We seem to hear you: houseke-what? Well, until a few weeks ago we were not very clear about what this much requested job in Queenstown was. But fate wanted us to find work as housekeepers the day after we arrived.
But let's go in parts to explain what housekeeping work consists of:
WHO IS THE HOUSEKEEPER?
It is the staff that is responsible for cleaning the rooms of a hotel or an apartment. Within the 'caste' (since it is so fashionable this term I cuel it here, that you never know how Google can raise the position!) Of housekeepers there are several categories:
- Executive cleaners (or basically cleaners)
- Housekeeping's supervisor
- Housekeeping's manager
That translated means that executive cleaners are the cleaners who follow the orders of the supervisor who in turn follows the manager's orders.
The funniest thing of all is that after about 10 days Lety has been appointed supervisor for what is, for all intents and purposes, the absolute mistress and mistress of Roberto and Jairo, who have to obey the Italian Nazi-Powder without blinking .
WHAT DOES HOUSEKEEPER DO?
Our company manages 3 luxury aparthotels in Queenstown and the best team in the world New Zealand housekeeper (obviously we) take care of cleaning the rooms of one, while another team takes care of the other two (and by the way, always find more muffins and gifts than us).
So far so good. Now, apparently, we did something bad (very bad) in the past since karma has been presented in the form of a horrible hotel with the heaviest beds in the world that some afternoons, at the end of our work in the aparthotel, we have to clean. (Nor can we complain a lot because there are people who spend here too all day! Buuu).
The good thing is that we have 2 minutes walk from home. The trouble is that we told the manager and whenever he needs help he calls us. We are considering changing phones ... moving!
I AM INTERESTED WHERE YOU WORK, NOT WHAT YOU DO!
Fuck what a handsome character! Take a lime and sit down I tell you now:
Lety, Jamilly and Gonzalo (the supervisors) enter at 08.30 and until 09.45 we 'theoretically' take care of preparing the bags with the sheets and towels for the floors to be cleaned during the day. I say 'theoretically' because VERY rarely find all the material to do it and it must be said ... the company is not very organized to say. Come on, it is more disorganized than a gypsy wedding (with the passing of the weeks the thing has gotten better and today the bags are prepared without any problem jiji).
At 09.30 Rober, Jairo, Ana, Ivana, Bianca, Soren, Jess, Sanna, Alyson and pouf arrive, fixed some escapes me (by the way, there is always someone who starts the shift at 05.30 #auch, usually Rober or Gonzalo , to clean the hotel restaurant) and we drive to our aparthotel. Here we meet a few seconds in our staff-room and do a couching session ... just kidding, we catch the boxes with the amenities (tea bags, coffee, soaps, toilet paper, kleenex and other things), the bag with the rags, the 'fusfus' basket (what the hell are they called? Glass cleaner sprayers and other cleaning products?) and we go to the B2B rooms (to be finished before 2:00 p.m., check in time).
The COC rooms are the ones that are cleaned without haste (as guests who are going to enter do so the next day so “no rush”)
There are 3 types of floors:
- 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom (studio)
- 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen + living room (floor)
- 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 kitchen + living room (floor + studio)
The main tasks are:
1) Remove bed sheets
2) Make the bed
3) Clean the bathrooms
4) Shit on everything (but not in the baths by God)
5) Clean the kitchen
6) Clean the dust
7) Vacuum
8) Pass the mop
The supervisor must also be in charge of 'leading' the team (in my case it is not necessary since everyone knows perfectly what to do and how), to 'review' the work of others and to do inventory / maintain the Stock at a decent (at least) level.
We usually do rotating shifts so that everyone does everything and that there is not the typical fucking that only does baths (although the other day I managed not to have to vacuum even once hehe I am a diabolical 'boss').
HOW MANY HOURS DOES A HOUSEKEEPER WORK?
It depends on the amount of rooms we have to do. There were days when at 14.00 we were ready and others that until 17.30 we continue to work. There were weeks of about 40 hours, others of 30 and one of 25! As a rule, our contract guarantees us about 30 hours per week.
HOW MUCH DOES A HOUSEKEEPER CHARGE?
It depends on the company. The base salary / hour in New Zealand is $ 14.50 (€ 9) although in our case the company pays better: $ 16 (€ 10) for executive cleaners and $ 18 (€ 11.3) for supervisor.
IT'S HARD?
Po zi. We, taking away some experiences from when we were young (from the series 'I at your age ...') never did physical work (Rober was administrative and I rrhh) so our back, feet, legs, hands, arms, thighs, fingers, nails, hairs went from a state 'living the life of yuppi' to 'what the hell is going on here'.
You are standing for many hours, you duck, you get up, you go up and down stairs, you carry weight ... although everyone gets used to it, and every week, because it is tired it seems more bearable.
THE GOOD
The divine thing about work is that almost every day we find pleasant surprises: today for example we find in a kitchen a bottle of coffee liquor and an ice cream = paradise! Other days we found a frozen chicken of 2 kg, bottles of vodka, beers, veal (which we cooked and ate at the moment as if we were in our house!), Eggs, chocolates, muffins, sugar, salt, oil (the funny thing is that when we are missing something at home, the next day we find it on some floor ... cool!)
THE DRAMA
Obviously the drama was not lacking ... but we will talk about this in the coming weeks! That before we hope that the last payroll arrives to tell us all “the incredible secrets of the Queenstown housekeepers caste!”
