Domestic housekeeper to companion
A domestic housekeeper already meets 45% of what the companion role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.1/ 100
1 How much of what a companion is expected to do is already part of a domestic housekeeper’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 companion role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A companion role treats 7 of its required skills as things a domestic housekeeper already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- clean rooms
- clean surfaces
- iron textiles
- make the beds
- use cooking techniques
- use food preparation techniques
What stands in the way is 8 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 companion role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a domestic housekeeper 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 companion role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 5 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 accompany people required
- still to learn prepare ready-made dishes required
- still to learn prepare sandwiches required
- still to learn empathise with the healthcare user required
- still to learn keep company required
- still to learn relate empathetically required
- optional, not held give advice on personal matters optional
- optional, not held support individuals to adjust to physical disability optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn listen actively required
- optional, not held support nurses optional
- optional, not held use gardening equipment optional
- optional, not held wash vehicles optional
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a companion role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 accompany people practise this
- 02 prepare ready-made dishes practise this
- 03 prepare sandwiches 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 clean rooms skill
- already held clean surfaces skill
- already held iron textiles skill
- already held make the beds skill
- already held use cooking techniques skill
- already held use food preparation techniques skill
- already held wash the laundry skill
- already held assist clients with special needs skill
- already held buy groceries skill
- already held feed pets skill
- already held provide dog walking services skill
- already held remove dust skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held give advice on personal matters optional
- optional, not held support individuals to adjust to physical disability optional
- optional, not held use gardening equipment optional
- optional, not held wash vehicles optional
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held support nurses optional
46 held skills the companion role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role arrange special events skill
- not needed by the target role assist children with homework skill
- not needed by the target role attend to children's basic physical needs skill
- not needed by the target role clean glass surfaces skill
- not needed by the target role clean household linens skill
- not needed by the target role cleaning techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect mail skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with youth skill
- not needed by the target role control minor maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role dietary regimes knowledge
- not needed by the target role disseminate messages to people skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role greet guests skill
- not needed by the target role handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- not needed by the target role handle linen in stock skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role lawn care knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain cleaning equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain gardening equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain inventory of cleaning supplies skill
- not needed by the target role maintain personal hygiene standards skill
- not needed by the target role manage cleaning activities skill
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role monitor kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role organise wine cellar skill
- not needed by the target role oversee maintenance work skill
- not needed by the target role perform cleaning duties skill
- not needed by the target role perform outdoor cleaning activities skill
- not needed by the target role polish silverware skill
- not needed by the target role promote human rights skill
- not needed by the target role satisfy customers skill
- not needed by the target role serve beverages skill
- not needed by the target role serve food in table service skill
- not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role supervise children skill
- not needed by the target role supervise housekeeping operations skill
6 further entries not listed here
Other moves recorded from domestic housekeeper
Common questions about this move
Can a domestic housekeeper become a companion?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A domestic housekeeper already covers 45% of what a companion is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 7 of which the companion role treats as required.
What skills does a domestic housekeeper need to become a companion?
8 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is accompany people.
How hard is the move from domestic housekeeper to companion?
Its learning distance is 54.1 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.