I am actively searching for employment and have interviewed with a firm in West LA / Culver City. The position calls for an Intermediate Designer Consultant and they request for an hourly rate.
A little background about myself, I have a BArch from CCA and have 3 years of experience in SD, DD, CD, CA, consultant coordination, code/material research, ADA survey, and graphical work.
As I am new to the consultant position and with little to no knowledge of "how much to charge", my overall concern is, How much should I charge? Does location matter?
I am wary of throwing out a high number and having them refuse my services, yet throw a low number and not make enough to pay bills.
Thanks for the advice.
senjohnblutarsky
Sep 17, 15 8:15 am
So... they're probably going to have you working in their office, 40 hours per week, but not going to pay you benefits because they convinced you to sign a contract as a consultant. Sounds like a sweet deal...
Charge what you think you would make at a regular job, plus enough to pay for those benefits you're not getting.
Michael Chang
Sep 17, 15 2:16 pm
Thank you senjohnblutarsky!
I actually forgot to mention in the first posting...they are looking for part-time (max. 30 hrs) / project based as-needed. Additionally, the position allows for telecommuting. I dont know if these aspects should also be a factor in to considering hourly rates.
I was estimating a rate of $25-30 an hour.
David Cole, AIA
Sep 17, 15 3:59 pm
The only advice I can offer is to maybe not use your real name when posting a question about employment / compensation issues.
ivorykeyboard
Sep 17, 15 4:53 pm
^ Or never post with your real name on archinect.... or ever on the internet.
learn from patrik schumacher he's on here all the time trolling us (if I say his name three times he'll show up)
citizen
Sep 17, 15 5:01 pm
^^ I echo both David and Ivory here... especially if you also include enough info about the firm and position to identify them, too. In essence, your prospective client/employer now (potentially) knows that you are unsure of your worth to them. Makes for a difficult bargaining position.
Keeping it anonymous on here is your best bet.
Everyday Intern
Sep 17, 15 6:15 pm
You should probably triple or quadruple your estimate. Remember that you have to earn enough to cover all the benefits you won't be getting from the employer, as well as all the taxes they won't be paying and you'll need to, as well as your own overhead expenses (software, hardware, etc.).
You should really start looking for an accountant to pay for an hour or two of their time and run some basic numbers and go from there.
Everyday Intern
Sep 17, 15 6:16 pm
In your 3 years of experience, what were the firms you worked for billing your time at?
awaiting_deletion
Sep 17, 15 6:26 pm
we all now know Michael Chang will take 25-30 an hour.
3tk
Sep 17, 15 7:48 pm
$30~$75 - depends on how much you can get done at what speed. If you start out high and notice you're not getting things done in time, you might be able to work longer hours w/o billing the extra time or have less 'downtime' (lunch/coffee/internet breaks). If you start out low but are producing well, you might renegotiate after a few months or adjust hour hours.
Generally 25%~50% over salaried hourly rate is what I asked and usually cooked the hours to match what each task should cost at my billing rate (salaries locally should be available from several different sources).
David Cole, AIA
Sep 17, 15 8:57 pm
I don't mind posting under my real name as long as I'm saying stuff I wouldn't mind discussing in front of my current / future employer or future client. In general, I give far more credibility to people who post under their real names than to those who hide behind pseudonyms.
That said, I do have another user name here for my NSFW content. :-)
Hi fellow designers & Architects,
I am actively searching for employment and have interviewed with a firm in West LA / Culver City. The position calls for an Intermediate Designer Consultant and they request for an hourly rate.
A little background about myself, I have a BArch from CCA and have 3 years of experience in SD, DD, CD, CA, consultant coordination, code/material research, ADA survey, and graphical work.
As I am new to the consultant position and with little to no knowledge of "how much to charge", my overall concern is, How much should I charge? Does location matter?
I am wary of throwing out a high number and having them refuse my services, yet throw a low number and not make enough to pay bills.
Thanks for the advice.
So... they're probably going to have you working in their office, 40 hours per week, but not going to pay you benefits because they convinced you to sign a contract as a consultant. Sounds like a sweet deal...
Charge what you think you would make at a regular job, plus enough to pay for those benefits you're not getting.
Thank you senjohnblutarsky!
I actually forgot to mention in the first posting...they are looking for part-time (max. 30 hrs) / project based as-needed. Additionally, the position allows for telecommuting. I dont know if these aspects should also be a factor in to considering hourly rates.
I was estimating a rate of $25-30 an hour.
The only advice I can offer is to maybe not use your real name when posting a question about employment / compensation issues.
^ Or never post with your real name on archinect.... or ever on the internet.
learn from patrik schumacher he's on here all the time trolling us (if I say his name three times he'll show up)
^^ I echo both David and Ivory here... especially if you also include enough info about the firm and position to identify them, too. In essence, your prospective client/employer now (potentially) knows that you are unsure of your worth to them. Makes for a difficult bargaining position.
Keeping it anonymous on here is your best bet.
You should probably triple or quadruple your estimate. Remember that you have to earn enough to cover all the benefits you won't be getting from the employer, as well as all the taxes they won't be paying and you'll need to, as well as your own overhead expenses (software, hardware, etc.).
You should really start looking for an accountant to pay for an hour or two of their time and run some basic numbers and go from there.
In your 3 years of experience, what were the firms you worked for billing your time at?
we all now know Michael Chang will take 25-30 an hour.
$30~$75 - depends on how much you can get done at what speed. If you start out high and notice you're not getting things done in time, you might be able to work longer hours w/o billing the extra time or have less 'downtime' (lunch/coffee/internet breaks). If you start out low but are producing well, you might renegotiate after a few months or adjust hour hours.
Generally 25%~50% over salaried hourly rate is what I asked and usually cooked the hours to match what each task should cost at my billing rate (salaries locally should be available from several different sources).
I don't mind posting under my real name as long as I'm saying stuff I wouldn't mind discussing in front of my current / future employer or future client. In general, I give far more credibility to people who post under their real names than to those who hide behind pseudonyms.
That said, I do have another user name here for my NSFW content. :-)
Aha! Is it "Miles Jaffe"?