A little Unknown Trick About The Maids' Hierarchy

A new format from a new contributor, MM. Hope you enjoy it!

A little unknown trick about the maids' hierarchy

by MM

My name is Anastasia, but I am called Ana now.

I was a former Mistress in a mansion in some upper class neighborhood in Saint Petersburg in Russia. Very well educated in art and literature, I used to wear expensive and elegant dresses as well as make-up and jewels. But that's over now. Due to an "accident" in life, I lost everything: my wealth, my social status, my friends and networking, my former university education. Everything!

Why? Because I had to become a full time maid, being employed in another mansion now. By chance, if I can say that, it is not in Saint Petersburg but in Yekaterinburg - thus I will not come across the people I knew formerly. But so, I was reeducated to become a real maid.

I will not tell you about that difficult period of my life, that's not what I want to tell you here, but rather tell a little unknown trick about the maids' hierarchy. As I told, I had to learn all the culture of being a maid to erase my previous education and there's something which every maid knows, which every Mistress knows and which is very efficient and practical, yet very discreet.

You know that soldiers have a hierarchy at military. They are differentiated by their grades, for instance:

As you can see, there are one, two and three stripes of the same shape. The corporal obeys to the sergeant and the private obeys to both the sergeant and the corporal. I know that you know that and that I am learning you nothing new here.

But what is less known, if at all, is the fact that this hierarchy also exists for maids. Yes, yes! And not everywhere actually. For instance, you will not see that in hotels or in places where you have one or two maids. You will also not see that in some part of the world, but in my mansion in Yekaterinburg, it is a common standard. And so it is all over the world in a lot of places.

So, let me show it you first and then let me tell you the how and why of that maids' hierarchy thing.
Look carefully at this apron. Do you see that?

It has three stripes! Like the sergeant grade! And look at those uniforms:

Exactly, they all have some stripes on them!
Some do not at all or do have a lot (it's actually the same when you see that):

Some do have one stripe:

Some do have two stripes:

And some do have three stripes:

On the last picture, you can see some variation: the stripes are vertical and not horizontal. Here a closer look:

You might also see four stripes, this is actually the same thing as three stripes (I will come back on that one later):

So why is that?

As a regular reader here, you should be knowing that there are different kinds of maids (parlor maids, scullery maids, ladies' maids etc.), and that there could be a hierarchy between those. Actually there is a hierarchy between those (a scullery maid will not work together with a lady's maid and do the same tasks as her for instance), but this is a social hierarchy and not a hierarchy like the military one. So this is not the right answer.

The real reason is the following:

In (usually big) places where you will see these stripes, there are always a lot of maids. And of course, the Mistress will not remember all of her maids, neither their names nor functions. And all maids are not equals. Some are new and/or young, some are very experienced and so on.
Thus, in order to avoid the situation where the Lady would ask any first coming maid
something that the maid couldn't carry out because she would not be sufficiently trained or experienced, maids are wearing these stripes on their apron so that the Lady can immediately identify if it is worth to address the maid or not for a particular task.

Would you imagine such situation:

- (Lady): Maid, set the table right now!
- (Maid): Yes, Mistress! Can you show me please where are the silver and napkins?
- (Lady): ...

Do you see the mess? This is just not possible and there is no way that any Lady is being ever put in such similar shameful or unsettling situation!

So, what do the stripes mean actually? Let us review them:

No stripes or full stripes - 0 to 100 hours of experience (new maids)

This uniform/apron is reserved for new maids that just entered this path for the first time in their life. They learn how to wear the uniform properly and to identify themselves in it (for instance when they look at themselves in a mirror) or to get used to walk in it and feel the uniform on their skin. They know nothing else so far, except their maid's name and practice a lot just at being properly dressed and at presenting as a real maid. If a maid works ten hours a days, she will be training only the above for 10 days at least before to have the possibility to pass to the next level: the one stripe apron.

One stripe - 100 hours to 1000 hours (novice maids)

Maids wearing aprons with one stripe are novice maids. They have completed the level zero stripes and have at least 100 hours of experience at wearing the uniform and being called by their maid's name. One stripe maids (or just 1-maids) are learning to do basic maid duties and chores. Regarding the uniform, they can present themselves properly when called and they are learning and practicing how to curtsey without carrying something in their hands. The 1-maids command 0-maids.

Two stripes - 1000 hours to 10'000 hours (skilled maids)

Maids wearing aprons with two stripes are skilled maids. They have at least 1000 hours (about 100 days or three months) of experience and have successfully passed the level one stripe. They are allowed to curtsey when they are ordered or being rewarded by Mistress. Skilled or 2-maids are standard maids to serve in households with full duties, except those where they are in contact with third persons like guests, the postman, going downtown to do the shopping etc. They are still protected by staying in the inside universe of the mansion (because some of them might still show signs of inhibition at being a maid) and they are being trained for their first contact with strangers to definitively destroy this feeling of inhibition. This will happen when the 2-maids will have shown a perfect command of their skills. 2-maids command 1-maids and 0-maids.

Three (or four) stripes - 10'000 hours and more (advanced maids)

Maids wearing aprons with three (or four) stripes are advanced maids. They have completed the two stripes level with success and have at least 2.5 to 3 years of experience. They can present properly, they know how and when to curtsey (even carrying a silver tray or anything else) and they are experienced in all tasks and chores in the mansion. In their last months, they were trained to interact with strangers and have proven that they can reliably be used to serve guests and third parties with confidence. 3-maids are fully accomplished maids at professional level. They show no inhibition whatsoever anymore and have fully accepted their faith and the idea of being a maid for the rest of their life. 3-maids command at 0,1,2-maids.

4-stripes maids are 3-stripes maids who have either been honored or the standing of the mansion requires four stripes. There is no specific functionality to those four stripes.

You can find some examples of such maids: 

Or simplier your maid Ana at your service:

Only an experienced 3- or 4-stripes maid can carry out properly her duties being the same time properly dressed:

She is fully accomplished in her training, her body and her soul have accepted their new condition and she gives a perfect image of the mansion where she belongs to!
And if you doubt about what I am telling you, perhaps these examples will achieve to convince you:

(Above picture) The maid from the right is a 0-maid, freshly arrived. And see what: she is still smiling, showing her complete inexperience. Her two 3-maids (stripes on the lower part of the aprons) colleagues from the left know that she won't be laughing much longer!

(Above pictures) Again 0-maids, with full stripes on the apron, and they seem to have the same apron. There's too much fun on the face of the left maid! And the right maid  has Ladies' nails style and make-up. A fatal error for experienced maids...

(Above picture) A last example: this accomplished 3-maid knows why she has to be disciplined and to be afraid!
So you see that the stripes on a maid's apron are a sign of the experience level of the maid for their mistresses. And there's more: sometimes, the maid will be carrying towels or something else that hides the stripes on her breast area like this:

That's the reason why the stripes are very often also on the lower part of the apron (in the legs area), so that the Mistress can identify the maid even when she's at work:

...and of course also on my uniform...:

...from which you can now read that I am an advanced maid with more than 10,000 hours or 3 years of experience being a maid at the mansion in Yekaterinburg. And so it is, and so it will stay. You know that once you begin as a maid, there is no coming back anymore. And this is fine so. I am a happier maid!

So, that was a little unknown trick about the maid's hierarchy or better said: the experience level of a maid.

I hope that you enjoyed it!

Love,
Maid Ana

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