Need Help In Doing A Salary Requirement Estimate

[Professor Frink]

Here's the deal -- my full-time job is as a computer tech, and I don't plan to leave it. But I was just talking to the owner of a local computer shop about some part-time work doing the kind of stuff I could do off-hours from home -- things like reformats. So my employment would sort of be as a consultant, with them giving me work on an as-needed basis.

Here's my dilemma -- the owner is very interested, but she wants to know what my salary requirement would be. She said that for things like reformats and re-installs, they charge a flat fee to the customer (about $200-300), as opposed to an hourly rate. So most likely my compensation would be a cut of that. Any idea what would be fair to expect? Something like $40 or $50? Or should it be a straight percentage of what the customer pays (since that isn't always the same amount) ?

I don't want to blow this by asking too much, but I don't want to lowball, either.

[MadGutts]

Have you been made an offer from her?

As for an hourly rate... it seems a good idea except that if she charges a flat rate, and its a longer job than expected, then you may end up charging more than the price already paid...

So i can see 2 options. Either she changes the pricing to her customers to an hourly fee, or you have to take a percentage. - after all you are the customer contact and if you charge too much, then she wont be able to give you the work...

But dont forget that she is paying for both your time, your expenses, and your expertise...

[dgsmith]

Well it might be worth trying to find out what she pays her staff on an hourly basis, and then some how figure out how much a format / rebuild would normally take you, and calulate that into a percentage of the cost she charges, round it an even figure and wham there is your price.

Charging for any ad-hoc service is always hard especially if you know the people, as you always feel guilty about charging to much, but like you say you don't want to do yourself over at the same time.

Maybe if there are any other contractors here, they can tell us what they would normally charge as an hourly rate? Then you can suggest something based on that.

Good luck either way.

Dave

[Professor Frink]

I'm thinking that I'll ask for a flat 50% of the customer charge. That would cover both flat-fee services and anything with an hourly charge. Either way, I would be paid 50% of what the customer pays the company.

I guess that's fair.