Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Training first employee

adamangler

Wakefield Window Warrior
Messages
4,263
Location
Wakefield
For those that have trained up a window cleaner with no experience...any advice?

I will be setting on my brother (half brother hence the age gap) in the next few weeks. He will turn 17 next month so only a whipper snapper. 

Going to try him out for a few weeks first to see how we both get on and if it's all good he will be working with me 1 possibly 2 days a week for the next couple of years whilst he is at college.

Anyway, in terms of training him up to water fed pole what is the best way to go about it?

I'm thinking to let him watch me for a bit, explain what we are trying to achieve etc then watch him whilst he tries to replicate it.

It seems simple but actually there is quite a lot of small points to show him when you think  about it.

Anyone got any advice on best way to teach ? How long would you think it would take him to pick up. 

When I think back to how I started refined my way of working over many months and probably clean a lot different to when I first cleaned a house.

 
I would initially let him work on your house, or preferably his, whichever is the hardest. Then take him out on the "easy days" and go from there. 


Yeh that's as good shout. I suppose first few week I would be lucky to break even on him and most likely make a loss whilst he gets up to speed. Which is fine. Need to know he really wants to do it first before I invest in all the associates expenses as young lads like that can be lazy little swines lol

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I would start tomorrow, I know it's a "rest day" but it will save you losing time during the week. And if he doesn't fancy working on a Sunday it will give you an idea of what he'll be like later.

 
There are loads of tutorials on you tube to watch. Sit him down talk him through tutorial. Then on your day of bring him round your house show him the kit how it works then get him to wash the widows again and again until he has a idea of it. There are loads of things to teach him but on the job when working is the only way as to many. Tackle them as they come up.

Leave him practising alone for a period as it will be daunting you watching over him nd he will get twitchy. Best of luck be prepared to have your patience streched to its limits. As long as he has go in him, he will be fine. You normally have to go through a couple of full of **** time wasters before finding a half decent one. 

 
I would just take him out and chuck him in the deep end

Give him a pole and make him do bottoms so he can see the sills etc and tell him to crack on

That is how i learned trad.. just given squeegee and applicator.. shown how to do it on 1 window then told to keep up and i was tradding perfectly fine within a couple of hours.. less detailing on each window i did

Sink or swim type situations make you pick it up quick.. then you can work on the finer points as you go

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Remember health and safety, it,s a statutory obligation. Plus the big thing is with a novice,when training, what you think is obvious does not mean it is obvious to the learner.

You have to be explain to him  why certain things are done in certain sequences etc, not just told to do it a certain way without explanation.

 
Get him to scrub well, then rinse well, then maybe wipe the sill.

dont over complicate it!

I'm having trouble making much profit on having an extra man in one van, unless we're on a big solar job. Just seem to be doing 50% more than I would do on my own. Getting a second van is critical if you want to make money I reckon.

 
I would just take him out and chuck him in the deep end

Give him a pole and make him do bottoms so he can see the sills etc and tell him to crack on

That is how i learned trad.. just given squeegee and applicator.. shown how to do it on 1 window then told to keep up and i was tradding perfectly fine within a couple of hours.. less detailing on each window i did

Sink or swim type situations make you pick it up quick.. then you can work on the finer points as you go
i was taught the same way, get shown once, talked through whilst you do it, and carry on.

For those that have trained up a window cleaner with no experience...any advice?

I will be setting on my brother (half brother hence the age gap) in the next few weeks. He will turn 17 next month so only a whipper snapper. 

Going to try him out for a few weeks first to see how we both get on and if it's all good he will be working with me 1 possibly 2 days a week for the next couple of years whilst he is at college.

Anyway, in terms of training him up to water fed pole what is the best way to go about it?

I'm thinking to let him watch me for a bit, explain what we are trying to achieve etc then watch him whilst he tries to replicate it.

It seems simple but actually there is quite a lot of small points to show him when you think  about it.

Anyone got any advice on best way to teach ? How long would you think it would take him to pick up. 

When I think back to how I started refined my way of working over many months and probably clean a lot different to when I first cleaned a house.
the method of teaching that's the gold standard uses the acronym EDIP, explanation, demonstration, imitation, practice. So in the case of wfp cleaning
Explanation: Talk through how to clean a window
Demonstration: Give a walkthrough talk through of cleaning a window
Imitation: They do it whilst you talk them through it
Practice: They do it with you watching, you give feedback, and do it again until they get it.
may take a while, probably an hour or two, so may be worth doing it as an unpaid induction afternoon on a weekend.

 
I'm in a similar situation except it's my Bro in law starting tomorrow for first time. I've trained complete beginners before and to get it in their heads to do a good job I tell them there are 5 steps: Step 1 frames, Step 2 scrub glass, Step 3 the edges of the glass (a separate step to avoid 'porthole' cleaning), Step 4 rinse from top to bottom, Step 5 the sill.

 
I would just take him out and chuck him in the deep end
Give him a pole and make him do bottoms so he can see the sills etc and tell him to crack on
That is how i learned trad.. just given squeegee and applicator.. shown how to do it on 1 window then told to keep up and i was tradding perfectly fine within a couple of hours.. less detailing on each window i did
Sink or swim type situations make you pick it up quick.. then you can work on the finer points as you go
this is how i am training the wife

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 
Back
Top