Not sure why you’re getting confrontational.
Of course I know that rates are negotiable. But, a client who wants a $10 per hour rate for work that pays $30 to $40 per hour in salaried positions is delusional.
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I find work on upwork to be really sad. People offering $30dollars for 16+ page website and still getting a ton of bids
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Having a contract with the person is a binding situation and a way that you can ensure you get what is due. At that point it would depend on how much you want to pursue the terms of the contract.
Hi Jim - good question.
As someone who uses/hires freelance and contractor developers and designers here’s my take…
So many factors at play here:
Do you only do Javascript and how long have you been coding for? Do you have a previous body of work?
Do you plan to work on evenings and weekends and or during the day? Standard day for day/hour rate calculations is 8 hours and an average month is around 21/22 working days.
Location you live in, in the UK, and will be remote or on site? Also, how much do you need to survive a month and do you have a regular job and this is extra earning power?
Remember it’s not only your time because as a freelancer you have your laptop costs to consider, any software licence costs you have to do your job technically, issue invoices, timekeeping etc. etc. You will also have to pay tax.
Also, who is the client and what do they want you to do? They may match up to your ethics and ideals or offer you chance to work on something cool so will make you amenable to take a lower rate.
All of the above should be considered when pricing yourself and they are things I consider when hiring… As ahfarmer said, have a range.
Good luck!
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Maybe it’s just because I am in China but I have met people whose notion of contract is very loose, especially when it comes to money.
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I am also UK based and i have the feeling most of these so called agencies that are calling are absolutely dodgy.
No idea what they’re looking for, but they seem to offer some horrible rates like 20.000 to 25.000 british pounds per year on full time positions. I mean wow, i earn in that range as a chef depending how much i work and every time i tell them this they seem to get really upset.
Sure they try to hide the fact i mention something inconvinient for their ears, but why the hell would i accept a 20.000 per year and take on more responsability and headaches?
But I am a nice guy so i would accept anything that’s above my current income. So i tell them 30.000 minimum. Either they take it or I will continue working on my own projects in my free time and my current job will be only as demanding as it usually is.
No extra headaches for no extra pay. Simple as that.
Hi, just thought i’d chip in with how I (still a student) look at it
Quite simple to work out. Assuming you work 48 weeks in a year.
Your required annual income / 48
divided by…
number of chargeable hours per week
gives you your required hourly rate.
Forget about charging top dollar per hour if you don’t have the experience or previous work to back it up.
Just charge what you need to be comfortable and don’t forget to add time to your initial time estimates for the project (as we’re new and don’t really have a clue!). Your price can go up with your worth (not that i’m saying you’re not worth top dollar, I’ve made an assumption you’re fairly new at this)
BTW a good way to see how long projects are taking you is to use tools like wakatime integrated into your editor.
Cheers
mark
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This will highly depend on how proficient you are , client portfolios or reviews etc.
I mean I could charge you just $20 per hour but I need 100 hours, vs. charging $100 buit only needing 15 hours…
Point is, no one will pay you $100+ if they do not feel you are worth it (sure sucker born every minute so there are of course exceptions).
Imaging you need a mechanic. You have tons of choices of business which have been open for years and great reviews.
Now there is this new mechanic, just opened shop and you dare to ask for a quote…
Would you go to this mechanic when he charges more or say the exact same as the others, but all he can tell you is that he has always worked on his own cars , is a genius, but has NO client feedback etc? I know I would not…
Either way, this was just one simple angle, and of course you should not sell yourself short but also keep in mind its more about what value do YOU provide vs. just an hourly rate.
“Never submit a quote that doesn’t embarrass you.”
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