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So I found an easy part time job I could do on the side while doing engineering which involves me driving a college student that's on a wheel chair to and from school two days a week and one other day for grocery shopping and such.
My dilemma is from the salary. Before I was hired, she was paying a cab driver 80$ a week to do all this. I had never done anything like this before so naturally, I didn't know how much personal drivers were supposed to make so she offered me 40$ and I blindly accepted.
Today was my first payday and I got my 40$ and being happy I called my mother and told her everything about my job, how much I was making etc. Also, keep in mind this is also my first job. Anyways after I tell my mom about my salary she kinda gets semi-mad that I'm getting paid so little because how expensive gas is nowadays. She says that pretty much all im getting is gas money(which in my mind isnt the only thing becuz the work expereienc is at least something i could put on my blank resume which is EXTREMELEY helpful for such an ez job).
At the same time though I feel like my mom is right becuz if I'm only getting gas money and no leftover money for myself then it's me that's losing time driving her. So she tells me to time how long it takes to drive her to school and back to get a rough estimate of how much gas im using and such which I'm going to do the next time I take her to school.
And if I were going to approach the subject of raising the pay I don't know how to start it without feeling like a douchebag. I have her number so the best way I could think of is to text her about it IF I decide I need more money. I dunno.. she has to pay 80$ a week for a cab while she already pays 600$ for her dorm not to mention her disability. I just feel bad asking for more money even if all I'm getting is gas money.
So yea I thought I'd post this here and hear some thoughts about what some of u guys might think about what I should do. Also if I do decide to want more money, what would be the best way to go about it?
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Dude, you're doing the right thing, but in the wrong place.
Just man up and talk to your disabled employer, and explain the dilemma. Then let her make a judgment call if she would be able to give you $5 or $10 more or whatever(But let that be her decision after you presented the situation as it is. Let her decide if she likes you, and if your service is maybe worth an additional buck to make it fair, and still keep it fairly below her expenses for paying a cab driver instead.). Just make sure you dont leave the person out off your plannings who has to pay you in the end. That(and just talking to people not involved, like your mom) will never solve the dilemma in the first place.
At least, talking to the person whom it concerns would be the thing I'd do. It solves many problems.
My 0,02$,
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Have her reimburse you for gas + the 40$ salary. If she can't and you feel like doing volunteer work for the disabled then there's plenty of places to do that will look great on your resume.
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Well, if you really would like to make a profit rather than break even on gas, I would suggest asking for a raise, but maybe to something like $60 a week instead of $80. You're being employed and as an employee it's certainly your right to ask for more money as long as you're being reasonable. It's not like you're going to get fired for asking for more. Just make your case and see how it goes. If you do get the raise, then good for you and if you don't, either be happy with the pay you get or look for work elsewhere.
To approach the topic, just be nice and confident when you're asking for more. Say something like "I enjoy helping you out, but my current pay is barely enough for gas. I feel like I should get paid $X because I now know that $40 a week isn't enough. I don't believe this is an unreasonable request and I hope you will agree with me."
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4-5 years ago I used to run an ad in a local neighborhood newspaper for PC repairs and stuff and my first few jobs I charged WAY less than I should have. Luckily for me I didn't have the kind of continuous situation you have, I had different customers all the time so I could just change my prices when I realized I was charging way too little.
It'll be hard to talk about the price after accepting the $40 now. $40 is too low though (especially with rising gas prices etc) the only thing I can think of really is going and saying since gas prices are going up and you didn't estimate how much gas it would cost you, you have to raise the price or something. Gas/Time really are the things its costing you and $40 for 3 trips a week def seems low, you risk losing business or getting into an awkward spot if you try to haggle too high though so you really have to be careful. Explain it from your position I guess. $40 breaks even but you need to make something. If she's easy to talk to you could even say that.
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It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others.
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On April 21 2011 10:26 djcube wrote:
It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others.
It's not that she was trying to rip me off or anything but along with her 600$ per rent and college tuitions and such, the 80$ cab ride per week was hurting her financially also. I don't even know how much more she has to pay for her physical therapy that I take her to every morning.
