Window cleaner Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Window cleaner

Hours

40 per week
Starting salary

£15,000 + per year

The work

As a window cleaner, you would wash windows and other glass surfaces on buildings. You could:

work at ground level and may use ladders to reach upper floor windows (although for safety reasons many window cleaners now use water-fed poles)
work at heights, cleaning windows on high buildings and tower blocks using power-operated work platforms (cradles), which hang on cables from the building, or by using ropes and abseiling harnesses.

You might also be asked to do other work at heights, such as clearing gutters and cleaning paintwork or window frames.

You could be self-employed, therefore you would need to find customers, agree a price for each job, collect payments and complete your accounts and tax returns.

Hours

If you are employed by a cleaning contractor, you are likely to work a 40-hour week. If you are self-employed, you will be able to choose the hours you work – you might work longer hours in summer to earn enough money to cover the shorter days in winter.

You would usually work outdoors in most weather conditions.

Income

Window cleaners working for a contract cleaning company can earn between £15,000 and £20,000.

Self-employed window cleaners decide their own rates, and their earnings depend on how many customers they have.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You do not need any particular qualifications to become a window cleaner.

A driving licence is useful, but not essential.

You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Apprenticeships

Training and development

Once you are working as a window cleaner, you may be able to complete the following qualifications:

Level 1 and 2 Award/Certificate Diploma in Cleaning and Support Services Skills
Level 2 Award/Certificate/Diploma in Cleaning Principles.

To work at heights, you must be trained (and usually have a certificate) in the use of power-operated access equipment or abseiling techniques. You can complete courses through the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) and the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF).

If you supervise other staff you may be able to complete Level 3 Award/Certificate/Diploma in Cleaning Supervision Skills.

Skills and knowledge

willingness to work outdoors in all weathers
the ability to work at heights
awareness of safety requirements
the ability to learn to use power-operated lifting equipment, for high level cleaning.

As a self-employed window cleaner you will also need:

organisational skills to plan your own work schedule, and self-discipline to keep to it
the ability to do paperwork and keep accounts (or find someone to do this for you)
the ability to cost jobs, negotiate prices and persuade customers to pay on time.

More information

International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) (Opens new window)
Head Office
Bridge End Business Village
Crooklands
Cumbria
LA7 7NU
Tel: 01539 566084
www.ipaf.org

Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) (Opens new window)
Kingsley House
Ganders Business Park
Kingsley
Bordon
Hampshire
GU35 9LU
Tel: 01420 471619
www.irata.org

Asset Skills (Opens new window)
2 The Courtyard
48 New North Road
Exeter
Devon
EX4 4EP
Tel: 01392 423399
Careers Advice: careers@assetskills.org
www.assetskills.org

British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICS) (Opens new window)
9 Premier Court
Boarden Close
Moulton Park
Northampton
NN3 6LF
Tel: 01604 678710
www.bics.org.uk

Opportunities

Many window cleaners are self-employed, and start-up costs are fairly low. You could work alone, or employ other staff.

You could also find work with contract cleaners or specialist window cleaning firms. With experience, you may be able to progress to become a supervisor or manager.

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The cleaning and support services industry is part of the facilities management, housing, property, planning, and parking sector, represented by Asset Skills Sector Skills Council. The sector workforce, which has continued to grow since 1998, represents 3% of the total UK workforce.

The cleaning and support services industry covers all forms of contract cleaning including: building interiors; transport vehicles; food premises; window and facade cleaning; highways and land; plus carpets and upholstery.

Key facts:

The UK market for contract cleaning is estimated to be £5.6 billion.
There are around 448,400 people working in the industry in just over 32,000 companies.
Migrant workers make up 37% of the English cleaning workforce.
86% of all cleaning companies have 10 or less employees.

Jobs in the industry range from: cleaner, supervisor, caretaker, window cleaner, upholstery cleaner, highways and street cleaner, food premises cleaner, crime scene cleaner, manager, pest control technician.

National and regional data

The following table provides a breakdown of the number of cleaning sector employees in each of the nations and English regions.

Region	Number of employees	Regional key characteristics
East Midlands	22,000	In comparison with other English regions, the East Midlands has a high proportion (23%) of its workforce between the ages 16‐24
East Of England	45,800	The majority of the cleaning workforce (91%) in the East of England is aged over 25
London	110,200	London is the largest employer of the cleaning industry at 28%
North East	16,700	The North East employs 4% of the cleaning workforce
North West	47,100	The North West has a similar profile to the UK. The workforce is 58% female and the majority (56%) work on a part‐time basis
South East	64,600	After London, the South East is the second highest employer of the cleaning workforce at 16%
South West	27,700	A significant proportion of the cleaning workforce in the South West is female (62%)
West Midlands	24,800	A high proportion of the cleaning workforce in the West Midlands is employed on a full‐time basis (55%)
Yorkshire & the Humber	24,100	The workforce in the Yorkshire and Humber region is predominately male (59%)
Northern Ireland	9,100*	The majority of the workforce in the cleaning industry in Northern Ireland (74%) is aged 25 and over. A higher than average proportion of the workforce is female (67%)
Scotland	42,400	Scotland employs 9% of the UK cleaning workforce, with 52% employed on a part‐time basis
Wales	12,900	Wales employs 3% of the UK cleaning workforce, with a significantly high proportion employed on a part‐time basis (60%)