Off days.

[valooz]

Hi guys, it's been a while.

I need a bit of advice.

I've just been hired to do an overseas job, and the employer has offered to pay me on off days, as I'll be stuck there and won't be able to work on other things.

It's approximately 25 days, 15 days worked and 10 off.

 

What would be a reasonable rate to charge for those off days?

I've never had this scenario come up, so I really have no idea, and couldn't find any info about it on BECTU.

 

Thanks

[RustyBrooks]

What would be a reasonable rate to charge for those off days?

I've never had this scenario come up, so I really have no idea, and couldn't find any info about it on BECTU.

 

Thanks

 

I count every day I am away from home as a work day, as I am required to be somewhere other than home from the time I leave my front door till I get back through it, so I always bill my normal daily rate for both travel and "off" days, and also expect a PD payment to cover my expenses for food and accommodation if not provided, otherwise it's going to cost me a lot of money to be away from home. Though, I expect, it all depends on how you have been booked, and the arrangments made, but if you are billing based on a per day self employed rate then the total I would be invoicing would include ALL days away, hotel costs, and food expenses (if you are away from home)

 

Jon

[chris4monitors]

There is only one simple answer here FULL PAY and FULL PD'S too. There are too many unscupulous tour managers and record company people out there who will tell you otherwise to make them selves look good, but you are away from home as you say unable to do any other work so allways insist on FULL MONEY

Chris

[gareth]

What they said. Your booking for this job precludes you from accepting any other work, even on your days off, so it should be full pay for the entire 25 days.

[zonino]

a fair number of contracts I have seen have specified various amounts less, between £50 and £100 off the top of my head, for off days on overseas jobs on short (mainly training) contracts

[charlyfarly]

I think a good description was given on another site.....if you are away from home working, your mortgage lender doesn't expect you to pay half your mortgage payment do they :D ....so full pay, work day or off day!

[zonino]

indeed, but you wouldn't normally work a 7 day week would you? you'd have rest days surely which if you were freelancing you wouldn't be paid for?

[charlyfarly]

Chris4monitors said it best:

There are too many unscupulous tour managers and record company people out there who will tell you otherwise to make them selves look good, but you are away from home as you say unable to do any other work so allways insist on FULL MONEY

 

Anyway, "days off" are usually spent on the tour bus to enable the band and crew to cover a long journey or to comply with driver's hours rulings, or you may be flying to another geographical location.....you are not available for other work.

[gareth]

indeed, but you wouldn't normally work a 7 day week would you? you'd have rest days surely which if you were freelancing you wouldn't be paid for?

No, because you'd be at home (or at least have the opportunity to travel home). If the OP is stuck at the job location without the opportunity to travel home or take other work, then he's effectively 'at the disposal' of the client and should be paid, regardless of whether or not the client actually chooses to make use of his services on that day.

[zonino]

I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid at all by any means, absolutely not, however I can see the other perspective of a PM wanting to pay less for off days, which should still be a proper amount (i.e. £200 off day, £300 working day) or similar

[pisquee]

I would say it should be a case of knowing what the contract terms are, and then setting your price appropriately to the job.

i.e. .... if the employer will not pay on off days, then negotiate/set your price for work days higher to compensate.

Although, the drawback of this is, you may end up pricing yourself too high, and someone willing to not be paid on off days will get the job.

[Shaggy]

I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid at all by any means, absolutely not, however I can see the other perspective of a PM wanting to pay less for off days, which should still be a proper amount (i.e. £200 off day, £300 working day) or similar

 

"We've got to load in the evening before for this show, but you're only doing a couple of hours, that's not a problem is it?"

[zonino]

"thats fine, but it will change this to being a working day so I'll be invoicing 16 days on and 9 off instead of 15 on 10 off, thats not a problem is it?"

 

the cases where we've been contracting in this way, we've always paid the extra.

[J Pearce]

Surely if this is a freelance thing you'll be quoting for the job as an entity, rather than a daily rate.

 

In that case work out what the job will cost you, in terms of missing other jobs, expenses and profit (yes, profit, a strange concept indeed).

 

Daily rate is irrelavent if we're talking about proper subcontracted freelance work surely? I don't pay a sparky for parts and 2 hours labour, I pay him to install a 63/3 outlet and sign it off.

[Shaggy]

Daily rate is irrelavent if we're talking about proper subcontracted freelance work surely? I don't pay a sparky for parts and 2 hours labour, I pay him to install a 63/3 outlet and sign it off.

 

My last invoice from a Garage has parts and labour on it though. I suggest that there is a way freelancing should work according to the inland revenue and human decency, and a way it actually works. How it actually works will vary according to who your client is, but especially at the low end it may well deviate from the quote on job -> have quote accepted in writing -> do job -> get paid for job model.