[Blacky]

I feel a bit embarrassed to be earning a living via the use of a plastic tub. Am I alone in thinking this?

[Simon Gerrard]

No, but you'd feel a lot better if it were via ancient shiny truck mount, you may even get some carpets clean too (only joking) 

[from edge2edge]

Pete not as embarassed as the england football(?) team..............................Alan

[Simon Gerrard]

Quarter finals...job done for a bunch of useless muppets

[Kinver_Clean]

I have cleaned for several Midland club footballers and a bigger load of drunken layabouts I have never come across.
Lounge carpets in multimillion pound homes with wine and ale stains all over- every few months.
If they were to train as well as the average athlete and did not fall out of nightclubs several times a week they would do better than the pathetic display they usually give.
Talk about inflated egos....
I have come across two out of the many I have known that I have the slightest respect for.

[andrew stone]

Last year i bumped into an old school friend who i had not seen in over 30 years.

He is a barrister. when i told him i clean carpets he gave me a bit of a funny look.

i must admit i felt a bit embarrassed.

Also i once went to do a job and the customer turned out to be a girl who was in my class at school.

She said to me "why are you doing this ? - you were quite clever at school! "

andrew

[Fran84]

We have had this discussion on here a few times 'Just a cleaner'

I really dont care what people think about me, I am my own boss.

I could've went to university and left with a degree and £50k worth of debt and I still probably be earning what I do now.

Fran

[from edge2edge]

Andrew I would have told her that it makes me happy mentally and physically and i meet lots of lovely,interesting people like you......................works for me......................Alan

[wynne jones]

How can you be embarrassed about a business you created, you enjoy doing and generates wealth for you and your family.

The last labour government decided 'thick' kids should also go to Uni, when they could have gone to tech college or the shop floor where their talents and interest lay. Now, too many people aspire to getting a degree, because anything less is career suicide apparently.

No one grew up thinking one day I want to be a carpet cleaner (unless maybe your dad did it), but lots of people want to be their own boss, create something (a business not a job) and create wealth.

Trouble is there are too many 'reluctant entrepreneurs', people who can't get a job so create one for themselves doing something they don't really enjoy, nor good at - end result unhappiness and borderline poverty.   

[Kinver_Clean]

I read in the paper yesterday ( yes I can read ) that more uni graduates are in menial jobs or unemployed than those in 'proper' jobs. I went to the local 'tech' and did engineering then did an apprenticeship and only came out of it when I got sidetracked into a clothing factory as plant engineer. Great 125 women and 5 men.

[Helen]

Last year i bumped into an old school friend who i had not seen in over 30 years.

He is a barrister. when i told him i clean carpets he gave me a bit of a funny look.

i must admit i felt a bit embarrassed.

Also i once went to do a job and the customer turned out to be a girl who was in my class at school.

She said to me "why are you doing this ? - you were quite clever at school! "

andrew

How rude of her!!!! I hope you replied accordingly

[andrew stone]

For me carpet cleaning has always been about being my own boss.

i look at it as a lifestyle business- i earn decent money but still have plenty of time for hobbies etc.

to me thats what its all about.

i think my barrister friend thought i was on £6 per hour!

andrew

[andrew stone]

Helen

i did think of a good reply for her- bit it wasnt until i was driving home from the job!

and she said i was quite clever at school???!

andrew

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Wasn't it Steven seagal in under siege who said ," I'm just the cook" then he went and shot them all!

Shaun

[homenclean]

Uni degrees dont count for that much theses days. lots of boffins without an ounce of common sense.

Was talking with some friends the other day about been self employed and they all said they would struggle to work for some one else now.

You set your own goals and the earning potential is pretty good, especially durring these hard times.

My plastic box on wheels provides me, my wife and daughter with agood standard of living. Plenty of holidays a house in a nice village and on the whole a good life style.

Working is a means to an end and is about to provide me with my season ticket for Lufc in their promotion year.

John

[Grant Whyte]

Worked in Germany for a few years where I got into cleaning, it's a recognised profession there. Qualified cleaners serve a three year apprenticeship with college blocks for theory etc.

You cannot open or start a recognised cleaning business there until you are a Meister (Master Cleaner) which requires two years part time or one year full time study which can only be done after five years experience

It's a respected profession and performing its tasks and functions is considered a professional trade.

[derek west]

Last year i bumped into an old school friend who i had not seen in over 30 years.

He is a barrister. when i told him i clean carpets he gave me a bit of a funny look.

i must admit i felt a bit embarrassed.

Also i once went to do a job and the customer turned out to be a girl who was in my class at school.

She said to me "why are you doing this ? - you were quite clever at school! "

andrew

my reply.
"yeah i know, i 'was' clever wasn't i, and now look at me running my own business, working part time for a £1000 a week, with lots of time on my hands to do eff all, tut at me for letting myself down"  

[wynne jones]

I wouldn't say anything. It's only if it bugs you you feel you have to tell them how brainy you are or how much money you make.

In fact because 'you're just a cleaner' if you tell them something about yourself they don't match up to, you can say goodbye to repeats and recommends.

[PaulKing]

Wasn't it Steven seagal in under siege who said ," I'm just the cook" then he went and shot them all!

Shaun

Better than that

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110413/quotes?qt=qt0363831

[Shaun_Ashmore]

My mate is a Financial Advicer he sometimes takes me along to freebies when he gets tickets for football matches, we meet his other Financial Advicer friends and they talk a bit of blah blah and all compare watches then out of curiousity they ask me what I do so I just tell them, me and my mate have a little game and start talking about cars they all have Ford Mondeos and Vauxhall Insignias then I come up trumps and spout out with pride "I've got a Fiat Ducato" well actually I don't I tell them what I drive and they all go quiet or mumble.

Life is what YOU make it.

Shaun