Housekeepers provide a great service to private residences, restaurants and hospitals. They do a great job and work very hard. Some housekeepers choose to own their own cleaning business while others choose to work for housekeeping agencies. Being an employee of a housekeeping agency has pros and cons. Owning your own housekeeping business also has advantages and disadvantages. There are no specific education requirements to be a housekeeper. Most housekeeping agencies will perform a background check. Owning your own business allows you to choose your work hours, how much to charge for your services and work anywhere you want. The disadvantages are not having company sponsored insurance and other benefits. Another drawback is that you have to find your own clients. Establishing a strong client base can take a long time. Placing ads on internet job boards and placing ads in local classified listings is one way to advertise your business. The best way to attract more clients is to do an excellent job for your current clients to receive referrals. Referrals are good because they can multiply and establish you as a trusted professional. The salary for a housekeeper who owns her own business will vary. It will depend on how much they charge and how many clients they have. Housekeepers who work for housekeeping agencies enjoy hourly pay with benefits. The agency already has clients lined up and ready for you to work. Each agency has their own set of rules and pricing structure. In some housekeeping agencies you are required to do light housekeeping and other agencies might require you to add laundry to the list. You'll be trained by the agency, and you'll know what is expected of you, before your first job assignment. The average salary for a housekeeper is $21,000 per year. Housekeepers who work for hospitals enjoy benefits and higher pay. The average starting salary of a housekeeper working at a hospital is $26,000. Working at a hospital will give you more opportunities to advance. Hospitals typically have above-average benefits. Hospital work can be physically demanding work but the pay is higher, and you have growth opportunities.