Holidays Cottage Cleaner

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty; Dorking; Hybrid; GBP 17,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10%

Free entry to NT places

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Perks at work discounts

Holiday allowance 32 days

Job summary

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty polishes its holiday cottages at Polesden Lacey in Dorking. The role is a permanent, part-time position (5 hours/week) with a £12.75 per hour rate and travel as required between 4 cottages. No CV is used; online assessment is required.

PPE is provided and you’ll ensure pristine, welcoming cottages for guests. As Holidays Operation Assistant, you’ll monitor cleanliness, report repairs, and may replace items from store stocks.

Qualifications

• Customer-focused and able to deliver friendly service.
• Capable of working as part of a team or on own initiative.
• Organised, adaptable and quick to learn new tasks.

Responsibilities

• Clean cottages thoroughly and ensure they are well-presented and welcoming.
• Spot and report repairs or odd jobs, replacing items from store supplies when needed.
• Maintain cleanliness on changeover days and assist guests if required.

Skills

Service orientation

Team player

Well-organised

Willing to learn

Job description

We’re looking for a Holiday Cottage Cleaner to prepare our popular holiday cottages at Polesden Lacey. We have 4 cottages here, so travel essential. Changeover days often fall on a Monday or Friday, but they can be on any day of the week, including Saturdays, so flexibility is required,

Salary: £12.75 per hour

Hours: Part-time, 5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Interview dates: 21st, 22nd & 23rd October 2026.

Internally within the National Trust, you will be known as a 'Holidays Operation Assistant'.

For this role, you’ll need to complete our online assessment instead of using a C.V. or online application form. This will help us understand more about your strengths and give you more information on the role.

On changeover days, you’ll make sure that everything’s pristine and ready for the next guests to arrive. This will include making sure the cottage is thoroughly cleaned, well-presented and welcoming. We’d also like you to keep an eye out for anything that’s not as it should be, and report any repairs or odd jobs that need doing. If you need to, you’ll also replace any broken items from the store supplies.

Full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided for all teams, and extra measures are in place to protect staff.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.

Who we're looking for

We'd love to hear from you if you're:

• focused on giving great service to everyone you meet
• a team player, but also happy to work on your own initiative
• well-organised and adaptable
• willing to learn new skills.

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham, Dorking, RH5 6BD

Documents

Holidays Operation Assistant - A1.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 18th October 2026

Interview dates: 21st, 22nd & 23rd October 2026.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.