Obtaining a cleaning contract in the state or private school system is a lucrative way to grow your business. These contracts aren’t easy to come by though and competition is fierce. Michael Brooke, director of Carpet Cleaning Sydney, offers insights on how to obtain and hold onto one of these highly sought after positions.

Schools conjure up images of playgrounds full of children, teachers expanding minds and parents picking up kids. In the cleaning industry though, things are a little different. When the bell rings at the end of the school day, ours is just getting started. It’s not until after that final bell that we come in and work our magic.

School cleaning is the type of work that can take your business to another level. Obtaining work in this sector means you’ll be guaranteed steady income for at least two to three years. However, winning the business isn’t as simple as sending off a quote and hoping for a call back. There’s a lot of hard work to be done if you plan on becoming a school cleaner.

How to get the contract

Commercial contracts in schools are usually put out to tender. That means a description of the job goes out to the public and you’ll have to put together a proposal on why you’re best suited to the job. For catholic schools you’ll be applying through the CEO (Catholic Education Office) or local equivalent; for public schools the Department of Education for your state; for larger private schools you may apply to the school directly.

If you aren’t used to commercial cleaning this may be foreign to you. The tenders will outline specific requirements of the school. You should answer as thoroughly as possible and know that your application will be heavily scrutinised. The following are some useful tips for writing a successful tender application:

• Be clear, concise and fill out all appropriate questions in only the space provided (no waffling)
• Be specific about your costs and give exact pricing including GST
• Provide all relevant details including ABN, your company profile and compatibility statement
• Outline all relevant insurances you hold
• Explain whether or not you will sub-contract any of the work to external companies
• Choose excellent referees that will praise you
• Submit on time and preferably early to show you are serious

Following the advice above will put you in a great position. You’ll seem professional and on the ball which is exactly what a school is looking for in a professional cleaner.

Company and employee requirements 

As mentioned above, you’ll need to make sure you have all appropriate insurances in place. It’s a good idea to organise this before submitting your application. If you don’t have insurance you won’t even be considered.

On top of that all employees working on school premises will need to have a Working With Children Check. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. It is absolutely essential! If you plan on applying for any contracts I’d recommend you start the process now for any employees who will be on site. It’s better to have the checks completed and included along with your application. This looks more professional and shows the school you are serious about getting the work because you’ve been proactive.

What you’ll be required to do

As the school cleaner there’ll be a collection of tasks you’ll be expected to complete. The good news is that most of these are fairly typical for any cleaner. Most schools will require a presence nearly every day after hours (typically starting around 4pm). In particular the bathrooms and toilets will be cleaned every day of the school year.

Products and equipment needed

Most cleaning tasks in schools won’t be difficult for any experience cleaner. Getting the business is actually a lot more difficult than the actual job. Therefore, the type of equipment needed is fairly standard. On top of the typical cleaning products I’d recommend buying a couple of heavy duty backpack vacuum cleaners. This will save you a whole bunch of time when vacuuming the classrooms.

One thing to consider is the use of green and eco-friendly products. In recent times children are developing more allergies and reactions to some chemicals. This results in flair ups of things like asthma and other respiratory problems. Using only green certified, naturally occurring products can minimise this drastically. Of course, natural doesn’t always mean safe and you’ll need to provide the school with SDS (Safety Data Sheet) forms for any products you decide to use.

Hopefully this article has inspired a few cleaners out there to tackle the school cleaning industry. It’s a competitive space to be sure but one that can be lucrative, rewarding and aid in your success.

This first appeared in the November/December issue of INCLEAN magazine.