Betties Cleaning Solutions is a cleaning company working mainly with holiday homes and short-stay rentals around the Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie, and Newcastle regions in NSW. Most jobs involve cleaning Airbnbs and holiday houses between guest stays.
The cleaning office is based in a small town called Cessnock (around a 10-minute drive from the accommodation provided by the employer). Most days start at the office, where you’re assigned a van stocked with linen and cleaning supplies, then head out to complete your cleans for the day.
This role suits backpackers who don’t mind physical work, are happy being on the move during the day, and prefer daytime shifts rather than late nights. The surrounding area has wineries, cafes, and regional towns to explore, with beaches roughly an hour’s drive away. Cessnock itself isn’t the nicest town, but the surrounding areas can be really nice and quieter than city life, which may suit people after a slower pace outside of work.
2 Reviews on “Bettie's Cleaning Solutions”
⭐ 3 — Fair pay and treatment *:
The pay for cleaning is actually really good with the weekends being great, the only reason it gets a 3 stars is because one of you gets paid for the travel times from the office to the first job and back and this can sometimes make quite a big difference to pay when you’re travelling further. We would always split it but it does feel a bit frustrating sometimes when you’re on ‘work time’ but not actually getting paid for it. Some weeks there would be 10 hours difference in our pay so it could be significant.
Also there was incidences where time was shaved off and you weren’t really sure what for, make sure to take screenshots on deputy before pay day just in case. I also had a couple of times where a day hadn’t been paid for – this was sorted very quickly to be fair which is good but you do just have to keep an eye out on your payslips.
We had a period of time where everything we did felt quite nit-picked which was a bit frustrating as we worked really hard, and some of the other things we’d hear from other people made it feel a bit more personal rather than to do with our work itself.
⭐ 3 — Job matched the promise *:
This did mostly add up, hours could be a bit random (we were told 30 hours a week and sometimes would get 45 hour weeks, which we were happy with because the money was good) but this all became a bit random and some weeks we wouldn’t even get 25 hours.
The time restraints on the job were pretty tough and it was hard work, which we weren’t really prepared for though.
⭐ 2 — Work-life balance *:
We ended up working most days a week, even though some weekends were only a couple of hours you didn’t really get that much time off. You would also only find out your hours the day before working so you couldn’t even really plan what you might get up to the following day. We didn’t really mind too much because we were just there to save money as there isn’t too much going on locally. Defo not a place to go if you want a buzzy town or night life (there is a couple of pubs) but it is defo more low key. We were lucky and had social housemates which was so nice, so would have games nights/nights socialising in the house.
⭐ 4 — Friendly, easygoing team *:
The team was really lovely, as were the other backpackers we lived with. Everyone would help each other out and give you advice which was nice.
You didn’t really work with the other employees all that much, just in your couple apart from the training. This was pretty intense and you are definitely thrown in at the deep end!
⭐ 4 — Quality of accommodation (if applicable):
The accommodation was probably one of the best parts about this job haha! It was super modern, clean and had all the amenities you would need, the boss was really generous with all of this (and even let us borrow a car/one of the work vans when our car was in the garage).
It was a pretty small space considering there ended up being 4 couples living there though, the kitchen isn’t massive and a couple of the rooms are quite small (for $160 a week no matter what room you get felt like a lot). There was the main en-suite room, which the couple that’s been there the longest got which was so nice, big and also had air-con – which was a win in 37 degree heat!
⭐ 3 — Likelihood you’d recommend to a mate *:
I would say it’s quite a graft, so if you’re just looking to save money and grind then would recommend it. If you’re wanting more work/life balance and more to do and see then I wouldn’t recommend as you don’t really get that much consistent free time
Overall Experience:
Definitely wasn’t the worst experience working in Aus, would recommend for the pay and hours generally but if you want a bit more confidence in when you’re working and your time off then probably not for you
⭐ 3 — Fair pay and treatment *:
The everyday hourly rate is fair, with decent and motivating Saturday and Sunday rates. This would honestly be an easy 5 stars if it wasn’t for how travel time was handled.
Because the job is for couples only and you work together every day, only one person out of the two gets paid from the office to the first clean, and again only one person from the last clean back to the office. This wouldn’t have stung as much if it had been made clear before we started. At times it meant I was clocking 10+ more hours than my partner. We shared this between us, but realistically it meant those hours were paid at about 50%.
