what is a housekeeper?
As a housekeeper, you ensure that a home or institution maintains high standards of cleanliness. In a private home or small business, you are responsible for cleaning and washing laundry. Housekeepers often deal with tradesmen, including plumbers or electricians. You also cook and run errands for the homeowners.
When you work in hotels, you clean and disinfect the rooms, lobbies, restrooms, and stairways and ensure you meet the prescribed standards of cleanliness. Other duties include taking linens to the laundry, as well as sorting, folding and changing the towels in guest rooms.
In a larger institution, your job as a housekeeper may involve supervising a team of cleaners or other housekeeping staff. In this environment, your responsibilities include setting team schedules, inspecting work, ordering supplies and other similar management tasks. You help the company meet the occupational safety and health (OSH) requirements by removing hazards and minimising accidents.
Housekeepers work in different environments, each with special responsibilities. As a hospital housekeeper, you maintain the standards of hygiene needed to keep a medical facility running smoothly. You ensure strict adherence to safety. As a hotel housekeeper, your job includes cleaning, customer service, and coordinating with other members of the hotel's team. By contrast, in a private household, your role involves a range of household tasks, like cooking.
Would working as a housekeeper suit your organisational skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a housekeeper role.
housekeeper jobsaverage housekeeper salary
Your average annual salary as a housekeeper in Greece is approximately €13,000 per year. This specific compensation package varies depending on your experience and the type of employment (seasonal or permanent). It is noted that the minimum gross monthly salary according to the Collective Labor Agreement (C.L.A.) for hotel employees in Category C is €918.18, meaning that you may start with a salary approaching €10,000 annually. With the acquisition of work experience and other factors, such as a marriage allowance, a tourism school allowance, or seasonal employment, your salary increases and can reach earnings exceeding €15,500 annually.
what factors affect the salary of a housekeeper?
As a housekeeper, your earnings depend on the scope of your duties. For instance, in a private residence, your duties range from cleaning to cooking and laundry. You may also run errands and assist with other home chores. Hence, your hourly rates are higher than those of a housekeeper with fewer responsibilities. When you work in a large hotel or institution, your compensation package depends on the employer's location and your assigned duties. The size of the hotel or organisation also affects your earnings. When you work in a small hotel, you are likely to earn less since you clean fewer rooms.
The hours you work also affect your earnings. For instance, when you work full-time, you earn a higher hourly rate than housekeepers who work part-time.
types of housekeepers
Housekeeper roles have numerous areas of specialisation based on the property they are responsible for taking care of. Some of the different types of housekeepers include:
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residential housekeepers
As a residential housekeeper, you are responsible for general cleaning and maintenance in private homes. Your duties include cleaning and organising living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. You also perform laundry duties and run errands for the household.
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hotel housekeepers
As a hotel housekeeper, you are responsible for the overall cleanliness and tidiness of guest rooms and common areas in a hotel. You change bed linens and clean the rooms to ensure they are comfortable and ready for new arrivals.
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commercial housekeepers
As a commercial housekeeper, you clean commercial spaces, such as offices or retail stores. You manage a team of cleaning staff and ensure the office is well-maintained and presentable for customers and employees.
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hospital housekeepers
As a hospital housekeeper, you work in healthcare facilities to clean and sterilise the floors and common areas. You follow strict cleaning and disinfection protocols to avoid the spread of infections and ensure the proper disposal of medical waste.
working as a housekeeper
Working as a housekeeper is an exciting career if you enjoy cleaning and maintaining spaces. Let’s explore the specific duties, responsibilities and work environments of housekeepers.
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what does a housekeeper do?
Some of the duties and responsibilities of housekeepers include:
- Cleaning and sanitising: as a housekeeper, your primary duty is cleaning. That includes mopping and scrubbing surfaces to ensure rooms are tidy. You also dust surfaces and clean windows in residential and commercial settings. Other duties include vacuuming carpets, sweeping floors and disinfecting bathrooms. The areas you clean depend on your area of specialisation. For instance, in private homes, you clean kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms, while in commercial settings, you clean offices, boardrooms and common areas.
- Maintaining bedrooms: as a housekeeper, your duties include bedroom care. That involves changing bed linens, making beds, and keeping bedrooms tidy and clean. You also arrange personal items and straighten up the furniture and carpets to create a comfortable sleeping environment.
- Laundry tasks: as a housekeeper, you handle laundry tasks in hotels and private homes. Your duties include washing and drying towels, clothes, and bed linens in hotel rooms and folding them for storage. In a private home, you wash, iron, and fold clothes for the household.
- Kitchen maintenance: whether you work in commercial settings or private residences, your duties involve maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen. You clean kitchen surfaces, wipe down appliances and wash the dishes. You also empty trash cans and ensure the kitchen is hygienic.
