Kerri, the Head Bedder at King’s, clears up what being a Bedder is like...

A standard bedder has one area

They only work that area, and that's the end of their day. A Head Bedder works an area, or they're a float – what I am now – which means they go around after their area, doing lots of other extra jobs. During conference times we have to help out the supervisors, we do laundry counts, laundry orders, basically all the little bits that the supervisors don't get done. Instead of the standard four hours I have to do six.

I start at 8.30am and I'm finished here by 3pm

I get up at quarter to seven. Not too early, because I like my bed. I go downstairs, cook the kids a steak bake, or whatever it is they're having for lunch - I have two kids. Breakfast they can get themselves. They're ten and fifteen. I like to cook them something to take in as a packed lunch. Then I have to walk the dog, get myself sorted and ready for work.

I like to bake. I do it two or three times a week 

Cakes, cookies, pies. All kinds of dessert-y things. There's always a lot in the way of puddings in my house. I'm really fussy about what we eat. Has to be organic, has to be fresh, no processed foods. I like to know what's in my food; hence all the baking. I know what's going in it because I'm putting it there, and so we can afford for it to be a bit naughty. I baked a cake for when all the students moved into their accommodation at the start of Michaelmas. I left it in the gyp room, but I think someone must have nicked it because it disappeared.

I have lunch at college: it's not great

Some days you're spoilt for choice, others it's so standard and dry, and a bit tasteless, I'm sorry! And now they've stopped doing hot puddings. I was devastated. They were doing hot chocolate puddings with chocolate sauce. Now that was really good.

I went to university to study Childcare and Development with Hospitality

Then I started working with children and discovered that it was so tiring that after a couple of years I couldn't do it anymore. Then I decided to give the hospitality side a go, became manager of housekeeping in a hotel, did that for, oh, too many years, had my kids, went back to it, and then decided I'd just about had enough of that job keep interrupting my family life. Always taking work home with me every day. I decided I just wanted a job where I could come to work, do the job and go home. So I handed my notice in to force myself to find another job and came here, to start work as a bedder.

The difference between students and hotel clients is that I like the students [bursts into laughter]

You really get to know the students, you enjoy the students. You see when they're happy, you see when they're sad, when they're stressed. It's nice. I love it. I love all of you. Just watching you all. I literally get to see you grow up. I watch you all go through everything. You have become so much more confident since you first came here. I know. I've seen it and I've watched you.

I think most bedders do like to get involved, but not too much

They'll do the "Hi. How are you? Are you alright?", but that's about as far as they'll go. Whereas, to me, everyone is like my little friend. They're all different. I know little bits about all of you. I really miss you all when I get moved.

The things we see. We've had some exhibitionists, that's for sure

Quite amusing when you've announced yourself more than enough. Then they're like “Oh, I'm sorry, don't mind us”, and I say “Yeah, whatever, I'm just grabbing the bin!” We've had some fun and games. Someone was locked out of their room just this morning in a towel for about an hour bless him. He was late for a lecture and we had to break in to his room for him.

A good bedder is someone who's friendly, someone who cares, and someone who is happy to help a student when they need that little extra thing doing

That’s what makes a bedder. And someone who cleans up a room well, because let's face it, not everyone tidies up a mess too good. I do think that students should be given more scope for doing up their rooms. It’s really strict. My little tip is, send a request to student accommodation! You'll likely be given permission for rugs and stuff if you just ask. Once you’ve got permission then your bedder can't do anything about it. There’s a tip. Just say it’s homesickness!

The bedders are so diverse

Loads of Polish girls. It’s pretty cool actually. They teach us the odd little word here and there. We all talk and we all get on well. There's a real sense of community. We're all direct college employees. King’s is especially good in that sense. Although it’s a bit on the pushy side with standards, it is more relaxed in the way that we're included. Every so often we get a breakfast morning, just to say thank you, and they put out bacon rolls, sausages, tea, coffee, juice. So that's nice. We always get praised for our work. Admittedly it can sometimes be a bit much before we get praised, but we do get a lot of it from the staff. Every department will chat if you speak to them. Everyone gets along. It’s a nice place to work. I've worked in some places which were absolutely dire. I’ve heard that at John's and Trinity, though, the situation with bedders and students is a lot more “them and us”.

[Phone rings] Sorry! My son changes my ringtones to the most ridiculous things. He knows it drives me potty.

The fellows are much worse than students when it comes to mess

They’re obviously extremely clever, but I don’t think there’s a lot of common sense up there. The basic knowledge of simple things, they just don't have that. They’ll spill something, just stare at it, and then place a bit of paper on it. And then, obviously, the paper sticks to whatever surface they've put it on and you've got a big mess. I think they’re just so far away, somewhere else, that they just don’t think.

Some of the students can be hard work, but they tend to be really lovely, even though they're minging

Sorry but that’s the only way to put it. I pretty much become they're surrogate mother. I tell them off, I absolutely do. Lots of students I’ve sat down, told them they're disgusting, and fixed the situation. Most of them appreciate it. I don't think anyone has cried yet. It’s not nice, but it’s better than leaving them to it. I'm happy to help them clean themselves up. It’s kind of what I’m for.

I’m really boring now

I used to be an exciting person, but now it’s a bit different. I have English Heritage membership, so we tend to go out travelling at the weekends to castles and stately homes. I love to do stuff like that. We go to the beach a lot. And I’m not long back from the Highlands. I'd done Land’s End, so I decided that we absolutely had to go to John O’Groats. It was windy. But stunning. I steer clear of Cambridge city centre, unless it's a night out. When I was younger I got banned from Fez. I took out a bouncer who was troubling my friend. It’s my maternal instinct.

I live in Arbury. It has a really bad reputation

It's lovely now, but it’s got no people. It was a bit rough a few years back. Cambridge is so expensive. It really does affect the bedders. I’ve given up with the whole private housing dream now. We’re council. It’s just far too expensive. But I have to be in Cambridge, to be able to cycle to work. The only way to do it is to remain in council housing. It’s not great. There’s a jeweller’s in the Grand Arcade which has a property rental more than Piccadilly rents. That's ridiculous.  

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