Another issue was some occasional slick foul play from management. Me and a few colleagues had minutes quietly shaved off almost every shift. Sometimes it added up to over 2 hours of pay missing by the end of the week (usually more subtle than that). I raised this with the boss a couple of weeks before leaving and she played dumb, blaming “errors” on Deputy and giving some pretty comical excuses. She said she’d “speak with” Deputy to sort it out.
The exact same thing happened to another couple I worked with. They never received a payslip for their final week, and the hours taken off their previous pay were never corrected either. As far as they were told, it was still “waiting on Deputy” — even two months later.
My advice would be to screenshot your hours on Deputy every day and each week so you’ve got your own evidence of what’s been changed. Unfortunately, I only started doing this about two months into the job, so who knows how many minutes got shaved off before that.
⭐ 3 — Job matched the promise *:
Overall, the job mostly matched what was promised, and the actual work itself was as advertised.
We were originally told to expect around 30 hours a week with no weekends, but this very quickly turned into 45+ hours and working 6–7 days a week. This wasn’t the end of the world for us as we were happy to earn the extra money, but it was a noticeable shift from what we were told at the start.
We were also told there would only be up to three couples living in the shared house, with two bathrooms between us. In reality, one of those bathrooms was an ensuite (naturally used by the couple who’d been there the longest), and within a month there were four couples in the house. This meant sharing a separated shower and toilet room with six people, and the kitchen with eight, which at times was a ball ache. You get around it, but some honesty on this would have been appreciated.
Other than that, there were no major surprises.
⭐ 2 — Work-life balance *:
This is a tough one to score because the hours were completely all over the place, day to day and week to week. One day you might do a 12+ hour shift, the next day only 3 hours. Some weeks were around 35 hours, others pushed 50+, with no real consistency.
A big issue was that you usually had no idea what the next day looked like until late in the afternoon or evening before. Shifts were often sent out around 4pm the day prior, and sometimes even later. This meant you couldn’t really plan anything, as you didn’t know how much downtime (if any) you’d have the following day until sometimes as late as 8pm.
Towards the end of our time there, it got worse. We’d occasionally have a random day off mid-week with no warning, just sitting around like lemons waiting for a schedule that never came.
Weekend work followed the same pattern. Even when overall hours slowed down, the work-life balance was still rough because there was no ability to plan ahead or lock anything in. That lack of structure is the main reason for the low score here.
⭐ 3 — Friendly, easygoing team *:
Most of the team were great. The full-time staff were dead nice and generally trustworthy, which definitely helped day to day.
Training was a bit lacking though, and you’re pretty quickly taught to cut corners. This mainly comes down to the fact that not enough time is given per clean to realistically complete all the tasks that are expected. It ends up being a lose-lose situation. You either rush and cut corners, or you take the time to do things properly and go over your allocated time. Neither option really keeps the boss happy.
Most of the time, as long as the essentials were covered, you’d be fine. But if you found yourself in the spotlight for any reason, it could be bad news. With the slightly insane time constraints, this could make the job pretty stressful, especially if you didn’t step back and notice the absurdity of it all, going 7 minutes over on a clean doesn’t result in death and only costs the boss roughly $8…
⭐ 4 — Quality of accommodation (if applicable):
This was a highlight of the job. The rent was $160 a week which is a bit pricey, but the house itself was very nice and modern. Some of the rooms were quite small and only the ensuite and living room had air con. But out of all the employer accommodation I have lived in this place was easily the at the top. Especially if your in the ensuite.
Having said that, it could never be a 5 star given that 8 people are not designed to live in the house.
⭐ 3 — Likelihood you’d recommend to a mate *:
All things considered, it wasn’t the worst gig. If you’re unbothered about living somewhere half decent, being close to the beach, having much of a social life, or knowing your schedule more than a day in advance, you can work your socks off for a few months and save up some decent money.
I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re chasing balance or flexibility, but if your main goal is to grind, save, and move on, it can serve a purpose.
Overall Experience:
The only last thing I’ll say is that upper management can go through some pretty big mood swings, and at times this spills over onto the staff. One day it’s sunshine and rainbows, and the next day it can feel tense or uncomfortable for no obvious reason, which definitely affects the overall experience at times.