- Performing basic maintenance and repairs: as a housekeeper, you are responsible for basic repair tasks. For instance, you change faulty light bulbs and fix loose fixtures. You also ensure the maintenance schedule is adhered to and report any repair issues to the maintenance personnel.
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work environment of a housekeeper
As a housekeeper, you work in various environments, including businesses, homes and public buildings. A typical housekeeper's workplace is indoors, and work travel is rare. However, if you supervise more than one site, travel between them is part of the job. Workplace safety is an important part of a housekeeper's responsibilities; your environment contains slip and trip hazards, while your tools include hazardous chemicals.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on the company you work for, you are likely to interact with cleaners, security guards and care workers. You may also work with maintenance personnel, such as plumbers, electricians and technicians. In hotels, you work alongside hotel managers, receptionists and chefs, while in hospitals, you collaborate with nurses, doctors and lab assistants.
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housekeeper work schedule
Like other aspects of your role, your schedule as a housekeeper is very varied. In many businesses, housekeeping staff work around the clock, and for some employers, such as hotels, holidays can be the busiest times. Changing shift schedules are also common for housekeepers. Flexibility and time management skills will help you succeed in this fast-paced job.
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career opportunities as a housekeeper
The varied nature of a housekeeper role means that you can move to a range of other positions. In a workplace with a large housekeeping department, you could advance to a senior role, such as head housekeeper or domestic services manager. Alternatively, if you're interested in focusing on the customer service aspects of housekeeping, consider moving up to a house manager position. Working as a housekeeper qualifies you for a training manager or accommodation manager position.
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advantages of finding a job as a housekeeper through randstad
Working with Randstad offers you a range of benefits.
- always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
- a range of jobs in your area
housekeeper skills and education
While you don’t need educational qualifications to become a housekeeper, the following qualifications improve your job prospects:
- Education: you don’t need additional training after lower secondary school (Gymnasio). You should consider attending vocational training courses in housekeeping or finding apprenticeships in hotel management or cleaning. Most employers expect you to know the health and safety policies in cleaning. You also require knowledge of cleaning and sanitation products and methods for diverse work environments.
- Work experience: you require cleaning experience to work as a housekeeper. Though most companies provide on-the-job training, having previous experience improves your chances of landing a job. Working in hospitals may require some health and safety certifications, and you should know how to handle hazardous waste.
competencies and characteristics of housekeepers
Some of the skills and traits of housekeepers include:
- Time management: to be a successful housekeeper, you require good time management skills. For instance, you should finish cleaning and changing bed linens on time. Your time management skills help you allocate sufficient time to each task and ensure you don't fall behind. If you work for a housekeeping company and clean different companies in a week, you can use an online calendar to manage your cleaning schedule.
- Attention to detail: as a housekeeper, you ensure rooms are tidy and that maintenance tasks are handled. You require attention to detail to notice misplaced cords, crooked towels and dust on appliances. Your detail-oriented skills help you maintain tidiness and make the visitors comfortable.
- Physical stamina: as a housekeeper, you spend many hours on your feet, and your job involves bending and lifting items when cleaning.
- Communication skills: as a housekeeper, your communication skills help you pass information effectively and clearly. When you are working with a cleaning crew, your communication skills help you relay instructions clearly. Depending on the clientele, some hotels may require fluency in languages like Greek, English or French.
FAQs
Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of a housekeeper.
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how much does a housekeeper make in Greece?
As a housekeeper in Greece, you earn an average salary of €16,000 per year or an hourly rate of approximately €6. In an entry-level role, your compensation package is lower since you have minimal experience. You take home a salary of €13,000 per year, but with experience, the amount increases gradually, and you can take home over €18,000 annually.
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what is a housekeeper supposed to do?
As a housekeeper, you maintain cleanliness and ensure the house is tidy. You change the bedding, make beds, change towels and dust surfaces. You also do laundry and wash dishes in the kitchen.
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is there a difference between a maid and a housekeeper?
A maid is employed for a specific caregiving task, like taking care of a toddler. A housekeeper has a broader range of tasks, including cleaning, running errands and overseeing other household staff.
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what should a housekeeper not do?
A housekeeper is not expected to handle deep cleaning and outdoor window washing tasks. Housekeeper duties don't extend to child care, pet care, lifting heavy objects or moving furniture.
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what makes a good housekeeper?
You require physical stamina and fitness to excel as a housekeeper. Your physical fitness helps you stay on your feet and bend for long hours when mopping and scrubbing floors. Being attentive to detail is also a useful trait for housekeepers.
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how do I find a job as a housekeeper?
Finding a job near you as a housekeeper is easy. Search our job offers. Have you found what you're looking for? Then submit your application using the ‘Apply’ button top right on the page. No jobs available right now? Then log in or register an account to send us your resume and we'll pass it on to a recruiter who will contact you if an opportunity opens up for you.
