Kelsey, Assistant Technical Specialist with BICSc, shares her personal experience of myths and true stories about the cleaning industry.
Let’s take a second to think about the cleaning industry. What are your initial thoughts on the business? Maybe not all the opinions you have are positive ones!
Unfortunately this is very common. Most people have similar misconceptions about the cleaning industry, but let’s break those myths and get you more informed on the trade.
We’ll take a look at these 5 myths:
- Myth 1: There is no career progression in the cleaning industry.
- Myth 2: It’s an easy job.
- Myth 3: You are uneducated or can’t be educated.
- Myth 4: There is no money in the cleaning industry.
- Myth 5: You can only work part time/unsociable hours.
Read below to find out why they AREN’T true.
Myth 1: There is no career progression in the cleaning industry.
It’s common that most people will enter the industry as a cleaning operative. The natural progression from this would be to become a team leader or supervisor, and from there a duty manager.
This is because you find the people who have worked their way up in a business gain the most respect as they understand what is needed to do the job and the expectations. You may have experienced this first hand. I know from personal experience that sometimes this can feel like the only option and management is not for everyone, but it is not the only progression path.
Think about all the different departments that make up a business like HR, finance, health & safety, marketing, customer service etc. All of these different departments also help make up the cleaning industry, so it isn’t just the cleaning operatives that you see.
Whether you’re interested in engineering and mechanics, teaching others, selling products, or even being involved in developing them, why not obtain the skills and experience with a job in the cleaning industry?
Myth 2: It’s an easy job.
Most people assume that they will join the cleaning industry as an operative because it is an easy job. There is more to the role than pushing around a mop bucket!
There are different branches to the cleaning industry e.g. you could be an NHS cleaner, a window cleaner or a forensic cleaner, which all come with their own challenges.
Like many jobs out there, the days can be long and tough. E.g. If you opt for a cleaning job within transport or the NHS, there is a high chance that you will be on your feet most of the day because you are working in a fast-paced environment where incidents can occur at any moment.
If you are looking for a more relaxed environment, then you may be better suited to a domestic cleaning job or a cleaning job within an office or school where the hours may be less and divided up throughout the day.
At times our job can be mentally draining too, and sometimes our job relies on us being incredibly discrete e.g. without raising awareness of incidents to hospital patients, or being trustworthy enough to work in people’s homes or in an office around confidential paperwork and discussions.
BUT… one of the things that is great about this industry is that no two days are the same. Every cleaning operative has a weird story they can share with you that will make you laugh, and we are a resilient bunch of people.
Myth 3: You are uneducated or can’t be educated.
The cleaning industry does not get the full recognition it deserves and unfortunately people still look down their noses at the profession. But why? It is seen as a job that is unskilled, meaning that you do not have to go to college or university to be able to do the job.
Up to a point, yes, this is true. Because you don’t need experience or qualifications to get started!
You get to meet people from all walks of life, so you’ll meet the people who would normally be overlooked because they have limited or no qualifications.
One of the great things about the role of a cleaning operative is that it is practical (it can be taught in a show and copy manner). This means we get to give people an opportunity and a chance to grow and develop.
But there are also plenty of people in the industry who have had a full education and hold a degree. Sometimes their degree may not be fully relevant within the industry, but they are able to transfer skills that they have learnt into their role.
Myth 4: There is no money in the cleaning industry.
The cleaning industry is worth nearly £59 billion a year and employs 1.47 million people!
You will find a lot of people start up their own domestic cleaning business because there is the market for it and it can be an easy job to fit around your lifestyle/family life, with the opportunity to pick-up part-time work or full time and stagger the hours throughout the day, if you need to work around childcare etc.
A lot of large companies will pay slightly above minimum wage for a cleaning operative as they are aware there is a need to encourage people into the industry. When you take a look on Indeed for the average based salary per year for a cleaner it is £19,974 and as you develop and work your way up in a company your salary will also increase.
There are lots of other jobs that can be found within the cleaning industry e.g. a training manager’s average base salary is £38,874 and a HR manager’s average base salary is £42,913. (This fluctuates and changes depending on what company you work for but this is just to give you an insight into the industry).
Myth 5: You can only work part time/unsociable hours.
One of the things a client is looking for from their cleaning team is that their site is clean and suitable to be open for the public or workers on site. It is very common for this clean to take part either early in the morning (e.g. 6am to perhaps 10am) and then for the cleaning team to be seen again either 5pm to 7pm or for an overnight clean, hence why people assume that cleaners work unsociable hours and are on part time work.
For example, at schools, you would not be able to get much cleaning done in the day whilst there are children around, and it wouldn’t be safe. A hospital is always going to need a cleaning team on site so they are more likely to have a shift pattern which may vary.
Like most jobs out there, part time is available and for some people this fits in with their lifestyle and this is why it is preferable for them. Others may need full time positions, and these are also available.
The aim with busting these myths is not to put you off pursuing a role within the industry, it is to encourage you to look into it further. When you come and join the cleaning industry family you can find out for yourself how great it can be.
