Lets Talk $

[munkymadman]

so i have i was to go to perth i could ask for a higher rate. i've been told i wouldn't be able to charge more here unless i used my own vehicle, saws, insurance etc. so on the grounds of just being a free lance climber, with none of the above, and i start charging once i arrive in the yard. what could i charge in perth?

[Quickthorn]

Is anyone else here based in Lincolnshire? What are rates for ground work, and turning up with saws and a chipper? Is that self employed or employee?

 

Just about the only bloke i work for round here only pays £8 / hour for stuff like felling, scrub clearance, and that's with me supplying my saw and fuelling it. He'll pay £150 / day for me and my chipper, but that seems low based on what people were saying on another thread. I'm told that's the going rate round here, and that wages are low in Lincs across the board, but, after reading some of these threads, I'm starting to wonder if that is true, or whether someone's taking the p1ss!

[Peter]

I know lincolnshire is a bit of a desert, but those rates sound pretty low to me. After all, a chipper costs the same to buy and run in lincs or london.

It costs £80 plus vat to hire a 6" chipper, so that means that your working for about £55 a day.

I wouldnt work for that!

My last PAYE job paid £80 a day, I i'm earning more than that self employed.

I would get in touch with some other local subbies and find out what the score is locally.

[Lee Winger]

Is anyone else here based in Lincolnshire? What are rates for ground work, and turning up with saws and a chipper? Is that self employed or employee?

 

Just about the only bloke i work for round here only pays £8 / hour for stuff like felling, scrub clearance, and that's with me supplying my saw and fuelling it. He'll pay £150 / day for me and my chipper, but that seems low based on what people were saying on another thread. I'm told that's the going rate round here, and that wages are low in Lincs across the board, but, after reading some of these threads, I'm starting to wonder if that is true, or whether someone's taking the p1ss!

 

Too cheap mate i'd say with your chipper you should charge £180 and you should be on £15 per hour for ground work imo

[Andy Collins]

This "going rate" line has been bandied about for years, to knock you down. You set the rate, its your service they want/need. As has already been said, the kit you supply costs the same whether in Lincs or Surrey, and surely the skills you bring are worth more than about £8 per hour? I had a plumber out the other night, wouldnt dream of offering him so little!! And we are at least equally qualified, and spend more on equipt.

[Paul Barton]

I find playing the comparison game with other industries a bad habit - tends to get me down!

[Andy Collins]

Ok fair point, lets look at it from another angle then. If you lose your house, car, whatever, because your overheads outweigh your income, & end up broke, will the people who paid you so little give a damn? I think we know the answer to this. All people should want is a fair days pay for a fair days work, it isnt the Dark Ages anymore, we arent yokels with axes cutting a few logs any more.

[Paul Barton]

Absolutely. Sorry Andy, I wasn't rubbishing your last post - it does make sense.

 

I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I left a relatively poor paid job in the travel industry 3 years ago to start doing tree work but I'm earning even less now!

 

Still, I didn't swap jobs for the money, I just wanted to climb some trees!

[Mr Ed]

Munky, I was earning $50 - $100 an hour in Brisbane 10 years ago.

I pay my guys what their worth.

[Quickthorn]

, it isnt the Dark Ages anymore, we arent yokels with axes cutting a few logs any more.

 

I'm starting to think it still is round here. A lot of the forestry is in private hands, in traditional estates. They pay as little as they can for as much as they can get, especially if some sort of agent has stuck his nose in there. At the moment, I'm having to live in a caravan in Notts and work over there.

 

As for Lincs being a desert..A mate came over to visit one Saturday night: we went to the nearest town for a few pints, and just about every pub was dead-on a Saturday night!! I think that says it all.