Quick Answer: TESDA Housekeeping NC II is a 436-hour hotel qualification under the official Training Regulations (18 basic, 18 common, 400 core hours), about 55 training days. Entry requirements are short: you must communicate in English orally and in writing and do basic math. You can certify in one full assessment or by collecting four Certificates of Competency. It is free at some TESDA-run centers and through TWSP slots that pay ₱160 per training day. Indeed Philippines puts average room attendant pay at about ₱15,004 a month.
Housekeeping NC II is the standard TESDA credential for room attendants and other hotel housekeeping staff, and it is much longer than most entry-level TESDA courses because it covers six separate core jobs. This guide uses TESDA's official Training Regulations (TR) for hours, units, and entry rules, and labels pay data from third-party sites as estimates. If you are comparing it with shorter hospitality courses, see our TESDA barista course guide; for a primer on the NC levels, see our TESDA NC levels explainer.
How Long Is TESDA Housekeeping NC II?
The official nominal duration is 436 hours. The amended Housekeeping NC II TR, promulgated December 2013 under the Tourism (Hotel and Restaurant) sector, breaks it down as follows:
| Competency block | Nominal hours | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 18 | Workplace communication, teamwork, career professionalism, occupational health and safety |
| Common | 18 | Industry knowledge, workplace hygiene, computer operations, workplace safety, customer service |
| Core | 400 | Six housekeeping units, from room preparation to butler service |
| Total | 436 | About 54.5 eight-hour days, per TESDA's list of promulgated TRs |
Actual programs can run longer. The TESDA Women's Center (TWC) in Taguig lists its Housekeeping NC II program at 460 hours over 58 days.
Disclaimer: TESDA can amend Training Regulations. Check the current TR on tesda.gov.ph and your center's registered program before enrolling.
What Will You Learn in the Six Core Units?
The TR defines the qualification as the competencies needed to "prepare guest rooms, clean public areas and equipment, provide housekeeping services, provide valet services, handle intoxicated guest, and laundry linen and guest clothes" across accommodation services. The 400 core hours cover six units:
- Provide housekeeping services to guests
- Clean and prepare rooms for incoming guests
- Provide valet/butler service
- Laundry linen and guest clothes
- Clean public areas, facilities and equipment
- Deal with/handle intoxicated guests
The TR places these six units in the competency map of the Tourism (Hotel and Restaurant) sector, which is why the same basic and common units appear in other hotel qualifications such as Barista NC II.
Who Can Enroll?
The TR sets two trainee entry requirements:
- Can communicate in English, both oral and written
- Can perform basic mathematical computation
The TR adds that this list "does not include specific institutional requirements such as educational attainment," which training centers may set themselves. Expect the usual TESDA enrollment documents; see our TESDA requirements guide and online registration guide.
Can You Take Housekeeping NC II for Free?
Yes, in two common ways. The TESDA Women's Center lists Housekeeping NC II among its free competency-based training programs. Accredited centers can also run it under TESDA scholarships such as TWSP; TESDA's 2018 TWSP omnibus guidelines list tourism among the priority sectors for scholarship slots.
Scholars receive the Training Support Fund (TSF), which TESDA's scholarship FAQ sets at ₱160 per day, paid 50% after two weeks of training and 50% at 80% of the training duration. Because Housekeeping NC II is long, the allowance adds up: at 436 nominal hours (about 54.5 training days), that is roughly ₱8,700 if you attend every day, depending on your center's approved schedule.
Funded slots vary by region and quarter. Ask your TESDA provincial office which centers have housekeeping batches, and see our TESDA scholarship guide for TWSP, PESFA, and STEP eligibility.
How Much Does It Cost Without a Scholarship?
We could not verify current tuition for Housekeeping NC II from a provider that publishes it, so we are not quoting a range. Ask centers for an itemized quote that shows uniform, laundry supplies, on-the-job training, and assessment fees separately.
The assessment fee follows TESDA's Board-promulgated fee list, per TESDA's assessment FAQ, and private accredited assessment centers may collect it at that rate. TESDA's most recent fee list we could find, Promulgated Assessment Fees as of September 2020, sets the Housekeeping NC II full-qualification assessment at ₱720, and each of the four COC assessments at ₱650 to ₱675. Taking all four COCs separately therefore costs more in total than one full assessment. Fees can be revised by later TESDA Board resolutions, so confirm the current amount with your assessment center.
How Do You Get Certified: Full Assessment or COCs?
