So What is it worth?

[boss mare]

I hope that I am posting this in the right section...
What would be the going rate of hiring some kid to do some farm projects around my place... post hole digging, lawn mowing, weed wacking etc... about 3 days worth of projects
I live in a very ecomoncally depressed area and I e-mail my cousins son who is young ( late teens/early 20's) is married, does not have a job, has one kid and another on the way and I have not heard back from him I have heard through the family grapevine that he got the e-mail and his comment was the he would not even get out of bed for less than 20.00 per hour.. mininmum wage here is 8.68 per hour before taxes
I offered him 10.00 per hour plus transportation and meals.. I am off base...? I don't think I am as I work in the dental field for 20.00 per hour

[loosechickens]

When folks around here need work done, (in southern CA at the moment), the going rate for the several people here in the park who offer their services seems to be $15 per hour, and no meals or transportation are included, so your offer doesn't sound out of line.

If this guy is married, has no job, has a child and another one coming and is turning up his nose and saying things like he "wouldn't get out of bed for less than $20 per hour", exactly how hard of a worker do you suppose he is? It may be a great blessing that he doesn't seem willing to "lower himself" to your job. I'd look elsewhere.

And if you are offering transportation and meals, I don't think $10 per hour is all that bad. And since you're looking for someone for just a few projects, temporarily, I am assuming that would be cash as well.

I'd pass this guy up totally, myself. Smart people, who aren't working, recognize that not only is work at even minimum wage if there are no costs of transportation, etc., way better than no work at all, but well worth snapping up. And smart people also recognize that temporary work often morphs into more jobs, other opportunities, etc. People who are probably always going to have problems take the kind of attitude that says "I wouldn't get out of bed for...........". you're way better off not using him at all IMHO.

[Mrs-M]

Silly boy... I second LC's comments. P.S. Lovely avatar Boss mare.

[Rosemary]

Agree with the above.

[iris lily]

$10/hr for unskilled labor is reasonable in this economy.

[Float On]

"won't get out of bed" means that if he actually did he'd probably turn a 3 day job into a 'never done job' due to his lazy attitude. Hey, I'd do it for $10 an hour. I grew up on a farm doing all that and more just because it was expected and dad needed every 'free-hand' he could get.

[goldensmom]

If this person won't get out of bed for less than $20.00 then you don't want him working for you because he would not do a good job with that attitude. We pay $10.00/ hr (no transportation or meals) for unskilled, general duty types of labor. As we are an agribusiness we take have to take out taxes, etc.. so they take home less but kids as well adults around here are glad for the work. Like Float On, I grew up on a farm doing grunt work for free, same farm and still do it for free (I don't take a salary).

[Gardenarian]

I think your offer was perfectly reasonable.

[Rogar]

I live in the city and have paid the neighborhood kids about $10/hr for a few odd chores, so that seems like a good starting place for simple labor. I have a friend who lives in the country in a pretty depressed area and cleans houses for her main source of income. Her rate it $15 and hour, but she works very hard and does a good job. Plus she has the unsightly job of bathroom cleaning. She is almost always fully booked and turns down jobs at that rate for that type of work. Hard work that is done well might deserve more than $10.

[jennipurrr]

ITA with Loosechickens. It sounds like he doesn't have a job for far more reasons than just the poor economy.

I have a guy I use from time to time to help with odd jobs at my rental properties and also my home. Recently when we were doing repairs to our home (a tree fell on my carport), part of the area had to be waterproofed, so a ditch had to be dug around it for the waterproofing and a french drain. Anyway, we paid him $10 an hour and he was our digging a ditch all day. I am in AL.

Have you posted an ad in craigslist? I would screen anyone carefully, but that's how I found my petsitter and it worked out well.