what should I charge?

Question

My son's preschool had a cleaning position available, with the compensation being a tuition reduction.  I accepted the position, but she's always done the cleaning herself (it's a private school) and doesn't know what to pay me... and I don't know what to charge.

It's a Montessori School so clean lots of little pieces, open shelves for toddler classroom and preschool/Kindergarden classroom, sweep and mop eating area, vacuum both rooms, and a bathroom.  Tonight it took me a little over 4 hours to do a thorough cleaning and I was working as fast as possible, and use my own cleaning solutions.

Thanks for your help Y!A'ers!

Sue · Accepted Answer

The owner or director should call around to other Montessori schools to see what they pay their cleaners.  I suggest you call around to other schools in the area and ask what they pay for their cleaning service.  Maybe even call a few house cleaners out of the penny Saver and see what they charge.  Be sure and let them know that you provide the cleaning supplies, then negoiate.  I suspect you can get at least $10.00 an hour.  You need to get a written job description from the school to make sure you are clear on what is expected as far as duties and the time it takes you.  I would keep track of the time you put in (like a time card) so that there is no  problem with how long the job takes.

centsless · Answer

You have to decide what your time is worth. $5 an hour? $6 an hour. And don't forget to add a little, say $.25 more an hour because you supply the cleaning solution.

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what should I charge?

2 Answers