DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a housecleaner with a great list of clients. I get treated kindly and paid a fair amount. Recently, I took on a home that offered to pay me nearly double my normal rate. I was suspicious of why they pay so much and needed to find help over 20 minutes away, and I found out on my second week, when I was forced to clean up a used feminine hygiene product that was left on the floor.
I am not a squeamish person, but I feel like I am being treated like a lesser being when I go over there. I scrub dog urine and have to deal with snooty looks while I am on my hands and knees.
The money is great, but I feel my confidence waver after every visit. Should I stay at this job? I can't imagine my employers ever changing. -- Scrub-a-Dub-Dub
DEAR SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB: Money is not everything. You must decide what is important to you. If you need extra money in the short term, you may consider working for these people for a limited period of time, after which you leave. Given how you feel when working there, you should not stay long-term. Nothing is worth diminishing your self-esteem.
Since you already have a great client list, ask your current clients if they can make recommendations for additional homes. Chances are, they will refer you to other good people.