Housekeeping Assistant

Please read in conjunction with Notes for applicants.

Job description

The Housekeeping Assistant will report directly to Head of Housekeeping.

The Principal duties relate to one or more student residences, as assigned.

Daily (while students are in residence)
  1. Clean all public areas to include stairs/landings and front entrance to the house.
  2. Clean all bathrooms, toilets and replenish supplies
  3. Empty all bins and wash out if necessary
  4. Clean student bedrooms on a daily bases to include cleaning washbasins/hoovering and dusting.
  5. Clean out washing machine and dryer filters
  6. Wardens cleaning (½ hour in the warden's quarters daily or as per arrangement not to exceed 2.5 hours per week)
  7. Clean common room and kitchens
  8. Report any maintenance problems or housekeeping issues to the Supervisor
  9. Report to wardens and Head Housekeeper any damages in rooms. Also any concerns you may see over the state of a student's room.

Weekly
  1. Clean all paintwork in all areas
  2. Issue clean laundry every Wednesday and strip beds. All dirty laundry to be counted and put into laundry bags for pick up on Friday. Beds may require stripping and remaking especially in the summer months and the start of new terms.
  3. Clean laundry to be counted and put away into the laundry cupboard every Friday. Laundry sheet to be given in at the Housekeeping office.
  4. Clean irons and fridges
  5. Deep clean toilets / shower areas and change shower curtains
  6. During the week check all soft furnishings/curtains and bedding if any need attention or replacing please advise your supervisor.

Termly
  1. Spring clean all bedrooms to include pulling out of beds etc
  2. All paintwork to be washed
  3. Wash all under blankets, shower curtains and blankets.
  4. Descale kettles, defrost fridges and clean inside and behind.
  5. Any soft furnishing or carpets that need cleaning please report to your supervisor to be cleaned.

Other duties

Undertake other appropriate duties as required. (These may be in any of the College's premises).

Note there is no cleaning in warden's areas when houses are closed.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will have shown that they have the following skills, experience and attributes:
  • Recent experience of cleaning working in a Hotel or college environment.
  • Hard working, well motivated, positive attitude
  • Good communication skills and a friendly manner for dealing with students and staff
  • Need to be physically fit and capable of undertaking some moderately strenuous duties (e.g. standing for long periods and lifting
  • The ability to establish effective working relationships with colleagues and to be a good team member
  • Able to follow English in both written and oral instructions
  • Smart, tidy and clean
  • Awareness of the health and safety issues in a domestic environment

Terms and conditions

Working hours - TBC hours a week with a meal break. Some flexibility is essential here.

Working time - Hours to be agreed by Head of Housekeeping. There will be essential overtime work on Saturdays during the months of June to August.

Holidays - 17 working days per year and the period over Christmas when the College is closed (24 December – 1 January inclusive). The College operates during bank holidays and work may be required on one of more of these days, with time off in lieu.

Salary and benefits - Salary will be on St. Clare's Scale for Domestic staff which is £10,724.48 per annum Grade 1 point 1. Annual cost of living increases are considered on the 1 September each year.

Pension - A contributory pension is offered through St Clare's group personal pension scheme. The employer pays double the contribution of the employee, up to a maximum of 10% of gross salary, ie. the employer pays up to 10%, and the employee pays up to 5%. Employee's contributions above 5% may be made, but do not attract a matching contribution from the employer.

Probationary Period - The first six months will be probationary, within which notice is two weeks on either side. Thereafter notice is one month on either side.

References and checks

All offers of employment and contracts are issued subject to satisfactory references and satisfactory outcomes on completion of all necessary checks, including criminal records and establishing the right to work in the UK. In some cases some or all of these checks will have been undertaken before an offer is made. Taking up employment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of all necessary procedures.

Under the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, we are required to undertake additional checks on all employees.

Full written references, and phone references on quoted referees, including current employer, may be obtained before or after interview. You should indicate specifically if you wish St. Clare's to refrain from contacting your current employer.

Police checks / Criminal Records Bureau checks will also be undertaken, for which employees / prospective employees are required to provide information and consent. A Certificate of Good Conduct from the country you have been working is essential if you have been working overseas.

Contact with all previous employers where the employee has worked with children or vulnerable adults is also required. This is to establish the reason for leaving the position. On occasions, further information and a reference may be sought in writing, by phone or by other means. By providing details of previous employment, it is assumed that the employee/prospective employee has given consent for this contact, and no specific consent of the employee / prospective employee will be sought.

Satisfactory completion of a health questionnaire.

The College reserves the right to contact any previous employer and to make any additional enquiries it considers necessary in order to meet its responsibilities in relation to employment of people working with students who are under the age of 18.

Statutory deductions

Tax and National Insurance will be deducted from salaries in accordance with UK employment regulations. St. Clare's, Oxford will require P45s (if available) and National Insurance numbers before commencement of employment.

Further enquiries and applications

Please apply with short covering letter and current C.V., including two referees, one of which should be your current or most recent employer either by mail or by email to:

Jeanine Wilson-Tinson, Head of Housekeeping
St. Clare's, Oxford
139 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)1865 517368
Fax: +44 (0)1865 310002
Email: recruitment@stclares.ac.uk

Closing date for applications: Monday 11 April 2011
Please note that CVs without a suitable accompanying letter and/or details of referees will be discarded.