Re: offsite rates

["Bhat, Milind" <MBhat -at- PJC -dot- COM>]

All Technical Writers and Technical Communicators,

I have been lurking on this list for a while now.  Linda mentioned the
"going rate".  That was enough to make me de-lurk (is that a verb?), at
least for a while.

Anyway, how do you go about finding the going rate for your area?  What
are the going rates for your respective areas?

I am guessing any going rate will be a range.  How do you decide how
much to ask within that range?  In other words, what qualifications move
you up within the range?

Please write me off-line and I will post a summary to the list.

Thanks.


Milind Bhat
MBhat -at- PJC -dot- com, (612) 342 - 8632
Technical Writing, Training, and User-Centered Interface Design
U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc., Information Services Department


> ----------
> From:         Linda Castellani[SMTP:linda -at- GRIC -dot- COM]
> Sent:         Monday, April 06, 1998 5:41 PM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      Re: offsite rates
>
> Are there really clients out there willing to pay more for a
> contractor who
> charges more for working onsite when they can just as easily find one
> who
> will work onsite and not charge extra?
>
> My experience has been that there is a "going rate" for tech writers
> in an
> area, a little bit more maybe if the writer has some particular
> technical
> chops.  But that rate is what you can charge, and your needs to be
> onsite
> or offsite or cover your costs don't figure into it.
>
> If I am wrong about this, please tell me how to convince clients to
> pay me
> more so that I can work in a manner more convenient to myself and
> cover my
> retirement.
>
> Actually, as I rack up more and more valuable technical writing
> experience
> of many kinds, I find that it's become harder to find work, not
> easier.
> And I think my rates are extremely reasonable, and fit right into the
> "going rate" range.  So I find it very difficult to comprehend that
> people
> can actually charge more (and get it) for the convenience of working
> offsite.
>
>
> At 02:46 PM 4/6/98 -0400, Laurie Little wrote:
> >I would like to troll the masses to gauge how you set your rates. Do
> you
> >have a higher or lower rate for offsite vs onsite rates?
> >
> >A colleague told me she charged $10 more per hour for onsite work,
> >because it was very undesirable for her to work away from home.
> However,
> >she also said that she's heard from other technical writers that they
> >charge MORE for offsite work than onsite work because when offsite
> you
> >use your own equipment, provide your own office supplies and other
> >overhead costs, etc.
> >
> >I'd be more inclined to set a lower rate for offsite, because of the
> >savings in food/clothing/travel time & cost, etc. and also the
> >convenience of not rushing my son to daycare so I can get to the
> >worksite on time.
> >
> >How about it? Also, if you do have different rates, what's the
> >difference --  $5? $10? a percentage?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Laurie L. Little                From there to here, from here to
> there,
> >llittle -at- gsalink -dot- com             Funny things are everywhere <Dr.
> Seuss>
> >416-593-6262 x 533
> >
> >
> ^&^~~~
> >Send commands to listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g., SIGNOFF
> TECHWR-L)
> >Find contractor info at
> http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/contractors.htm
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> &^~~~
> Send commands to listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g., SIGNOFF
> TECHWR-L)
> Find contractor info at
> http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/contractors.htm
>

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