[Ian_Giles]

It's the 'Stan Ogden/George Formby' effect isn't it?
The image of the lower working class man with a flat cap, a pushbike and a wooden pointer over his shoulder....
Just like the 'binmen' or the 'road sweepers'....

I had one account where they were perfectly happy to pay me really good money, but then I turned up in a brand new van, all sign written and they totally changed, it was like they just could not get their head around the fact that I was earning enough to buy a new vehicle.
The guy decided to go once a month instead of fortnightly, his reason being because he resented paying for my van.

So I put the price up £15 

It only happens occasionally though..just another form of bigotry.

Ian

[Mr. S]

We're always gonna be frowned upon for being just a 'winda kleener', as my mrs does! But why is it then that a few of my mates in pretty good jobs have wanted to get in on my business in the past?

I seem to remember somebody a long time ago on here saying they used to b an accountant, why give that up if window cleaning is so low class?

As mentioned in a previous post i refer to myself as a VISION TECHNICIAN, its on my baby son whos 1 yr old, birth certificate. Im proud of it!

SH** i spelt birf sutificat rite!....... Cant be that much of a dunce!

[KJG]

...

As mentioned in a previous post i refer to myself as a VISION TECHNICIAN, its on my baby son whos 1 yr old, birth certificate. Im proud of it!

...

I wasn't as quick thinking as you. My nipper's got window cleaner on his birth certificate. Kicked myself when I got out, I could have put astronaut or scientist.

[dai]

Think of it this way, A student starts in collage, first he/she takes out a whacking great loan, bums off their parents for 3 years and then starts a job. Depending on what they do, they will start at 16 to 20k a year, and up to their necks in debt.
A window cleaner starts his round, in about 3 years his earnings should be about 25k, and he is debt free.
I think that a good round should be worth a hell of a lot more than twice the monthly take. But you can still buy a round for 5 grand that lets you start at 25k per year.
 Compare that to student loans, tuition fees, and 3 years of not earning.
Nothing wrong with window cleaning It's just that some of the public have a flawed sense of perception.
I heard this morning of a window cleaner in Wrexham, he has 6 vans on the road, a new big house, and a twin turbo porsche parked outside.
I would just like to know how he manages to keep all his workers on a self employed basis, But that's a topic for a new thread. Dai

[dudek]

'Where theres muck theres brass ' and it will always be that way, bless the bloke who invented glass

[TERRY AB]

I have been in this Trade for over 20 years, at the beginning I like most WCs
thought this was not the type of work to be proud of, but after a few years I came to the recognition that I always had plenty of work and enought money to  have a reasonable life style and im proud to be a Window Cleaner, lots of mates/blokes who use to try and put my job down are now out of work, getting Benefits or jealous of the fact that I can decide whether I work today or not and dont need to Bum upto the Boss or sit in a stuffy Office; I am my own Boss.
This Trade will be there as long as we have windows, I know Im good at what I do and so do my customers, who cares what some Tosse*s think about the Job I have loads of Job satisfaction, who can say that of there Job nowadays ?.
Terry

[pylofm]

I know that I sometimes think that I am of low social status being a window cleaner....before anyone rips my head off....that is just me...I used to have jobs where I had 'status' within organisations and I do sometimes feel that I am just the window cleaner...

But when I read this forum I feel much better and it is only occasionally that I feel low....but today I only did 2 hours work and took in what I normally do in a day...so today I am on a 'high'

So what I am trying to say is that perhaps the perception of status is just in my head...maybe others feel the same?

I have only had 1 occasion that someone has been a 'funny', 2 weeks ago I was due to clean a particular house and a specific day (no time given to customer) and when I got there I saw her turn up and said hello which she just ignored me, so I let it go, then when driving home I stopped at a junction and let her cross, she again just ignored me (despite looking directly at me), then when I got home there was a answerphone message from the Lady complaining saying that she had waited in all morning with the window shut for me to come (remember I do give days but not times), then she phones my house and says she was not happy with the clean...her husband gets on the phone and then says he was not happy with the clean...I explained that I was sorry and that from the snotty phone call from his wife and her blanking he could have the clean for free and find another window cleaner....then he got all apologetic...but despite this they are still dumped...
Cheers
Dave.

[Tosh]

Prior to window cleaning I was a Staff Sergeant - in a Warrant Officer's post - some lads, because of the job I did called me, 'Sir'; mistaking my rank for my position, when I really should've been called, 'Staff'.  (I used to pretend to 'abuse myself' when this happened ).

But I've never been pretentious and to be honest the only time I feel like someone's trying to put me down and tell me I'm ONLY window cleaner is when they either:

Say, 'Not this month, mate', without an explanation.

Or

Drop me curtly without an explanation.

Mind you, I usually don't let them get away with it.

A few of my old friends are surprised by my occupation, but I haven't got an eighth of the stress that they suffer and financially I'm doing better than many of them; so I don't really care what people think.

[EasyClean]

Tosh:
 
when I was in the army, I was always welding up cars for people after they failed MOT's. I was earning a nice second income whilst being paid for being in the army.
It got to the stage that I was buying 3/4/5 cheap cars at a time and picking the best bits and combining them all into 1 or 2 cars (legally and above board I might add), then selling them on.
From my profits I bought a Porsche 944 Turbo with all the full body accessory kits and extra wide low profile wheels etc.
I use to live out of army camp permanently even though i was suppose to be a resident of the barrack/s. Every time I use to drive into camp i would be saluted because the people on guard duty thought I was an officer because they were too afraid to check my identity card properly otherwise they would have spotted it straight away. I was only a corporal but I use to have a giggle over it.

Back to window cleaning, I don't care what social status people regard me as, I'm proud of who and what I am now as a window cleaner and couldn't give a monkeys what others think!