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Housekeeper

Hospitality & Tourism

Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Hospitality & Tourism

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
  2. 2Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.
  3. 3Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.
  4. 4Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated sterilizers.
  5. 5Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.
  6. 6Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
  7. 7Observe precautions required to protect hotel and guest property and report damage, theft, and found articles to supervisors.
  8. 8Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
  9. 9Sort, count, and mark clean linens and store them in linen closets.
  10. 10Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.
  11. 11Sort clothing and other articles, load washing machines, and iron and fold dried items.
  12. 12Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.
  13. 13Dust and polish furniture and equipment.
  14. 14Move and arrange furniture and turn mattresses.
  15. 15Replace light bulbs.
  16. 16Deliver television sets, ironing boards, baby cribs, and rollaway beds to guests' rooms.
  17. 17Hang draperies and dust window blinds.
  18. 18Request repair services and wait for repair workers to arrive.
  19. 19Prepare rooms for meetings and arrange decorations, media equipment, and furniture for social or business functions.
  20. 20Polish silver accessories and metalwork, such as fixtures and fittings.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • GRA
  • Maid
  • Butler
  • Cleaner
  • Bed Maker
  • Charwoman
  • Housemaid
  • Room Maid
  • Ward Maid
  • Hotel Maid

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationLess than high school

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Chemistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service81%
  • English Language64%

    English

  • Public Safety and Security64%
  • Administration and Management58%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Chemistry49%

    Chemistry

  • Education and Training47%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsAlmost never
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingAlmost none

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

6%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org