Companion to domestic housekeeper
A companion already meets 25% of what the domestic housekeeper role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
78.5/ 100
1 How much of what a domestic housekeeper is expected to do is already part of a companion’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the domestic housekeeper role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A domestic housekeeper role treats 7 of its required skills as things a companion already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- buy groceries
- clean rooms
- clean surfaces
- iron textiles
- make the beds
- remove dust
What stands in the way is 16 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A domestic housekeeper role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a companion background worth leading with.
- already held make the beds handling and moving
- already held wash the laundry handling and moving
- already held buy groceries communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held remove dust handling and moving
- already held provide dog walking services handling and moving
- already held feed pets handling and moving
All 12 carried skills, including the 7 the domestic housekeeper role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 46 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn store kitchen supplies required
- still to learn vacuum surfaces required
- still to learn handle chemical cleaning agents required
- still to learn maintain cleaning equipment required
- still to learn perform cleaning duties required
- optional, not held polish silverware optional
- optional, not held clean household linens optional
- optional, not held wash the dishes optional
- optional, not held clean glass surfaces optional
- optional, not held handle linen in stock optional
- optional, not held perform outdoor cleaning activities optional
- still to learn monitor kitchen supplies required
- still to learn supervise housekeeping operations required
- still to learn maintain personal hygiene standards required
- still to learn manage schedule of tasks required
- optional, not held organise wine cellar optional
- optional, not held oversee maintenance work optional
- optional, not held arrange special events optional
- optional, not held collect mail optional
- optional, not held disseminate messages to people optional
- optional, not held manage cleaning activities optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn order supplies required
- still to learn satisfy customers required
- optional, not held communicate with youth optional
- optional, not held follow written instructions optional
- optional, not held give instructions to staff optional
- optional, not held promote human rights optional
- optional, not held teach housekeeping skills optional
- still to learn maintain inventory of cleaning supplies required
- still to learn control of expenses required
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- optional, not held assist children with homework optional
- optional, not held serve beverages optional
- optional, not held serve food in table service optional
- optional, not held tend to elderly people optional
- optional, not held attend to children's basic physical needs optional
- optional, not held greet guests optional
- optional, not held supervise children optional
- optional, not held support children's wellbeing optional
- still to learn cleaning techniques required
- optional, not held lawn care optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a domestic housekeeper role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 identify customer's needs practise this
- 02 maintain inventory of cleaning supplies practise this
- 03 monitor kitchen supplies practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held buy groceries skill
- already held clean rooms skill
- already held clean surfaces skill
- already held iron textiles skill
- already held make the beds skill
- already held remove dust skill
- already held wash the laundry skill
- already held assist clients with special needs skill
- already held feed pets skill
- already held provide dog walking services skill
- already held use cooking techniques skill
- already held use food preparation techniques skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held control minor maintenance optional
- optional, not held maintain gardening equipment optional
- optional, not held dietary regimes optional
30 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held polish silverware optional
- optional, not held assist children with homework optional
- optional, not held clean household linens optional
- optional, not held lawn care optional
- optional, not held organise wine cellar optional
- optional, not held oversee maintenance work optional
- optional, not held serve beverages optional
- optional, not held serve food in table service optional
- optional, not held tend to elderly people optional
- optional, not held wash the dishes optional
- optional, not held arrange special events optional
- optional, not held attend to children's basic physical needs optional
- optional, not held clean glass surfaces optional
- optional, not held collect mail optional
- optional, not held communicate with youth optional
- optional, not held control minor maintenance optional
- optional, not held dietary regimes optional
- optional, not held disseminate messages to people optional
- optional, not held follow written instructions optional
- optional, not held give instructions to staff optional
- optional, not held greet guests optional
- optional, not held handle linen in stock optional
- optional, not held maintain gardening equipment optional
- optional, not held manage cleaning activities optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform outdoor cleaning activities optional
- optional, not held promote human rights optional
- optional, not held supervise children optional
- optional, not held support children's wellbeing optional
- optional, not held teach housekeeping skills optional
16 held skills the domestic housekeeper role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accompany people skill
- not needed by the target role administer appointments skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role empathise with the healthcare user skill
- not needed by the target role give advice on personal matters skill
- not needed by the target role keep company skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role prepare ready-made dishes skill
- not needed by the target role prepare sandwiches skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role relate empathetically skill
- not needed by the target role support individuals to adjust to physical disability skill
- not needed by the target role support nurses skill
- not needed by the target role use gardening equipment skill
- not needed by the target role wash vehicles skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cleaning techniques required
- optional, not held lawn care optional
- optional, not held dietary regimes optional
Common questions about this move
Can a companion become a domestic housekeeper?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A companion already covers 25% of what a domestic housekeeper is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 7 of which the domestic housekeeper role treats as required.
What skills does a companion need to become a domestic housekeeper?
16 required skills are missing, plus 30 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is identify customer's needs.
How hard is the move from companion to domestic housekeeper?
Its learning distance is 78.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.