groundie pay

[Hodge]

What is the going rate for groundsman I do subcontracting and priced myself at £60 per day is this about average I've still got things like tax insurance tools and everything to pay off? I don't know how people could live off this if they have there own house ect have I priced myself to low?

 

 

Way to low IMO, £100-£120 if bringing own tools and fuel to the party. Some lads are worth £100 on the ground some are not.

[Tim Stobart Tree Surgery]

Aye, with your own kit and insurance, £80-100 is the right ball park. I paye my guy £80 and he's through my books. He does work hard though (if only for about 7 hours before he pulls up, no stamina some people!), but I wish he were more thorough.

[doobin]

Aye, with your own kit and insurance, £80-100 is the right ball park.

 

Own insurance counts for nothing when working as a labour only subcontractor. Own saw? I'd rather they just used mine, at least I know they'll start. Seriously, it's a bone of contention that people think they're worth double an employed person just for a grands worth of expenses. That's all it costs for a saw and basic kit.

 

 

OP is in an excellent thing called the free market. I myself started off in a similar way to him, though on agricultural rather than arborcultural work. With a borrowed MS230, happy days!

 

OP, fill your week with work, for as many different people as you can. Once you have a solid week booked, up your rates by £10/day. Some people will stop using you. Doesn't matter. If you are good word will get around (especially if you do as I said and work for as many as possible) and you will fill the week with work at £70, all the while whilst building a toolkit to make you worth more. The more people you work for, the more different skills you will accumulate. I remember thinking 'it's got to be a onner a day with a chainsaw' way back when. Looking back I knew nothing. I'll probably do the same in another five years time

 

Repeat this process until you are earning £120-150 a day as a subbie, and then you will become too expensive for most employers. Either stop there or start taking on your own jobs.

 

I'm happy to pay certain subbies £120-150 a day, and do on complicated fencing jobs. That doesn't mean that every subby with a chainsaw is worth anything like that however. It's called a free market, find your place in it

 

I've been spending every penny I earn on tools and toys since age 17. I still remember spending my first pay packet from the farm in the Screwfix catalogue. I still have tools and consumables bought that day and they still earn me money.

[5 shires]

Thanks mate, ill try to remember that next time I've got 2 years experience my basic tree felling and cross cuting also getting my climbing tickets next month along with my driving licence hopefully

 

In that case you should be on absolute minimum £80 a day and more if own kit. And when you do get your climbing tickets don't get jacking in the ground job and think your worth £120 a day and your the worlds best climber.

 

Stay were you are for a while and start of by climbing and doing the smaller trees and show what you can do and gain some valuable exspeariance, then when you start making Money for your employer that will be the time to ask the question regards more pay.

[ChrisG]

I charge out between £80-100 a day (a day means until the jobs done, don't be one of these that slacks after 7 hours) depending on the job.

 

CS upto 39, all kit, saws and fuel supplied (including climbing kit).

 

These prices are often bumped up by people giving me a cash tip at the end of the day.

 

[hamdogg]

maybe a super dooper one.

 

 

Really should elabourate on this when putting a price down, as gets a lot of people hopes up. Also goes back to the "good" groundy debate

 

 

A groundie with all tickets climbing etc lots if experience I think £100 is spot on

[hamdogg]

Own insurance counts for nothing when working as a labour only subcontractor. Own saw? I'd rather they just used mine, at least I know they'll start. Seriously, it's a bone of contention that people think they're worth double an employed person just for a grands worth of expenses. That's all it costs for a saw and basic kit.

 

 

 

 

 

OP is in an excellent thing called the free market. I myself started off in a similar way to him, though on agricultural rather than arborcultural work. With a borrowed MS230, happy days!

 

 

 

OP, fill your week with work, for as many different people as you can. Once you have a solid week booked, up your rates by £10/day. Some people will stop using you. Doesn't matter. If you are good word will get around (especially if you do as I said and work for as many as possible) and you will fill the week with work at £70, all the while whilst building a toolkit to make you worth more. The more people you work for, the more different skills you will accumulate. I remember thinking 'it's got to be a onner a day with a chainsaw' way back when. Looking back I knew nothing. I'll probably do the same in another five years time

 

 

 

Repeat this process until you are earning £120-150 a day as a subbie, and then you will become too expensive for most employers. Either stop there or start taking on your own jobs.

 

 

 

I'm happy to pay certain subbies £120-150 a day, and do on complicated fencing jobs. That doesn't mean that every subby with a chainsaw is worth anything like that however. It's called a free market, find your place in it

 

 

 

I've been spending every penny I earn on tools and toys since age 17. I still remember spending my first pay packet from the farm in the Screwfix catalogue. I still have tools and consumables bought that day and they still earn me money.

 

 

A self employed subby on £80 a day - £13 for tax plus fuel traveling day £7 a day so that's £60 before you start with your kit, so around £300 a week! U tell me who can pay a mortage/rent/ bring up a family on £300 a week nowadays!!!

[Joe Newton]

A self employed subby on £80 a day - £13 for tax plus fuel traveling day £7 a day so that's £60 before you start with your kit, so around £300 a week! U tell me who can pay a mortage/rent/ bring up a family on £300 a week nowadays!!!

 

 

We all have to pay tax, we all have to pay fuel.

[doobin]

A self employed subby on £80 a day - £13 for tax plus fuel traveling day £7 a day so that's £60 before you start with your kit, so around £300 a week! U tell me who can pay a mortage/rent/ bring up a family on £300 a week nowadays!!!

 

Just because 'the figures don't stack up' doesn't mean the free market gives a toss. I bitched and whined about this myself whilst putting in fourteen hour days. Got there in the end.

 

I outlined the way I did things as a subby in my previous post- why not share your experiences rather than saying 'companies must pay subbies more'?

[5 shires]

Just because 'the figures don't stack up' doesn't mean the free market gives a toss. I bitched and whined about this myself whilst putting in fourteen hour days. Got there in the end.

 

I outlined the way I did things as a subby in my previous post- why not share your experiences rather than saying 'companies must pay subbies more'?

 

Like you say it's a free market and a lot of employees know that and they also play the ,well if you can't do it there are plenty who will card. And this is true. But £80 a day or a bit more is fair,but to stay ahead of the game you need to show that you are worth more then the next bloke and make it hard for someone you work for to let you go.