Housekeeping NC II offers two routes, per Section 4 of the TR:
- One full assessment covering all the required core units
- Accumulating Certificates of Competency (COCs) in four areas:
- Providing butler service (valet/butler service, plus handling intoxicated guests)
- Providing housekeeping to guests (housekeeping services, room preparation, plus handling intoxicated guests)
- Cleaning public areas (public areas, facilities and equipment, plus handling intoxicated guests)
- Providing laundry service (linen and guest clothes, plus handling intoxicated guests)
The COC route helps if you already work in one part of a hotel, for example in laundry, and want to certify what you do now before adding the rest. Training graduates and experienced workers can both apply for assessment.
A National Certificate or COC is valid for five years, per TESDA's FAQ. Our guides on how to get a TESDA certificate and TESDA certificate verification cover what happens after you pass.
What Jobs and Pay Can You Expect?
The TR lists ten job titles for NC II holders: Junior Cleaner, Assistant Cleaner, Assistant Public Area Cleaner, Cleaner, Public Area Cleaner, Attendant, Room/Cabin Attendant/Room Maid, Laundry Attendant, Housekeeping Attendant, and Butler.
Indeed Philippines salary data (updated October 30-31, 2026):
| Indeed job title and location | Average monthly pay |
|---|---|
| Room Attendant, Philippines (182 reports) | ₱15,004 |
| Room Attendant, Cubao | ₱18,974 |
| Room Attendant, Manila | ₱16,747 |
| Housekeeper, Philippines (about 1,800 reports) | ₱14,960 |
| Housekeeper, Mandaluyong | ₱17,264 |
| Housekeeper, Pasay | ₱17,214 |
Disclaimer: these are third-party estimates from self-reported and employer-posted data, not TESDA or government statistics. Hotel pay also varies with service charge, shift, and property size.
Housekeeping NC II vs. Domestic Work NC II
These are different qualifications. Housekeeping NC II belongs to the Tourism sector: hotels, resorts, and similar accommodation. Domestic Work NC II is a separate TESDA qualification for work in private homes. TESDA's list of promulgated TRs shows Domestic Work NC II with its own Training Regulations, last updated in 2022.
TESDA has tied Domestic Work NC II, not Housekeeping, to overseas household jobs. When it resumed Domestic Work NC II assessments in 2021, then-Director General Isidro Lapeña said this "will help outbound Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) to comply with their job requirements abroad." If your goal is a household job abroad, confirm with your DMW-licensed agency which NC II the job order requires before you enroll.
What Comes After NC II?
TESDA amended the higher housekeeping levels in 2019. Per TESDA's list of promulgated TRs and a 2019 SunStar report, Housekeeping NC III now runs 264 hours (up from 76) and Housekeeping NC IV runs 357 hours (up from 112), adding supervisory and management work such as running laundry and linen operations. "The demand and skills requirements of hotel and restaurant businesses are constantly changing," Lapeña said at the time. If you want a degree route into hotel management instead, compare BS Hospitality Management and BS Hotel and Restaurant Management.
Before You Enroll: A Quick Checklist
- Confirm the center is registered for Housekeeping NC II. See our guide to TESDA-accredited training centers.
- Ask how much practice happens in a real or mock hotel room. Room preparation and laundry are the bulk of the 400 core hours.
- Ask about scholarship batches first. A TWSP slot covers training and adds the daily allowance, which is larger on a long course like this.
- Check which NC the job requires. Hotel work points to Housekeeping NC II; household work points to Domestic Work NC II.
- Plan for renewal. The certificate is valid for five years.
Ready to find a training center? Search schools and training providers on SchoolFinderPH to compare options near you.
Sources
- TESDA - Training Regulations, Housekeeping NC II (official PDF)
- TESDA - List of Promulgated Training Regulations as of May 2022 (official PDF)
- TESDA Women's Center - Housekeeping NC II program (official)
- TESDA Women's Center - Free competency-based training programs (official)
- TESDA - Frequently Asked Questions on Scholarship Implementation (official)
- TESDA - FAQs on Assessment and Certification (official)
- TESDA - Promulgated Assessment Fees as of September 2020 (official PDF)
- TESDA Circular No. 3, s. 2018 - Omnibus Guidelines for 2018 TWSP and STEP (official PDF)
- TESDA - News: Competency assessment for Domestic Work NC II resumes (May 20, 2021, official)
- SunStar - TESDA upgrades training standards in housekeeping (2019)
- Indeed Philippines - Room Attendant salaries
- Indeed Philippines - Housekeeper salaries
- SchoolFinderPH: TESDA Barista Course, TESDA NC Levels Explained, TESDA Requirements, TESDA Online Registration, TESDA Scholarship Guide, TESDA Offices by Region, TESDA Assessment Centers, How to Get a TESDA Certificate, TESDA Certificate Verification, TESDA-Accredited Training Centers, BS Hospitality Management, BS Hotel and Restaurant Management
