I'm looking to hire a Housekeeper/Helper. The tasks will include various household chores (laundry, dishes, floors, trash, etc.) and sometimes running rrands (such as mailing a package or picking up a few things from the store), as these are things I'm largely unable to do for myself. I currently have one housekeeper, but she's only able to fill two days a week (I am looking to hire for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday each week). The work generally takes around 3.5 hours, and I *STRONGLY* prefer that the housekeeper work in the morning (8-11:30am), but evening is possible (5:30-9pm). Afternoon hours will never be available, as I must sleep from 1-5pm for health reasons. I pay $50 per morning (or evening) shift, which factors out to around $15/hr.

Due to my severe health issues, however, there are some strict restrictions on who can take this job. Please read these carefully, as the vast majority of applicants do not and a good portion of those who do proceed to lie and then quit after their first day. PLEASE don't do this to me. It causes me a great deal of exhaustion and pain to train someone and having them quit on the second day because of pet allergies they lied about not having or quite after a couple weeks because they found "something better" makes things very difficult for me.

1. Nicotene/Smoking - If absolutely *ANYONE* you live with smokes or uses ANY nicotene product (including vapes and patches) or if you are exposed to smoke at another job you work, you absolutely cannot work for me. No, it doesn't matter if the boyfriend only smokes outside. The residue could still literally kill me (at the very least, it will make my skin feel like it's on fire and cause severe enough chest pains that it often leaves me bedridden for days). 

2. Good Health - This is not a job for people with physical disabilities like me. It is a job helping someone who cannot do normal tasks for herself without a great deal of pain and exhaustion. If you are having health problems (bad back, bad knees, etc.) this is isn't a good job for you. (This is, in fact, the reason the previous housekeeper quit after working only 4 days...) It's physically demanding and involves getting down on the floor, climbing stairs, etc. You have to be in good health to do it.

3. Cold/Flu/COVID - I am severely immuno-compromised. Even a normal cold or cough you'd get over in a couple of days could very easily make me deathly ill for 4-6 weeks (this has happened MANY times). I am homebound, so the only way I can get sick is if the housekeepers bring something in. I will ask if you are socially distancing (because I have no idea what COVID would do to someone as physically weakened as I am, and I'd very much rather not find out), and the policy is that you cannot work for me within 48 hours of having any cold or flu symptoms, such as sore throat, vomiting, or fever. If this is a frequent problem for you (getting colds and such), then this job might not be a good fit for you.

4. Working Independantly - You need to be a detail-oriented person. I like my home to be clean, which is why I pay $50 a day out of my own pocket, but I also have fairly precise requirements. There's an instruction booklet, and I try to walk the new housekeepers through everything a few times before they are left on their own to do the tasks. However, the simple fact is that my health is unstable, and I spend a *LOT* of time in bed. This job requires that you be trustworthy enough to work even when you aren't being supervised and be able to work independantly when needed.

5. No Pet Allergies - I have multiple indoor pets, and part of the job is vaccuuming and cleaning the pet boxes (though I do not use litter as my cats prefer paper towels instead). There is cat hair and dog hair in my home. If you have pet allergies, even "mild" ones, you won't be able to do this job. This is the #1 reason why new hires quit. In fact, every time I hire a new person, it seems like I get at least 1 or 2 who lie about their pet allergies, insisting they don't have any, and then quit on day 1 or 2 because they, in fact, do. 

6. Age - I strongly prefer to hire people over age 25, though I have made exceptions to this on occassion. It has almost never worked out when I did, as people under 25 tend to have difficulty telling toilet bowl cleanser from floor cleaner (yeah, that actually happened once) or complain profuseley about being expected to get the dishes *le gasp!* clean (how could anyone ever expect such a thing... -.- ). Also, those under 25 have been the only ones to ask if they could bring a baby along to work with them (no way, not happening, ever ...because it's not safe, due to my seizure condition) or to demand babysitting money in addition to their wage (which is very much not my responcibility). Out of 8 hires of those under age 25, only 2 lasted more than a week. Nevertheless, one of those two was a great helper, so I accept that you can't judge all people in an age group by any one criteria. I just perfer those who are a bit older.

7. Female English-Speaker - You have to be female, as I do not feel comfortable hiring a man to fold my underwear and such. Also, you have to speak English fluently, preferably as your native language. I've had people who "knew" English as a second language in the past, and they've always struggled to understand the English instructions for the job and, worse, my verbal instructions (leading, in one case, to a housekeeper throwing out a $400 tablet because she didn't understahnd me tell her not to mess with the box, even though, at the time, she insisted she understood).

8. Behavior - First of all, I do not cuss, nor do I allow it in my home. What others do in their home is thir business, but, in my home, profanities are unwelcome. (This should be basic courtesy, but you'd be surprised how often it isn't these days.) Second, you have to be careful not to trigger my seizures (such as by touching an area of nerve damage, chewing gum, clicking your tongue, or eating/drinking within my hearing range without warning my to plug my ears). There is no way to stop seizures once they are triggered and nothing the ER can do to help (standard anti-seizure medications cause terrible problems that could easily prove fatal). Third, you cannot wear any perfume or anything with a strong scent, as I am sensitive to such.

9. Transportation - Because I have to have someone who can run errands from time to time, you have to have a vehicle in which no one smokes (or uses other nicotene products) and that functions well (and that you don't mind taking a pet carrier in from time to time, as my diabetic cat has to go in occassionally for blood tests).

If you are interested in this job, please submit an application through Nextech Classified's messaging system and include the following information:

- Name
- Phone Number (and please indicate if it's a cell or not and if you mind getting a text if I can't reach you by calling)
- Age
- Time slot you'd like to work (Mornings or Evenings)
- A responce to each of the nine requirements. (A single sentence on each is enough.)
- A little about yourself. (Examples: Why are you looking for a new job? Are you dependable? Have you done this kind of work before?) Anything you want to say is fine. :)

Please note that form letters advertising insanely-overpriced cleaning services (usually meant for businesses) will be ignored. You can't use your own chemicals (due to my fragile health) and I need exactly the required work to be done as the instructions say to do it (not a standard "maid" service). Furthermore, the requirements are actually quite important. If your application doesn't show that you read the requirements (as many applicants do not and then give me a "shocked Pikachu face" when I mention them), expect to be bumped to the bottom of the list.

Thank you for reading, and I hope this job sounds like a good fit for you! :)

Signed, Pamela T.