Cleaning team for schools and larger sites
Build a small crew to hold contracts for schools, childcare centres and larger offices.
- A$2k-10k
- Full-time
- Out and about
Estimates for a small start in Australia, not guarantees.
What it is
A small team that cleans bigger premises under longer contracts, such as schools, childcare centres, medical centres and multi-floor offices, working to a written scope and checklist.
Your first three steps
- Work out your costs per hour including wages, super, insurance and supplies, then set contract pricing
- Put together a simple capability statement with insurance details, a cleaning scope template and references
- Contact property managers, strata managers and local schools to ask how they source cleaning quotes
Who pays
School administrators, childcare operators, property managers, strata managers and mid-sized businesses, often through quotes or tenders.
How it makes money
Monthly contract fees per site. Income depends on winning a few larger contracts and keeping wages, supplies and travel under the contract price.
Skills that help
- Managing and rostering people
- Quoting and costing jobs
- Quality checking and client communication
Watch out for
- Employee obligations such as award wages, superannuation and workers compensation, check Fair Work and your state scheme
- Working with Children Checks needed for school and childcare sites, check your state requirements
- Public liability insurance, and check what limit larger clients require
- Contracts that are priced too low once wages and super are added
- Contractor versus employee rules if you use subcontractors, check with the ATO
Deep research report · Australia
Everything you need to start: cleaning team for schools and larger sites
Researched with live web search for Australia: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a commercial cleaning team in Australia?
Startup costs are typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of your team and the sites you take on. Treat these as estimates only and get your own quotes for equipment and insurance.
How much can a school and office cleaning team earn?
Monthly revenue is typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on the contracts you win and the size of your crew. Check that each contract is priced high enough once wages and super are added.
What rules apply to cleaning schools and childcare centres?
Things to check include Working with Children Checks under your state's requirements, award wages, super and workers compensation through Fair Work and your state scheme, and the public liability limit that larger clients require.
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