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?

I think it's funny that nearly everyone defending cleaning as a job has added a caveat "I was studying at the time I cleaned..he later got a masters...she ended up with a degree from a top university..she went on to become an opera star..etc ..

Yes us cleaners are valuable, hard-working, honest blah blah but let's not pretend it's not unskilled manual labour. I'm not particularly proud of telling people at parties that I'm a cleaner. People generally think you're a bit thick and uneducated.

I have done cleaning and absoluterly nothing wrong with it. It is hard graft. May not be mentslly taxing but you need common sense. Also people start there own businesses as cleaners, team lead, manage. Hold your head up high.

I would never, ever look down on cleaners, shop workers service staff etc. You provide a vital service. I don't think they're thick or uneducated. My MIL was a cleaner for years and she's bloody amazing. Please don't do yourselves down. Anyone who thinks less of you is a snobby tosser.

The award-winning novelist’s colleagues are my favourite bit of the thread.

Yes the award winning novelist.. If anyone tried to patronise me (working in a supermarket) my colleagues would gently take them to one side and say Don't you know who that is?
This is a prime example of my point about posters here saying nothing wrong with cleaning but I'd just like to add that I was studying for a PhD, writing novels and basically bettering myself at the time

Oh I'm just illustrating that nobody ever knows who it is who's in front of them, so everyone should be treated with respect. Just because the person in front of you is doing a job you consider to be menial doesn't mean that they aren't doing it from choice, rather than necessity.

My workmates are the absolute best.

@SmileyClare my point excactly.

I meet all kinds of people in my job. I met a cleaner a while ago, she was great and really loved her job. She built her cleaning round into a business and now employed a few people, she preferred doing the actual cleaning to the office work though so one person was employed to do that. She was telling me she really wanted to get into forensic cleaning after crime scenes.

Do you actually like cleaning op? If you don't like your job that might be the real problem.

Oh, btw, I think princess Diana worked as a part time cleaner before she got married.

Cleaning for a living definitely doesn't make you scum, sadly some people may look down on you, but they aren't worth knowing!
But possibly you feel insecure and slightly uncomfortable about it and it's your feelings that are reflected more than others?
I actually think cleaning is a skilled job, I'm absolute rubbish at cleaning,and I'm sure there are skills and tricks of the trade which I could benefit from learning, if I was a cleaner I'd probably be sacked!
I also think, unfairly, there is almost a hierarchy of cleaners - probably more status in running your own business, charging a decent hourly rate and picking and choosing your jobs than being on a zero hours minimum wage contract for a cleaning contractor like initial.

A friend of mine in the 90s paid his cleaner 25 dollars an hour. Imagine his surprise when his cleaner was checking int I first class on a BA flight from the us to London.

I'm an nhs HCA & you earn more per hour than I do.

A lot of private sector cleaners do get a not bad wage.

Some of my colleagues / friends are nhs domestics or do cleaning part time as well as their usual job.

I was expecting you to do something actually shameful. Anyone who looks down on you isn’t worth bothering with.

You are amazing, doing damn hard work to support your family. I doubt anyone is looking down on you. They probably feel guilty. Tbh I can't shake the guilt at having a cleaner but I really need one and I appreciate her so much.

Why be ashamed? You earn more than me and any of my colleagues at a childcare centre.

What?! You are most certainly not scum! You are a valuable contributor to your family, employers and society. Hold your head up high and tell people what you do with pride.

If they don't like it, it's their issue not yours!

I'm a school cleaner. I've had the odd comment and pitying look when asked what I do, but I doubt that they see me as scum. I don't really care if they do tbh. It's hard work, but cleaning four hours per day (not counting housework) helps keep me in shape I think.

Good on you OP. I've always thought if I lost my current job and needed money, i'd be a cleaner. Its flexible, you can be self employed and around my way you can charge well above minimum wage - £13 or £14 p/hour and there's lots of work so can plan it to limit travelling between

I'm a cleaner so I know what you mean. I can honestly say the majority of my clients don't look down on me.

I did clean for a couple of doctors and their eldest son was an awful snob he would barely look at me never mind speak. I must admit he did make me feel pretty bad at times.
I was there years and he did eventually speak to me like a proper human being after I got back from travelling around Asia and ran my second marathon. I think he perhaps realised I'm not 'just' a cleaner. He suffered with awful depression too after doing really bad in exams at his posh private school which I think gave him a bit of perspective. Still couldn't stand the snotty little shit though!

I like cleaning, I set my own hours, no stress, make ok money and can have holidays whenever I want (within reason)

Be proud you've got your own little business OP!

What's helped me is, my niece's friend who is 20 has set up on her own as cleaner and is doing really well. My niece talks about her really proudly as though she's achieved something really good (she has!) by setting up her own little cleaning business.

No snobbery there!

Don’t be bothered with how you think they feel! If they are judging you then don’t bother with them BUT maybe they’re reacting like that because how you are saying it - like maybe your saying it in an embarrassed tone so they mirroring your feelings. In my last job I was on first name basis with the cleaners. One of them I consider a really good friend so not everyone in the office is looking down at you x

Yanbu but this is a rather silly post. You could earn more working for yourself.

In one of the Chalet School books, Princess Elisaveta, as was, cleans for a living after WW2 kicks off. If it's good enough for a princess...

I wouldn't look down on anyone for being a cleaner. It's a job I would be absolutely awful at. I've worked on checkouts and as a waitress. Their reaction reflects badly on them though. Does make it easier to identify the arseholes though!