2:1 Introduction
Let's be honest. Back in the classroom, when you were asked what do you want to be when you grow up?, the last thing you'd expect to be doing is cleaning ovens. Maybe you just imagined yourself owning your own business, because for many... working for others just isn't in their nature. If that sounds like you, then this is the perfect business opportunity. It's a business that lets you do the hands-on labour work, and you don't answer to any boss, because you are your own boss. Or would you rather be employed?
If that's the case, then the certification, alongside other cleaning credentials will boost your employment prospects. The reason being that there's very few businesses going to exclusively hire an oven cleaner. Sure, there will be jobs in the catering and hospitality sector, but the vacancies are likely to be for general cleaning operatives, and the ovens will be just part of the job.
Employed positions for oven cleaners are rare
There aren't that many exclusive job openings for oven cleaners, but there will be job vacancies to work in a cleaning capacity in many food and hospitality businesses that would relish the opportunity to hire someone with additional certifications, other than the general Vocational certificates available.
If you're looking for employment, then there will be some scope for work, but you will generally need to either apply directly, or use this certification alongside another general cleaning certificate. That's not to say there won't be jobs, as the majority of towns have cleaning agencies. Those cleaning agencies can and often do provide oven cleaning services, in addition to a number of other domestic or commercial cleaning jobs, so you can expect to be doing more cleaning than just the oven. It's likely to be part of an overall house cleaning job rather a specialist focus on oven cleaning. It all depends on what you want to do in this line of work.
Be your own boss for the greatest rewards
Those who take the independent route and start their own oven cleaning business will have the most
benefits. The reason you'll do better as a business start-up is because of the nature of work. The vast majority of people have a love-hate relationship with their ovens. They love the baked goods that come out the oven, but they hate cleaning them.
That's where you come in to assist and there is a high demand for the service. If you work for a cleaning agency, you do the hard work and only make a fraction of what the agency charges their client.
Wouldn't you rather retain all the profits?
The only difference to you owning your business is that you'll need to build your own client base, and that means advertising. It's not difficult to do, and you'll learn what you need to know in this course. By the time you digest the information here, you will be ready to do one of the jobs that people hate. In return for your expertise, and willingness to do the cleaning that others don't want to, you can
expect rates of upwards of £50 per oven. That's a realistic pricing expectation, based on a standard oven.
More complex ovens will earn you more
When you get into AGA and Rayburn cookers, the fees will be higher, but the jobs will be longer. You'll need to decide yourself on the appropriate pricing for your service. More of that will be covered later, but just so you understand... Pricing for Rayburn cookers will be straight forward, as they always have two ovens. So the price you charge to clean one oven, you can add an additional charge for the second. Don't make the mistake of doubling your rates by charging for cleaning two ovens though, because you're going to be on the premises anyway, so you can afford the second oven discount. You're saving on the travel time between jobs so you can just include it in the quote.
If you charge £50 per standard oven, you'll be able to charge £75 for a Rayburn cooker. An AGA model will be different though, as that will dependent on the model. They vary as some models have two ovens, while others can have four ovens. For a four-oven AGA cooker, you'll be looking at higher fee. Often over £100, because the cleaning is different too, which you'll learn about in the coming modules.
With the techniques you'll learn in this course, you'll be able to clean a standard domestic oven in a couple of hours. For AGAs and Rayburns, you may need to allow up to 4-hours.
2:2 Commercial or Domestic Oven Cleaning? Or why not both?
You can work exclusively in either sector. If you're catering to households, you could have one oven cleaned in two hours. For a commercial business, you may need to allow a full day for the cleaning. You can of course, cater to the two sectors, provided you can manage your time efficiently and are confident you can manage bookings, and avoid a double booking, or over-shooting the time you have to get the job done. Catering businesses will rely on oven cleaning contractors to help maintain or improve their food hygiene rating and this can provide you with a stable contract with regular income.
2:3 You Can Work on a Flexible Basis
If you choose to go down the self-employed or agency route, you have a chance to work on a flexible basis.
This is beneficial for the following groups of people:
Students
Parents
Retirees
Anybody whose circumstances call for flexible working opportunities Working on a flexible basis gives you the chance to organise your opportunities around your life, but this does require self-motivation. When you agree to do a job, the customer expects you at that time. Don't develop a reputation for your customer to expect a phone call on the morning you're booked to do the job, saying you'll need to reschedule. While self-employment is a great thing as you can choose the hours you work, you need to follow through and actually do it. That's what's meant by self-motivation. The ability to do the jobs you're scheduled to do, and not cancel just because you can.
2:4 The Additional Benefit of Self-Development in a Flourishing Business
Whether you are in the middle of a career or yet to establish one, this is a fantastic opportunity for self-development. Initially, you may find that you begin your ventures with a hands-on approach. However, there's no reason why you cannot develop other aspects of your business mind as your skills progress. As you and your oven cleaning ventures flourish, you can begin taking charge of marketing, administration, and obtaining new clients. With a business-like approach, you can attract on-going clients. Eventually, you may find that you are able to manage your own team of employees and take a back seat approach.
Perhaps seek the advice of a legal expert in business and branch out to your very own franchise. There really is huge potential in the oven cleaning sector. As with any business, this is going to require a little dedication on your part. Throughout this process, you will learn how to market yourself, use chemicals, manage business prospects, and handle tax. As you begin to develop, you should find that being an oven cleaner meets your needs just nicely.
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