decent A levels, a degree from a red brick uni and before going back home to work for my family held down what people think of a high flying' job.

I decided to try something completely different and set myself up as a professional dog walker and cat feeder. So I'm a similar boat to @PerfectionistProcrastinator maybe.

I've been surprised by the judgey-Ness of some people about my job. Especially my family and friends who know I did all I could to save our business- and seem
to have forgotten how hard it was and that most of the tough stuff was left to me including telling 15 valuable team members that they faced redundancy.

People have actually said "is that even a job?", "can't you do better than that?" and "so you pick up shit for a living".

It's really surprised me and opened my eyes to the fact that many people operate some sort of job hierarchy and that doing something you love or something different can make them see you very differently and somehow 'less' then other people.