Chapter 313 - 311: The Housekeeping Industry

One to two hundred an hour, and cleaning one home takes at least three hours.

That kind of hourly wage was much higher than that of service staff in the hotel industry.

Seeing that Jasmine Sterling seemed to have been swayed, but was still hesitating to make a final decision, the manager directly urged her, "Don’t hesitate. You can at least give it a try, right? Everything I just said still stands. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll still pay you for your time."

And so, Jasmine Sterling finally nodded and agreed. Just as the manager said, there was no harm in just giving it a try.

After having someone take Jasmine Sterling to register and fill out the paperwork, the manager pulled the previous staff member aside. He raised his hand and gestured twice beside his mouth, reminding him, "Smile! How about some service with a smile? Look, the company almost lost a great lady with such a good image because of you!"

"Manager, she wasn’t looking for a housekeeping job in the first place."

"That was *in the first place*!" the manager said, glaring. "But look at her now! Isn’t she over there doing the paperwork?"

"The agency sends them to our door, but it’s up to us to keep them! You have to clearly explain the advantages of our company and this industry to these ladies. A lot of people are prejudiced against our line of work. What they don’t know is that here in Lorcain, the demand for our housekeeping services far outstrips the supply. Everyone’s so busy they don’t have time to clean. Our industry is an essential service for the city, and it has huge potential for growth!"

The staff member gave a wry smile and nodded. "You’re something else, Manager. That’s why you’re the one in charge."

’He could talk a dead man back to life.’

"Stop trying to flatter me. If you get one more person to stay, you earn more commission. This one’s on you. Don’t let me see you slacking off again. If this lady decides to stay on, remember to get her health certificate processed. Then, push her to get her maternity nurse certification and all that too. This lady’s appearance and demeanor are big pluses. Clients’ standards for these things are getting higher and higher these days. We have to cherish employees like her."

"Understood. Thank you, Manager."

After Jasmine Sterling registered her information, the staff member handed her over to a senior employee named Mina.

Mina was forty-eight years old and also had a pleasant appearance. She looked kind and well-kept, the type of person clients would subconsciously like and trust.

These were her own natural advantages. Not only did clients like housekeepers like her, but the company did as well.

That was why the manager had been so insistent on keeping Jasmine Sterling.

"Perfect. I’m heading to a regular client’s place at Phoenix Water Gardens in a bit. She can come with me," Mina said.

The staff member instructed Jasmine, "Jasmine, since you haven’t done this before, just follow Mina’s arrangements. If there’s anything you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask her. She’s trained a lot of newcomers!"

Jasmine Sterling nodded. "Then I’ll be counting on you to teach me, Mina."

"Don’t mention it. You should go get your cleaning tools first. The company provides all these everyday consumables. All we have to do is do a good job and keep the customers satisfied."

Not long after getting the tools, Jasmine Sterling set off with Mina. Another person was with them, a woman older than Jasmine who went by Warner.

On the way, Mina said to Jasmine, "Jasmine, you’re really lucky. You got into A Level right off the bat. Your appearance is a great asset; high-end clients really care about that."

"This is the first I’m hearing that housekeeping services are tiered. Is A Level the highest?" Jasmine asked curiously.

Mina nodded. "That’s right. Below that are the B Level and C Level teams."

She sighed softly before continuing, "Sigh. I’m not trying to be discriminatory, but the reality is that those who come from the countryside—especially those who have just arrived and don’t know how to present themselves—can only stay in C Level. The company won’t assign them to high-end clients."

"They’re all hard workers, but they can be a bit clumsy. What if they break something? How could they afford to pay for it? Besides, high-end clients are reluctant to let people like that into their homes to clean. They just feel resistant to the idea."

Warner, who was beside them, chimed in, "Some people can’t get into A Level because they don’t have a ’good face.’ Some clients are even picky about regions, flat-out refusing to hire people from certain places. Oh, they are incredibly picky!"

"So, A Level makes the most money?"

"Of course. The B and C Levels only get a few dozen an hour. It’s because the clienteles are different. High-end clients have big houses, so they pay a higher hourly rate. Both Warner and I worked for over a year and got promoted to A Level through good reviews. We weren’t as lucky as you, getting spotted by the manager right away."

Hearing this, Jasmine Sterling felt a little awkward. "Doesn’t that make me an exception, then? Won’t the others think... something of it?"

"No, you’re not an exception. There have been others with good qualifications like you who got into A Level right away. There aren’t many people in A Level, so we’re short-staffed. The manager doesn’t dare lower the standards for fear of losing clients, so the evaluation is also strict."

"Those of us who get into A Level really cherish it because the income is several times higher. So we work more carefully. The manager calls it a virtuous cycle."

Jasmine Sterling was actually a bit shocked to hear this. She hadn’t expected a housekeeping company’s evaluation system to be even stricter than a five-star hotel’s.

When they arrived at the client’s residential complex, a single glance at the main gate was enough to tell this was a luxury neighborhood in Lorcain. The security guard had to notify the owner and get permission before they could enter.

The door was opened by a woman of about thirty. She was wearing a silk robe and a face mask, with a particularly lustrous Imperial Green jade pendant hanging around her neck.

"Hello, Miss Lawson."

Since this was one of Mina’s regular clients, Mina greeted her naturally. Because of the face mask, Miss Lawson just gave a slight nod in response. She watched the three of them deftly put on clean shoe covers before stepping aside to let them in.

The residence was a large, single-floor apartment of over four hundred square meters. As far as the eye could see, it looked clean and tidy, with no obvious messes at all.

But this was where professional housekeeping came in. Serving high-end clients was all about the details. Dusting, mopping, and wiping down cabinets were just the basic operations; the real work was digging into the fine points, ensuring every single spot was left spotless.

"Jasmine, since this is your first time, don’t work alone. Stick with me. We’ll start with the master bathroom, and I’ll teach you step-by-step," Mina said to Jasmine.

Jasmine nodded. Warner went to the kitchen by herself.

Meanwhile, the homeowner, Miss Lawson, curled up on the living room sofa, listening to soft music and doing her skincare routine as if no one else was there, exuding the effortless air of the wealthy.

Cecilia Sterling would never have dreamed that after just two or three days of not being home, her mother had already found a job. And not just any job—it was in the housekeeping industry.

She couldn’t even bear to let her mother clean their own large villa by herself, yet here her mother was, going off to clean someone else’s house!