And for the record, she only paid the cab driver only the 80$, she was trying to get the best deal possible for anyone else that contacted her.
I dunno, being a college student myself I feel like I understand her financial concerns and also feel bad about her disability that's making me question whether to do this or not.
So far there's been two options in this thread. To make her pay me 50$ instead of $40 or have her pay me 40$+gas which sounds pretty reasonable. I'm scared to ask for $60 lol. When I firsted talked to her, she said 40-50 would be alright so I think asking for at least 50$ should be okay right? Would 50$ per week be pretty "decent" for my first job or is it still cutting it too close?
And for decaf and luckyfool whom I known from bw for so long thx for always helping me out with good advice. I still remember u decaf re-editing my whole college entrance essay from E- to A+.
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On April 21 2011 10:56 MaRiNe23 wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2011 10:26 djcube wrote:
It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others. It's not that she was trying to rip me off or anything but along with her 600$ per rent and college tuitions and such, the 80$ cab ride per week was hurting her financially also. I don't even know how much more she has to pay for her physical therapy that I take her to every morning. And for the record, she only paid the cab driver only the 80$, she was trying to get the best deal possible for anyone else that contacted her. I dunno, being a college student myself I feel like I understand her financial concerns and also feel bad about her disability that's making me question whether to do this or not. So far there's been two options in this thread. To make her pay me 50$ instead of $40 or have her pay me 40$+gas which sounds pretty reasonable. I'm scared to ask for $60 lol. When I firsted talked to her, she said 40-50 would be alright so I think asking for at least 50$ should be okay right? Would 50$ per week be pretty "decent" for my first job or is it still cutting it too close? And for decaf and luckyfool whom I known from bw for so long thx for always helping me out with good advice. I still remember u decaf re-editing my whole college entrance essay from E- to A+.
What a shitty situation. I guess u either have to decide between "winning" 10 bucks a week and doing it because you feel good/helping someone disabled/etc or telling her it's still too low because of gas costs and you'll have to pass on it. I guess if u don't want to "be" a total ass you could tell her u will do it for the next 2/3 weeks till she finds a replacement, which maybe she won't and then will offer u more money.
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On April 21 2011 11:03 GoTuNk! wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2011 10:56 MaRiNe23 wrote:On April 21 2011 10:26 djcube wrote:
It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others. It's not that she was trying to rip me off or anything but along with her 600$ per rent and college tuitions and such, the 80$ cab ride per week was hurting her financially also. I don't even know how much more she has to pay for her physical therapy that I take her to every morning. And for the record, she only paid the cab driver only the 80$, she was trying to get the best deal possible for anyone else that contacted her. I dunno, being a college student myself I feel like I understand her financial concerns and also feel bad about her disability that's making me question whether to do this or not. So far there's been two options in this thread. To make her pay me 50$ instead of $40 or have her pay me 40$+gas which sounds pretty reasonable. I'm scared to ask for $60 lol. When I firsted talked to her, she said 40-50 would be alright so I think asking for at least 50$ should be okay right? Would 50$ per week be pretty "decent" for my first job or is it still cutting it too close? And for decaf and luckyfool whom I known from bw for so long thx for always helping me out with good advice. I still remember u decaf re-editing my whole college entrance essay from E- to A+. What a shitty situation. I guess u either have to decide between "winning" 10 bucks a week and doing it because you feel good/helping someone disabled/etc or telling her it's still too low because of gas costs and you'll have to pass on it. I guess if u don't want to "be" a total ass you could tell her u will do it for the next 2/3 weeks till she finds a replacement, which maybe she won't and then will offer u more money.
Acutally I'm only doing this until school ends becuz I'm gonig straight to korea when I'm done with my last final exam. May 11th is the last day of my finals so I'll be doin this for about 2-3 weeks exact acutally like you said LOL!
She wants me to do it in summer also but I think I'ma just make some excuse and try to find another job.
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On April 21 2011 11:15 MaRiNe23 wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2011 11:03 GoTuNk! wrote:On April 21 2011 10:56 MaRiNe23 wrote:On April 21 2011 10:26 djcube wrote:
It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others. It's not that she was trying to rip me off or anything but along with her 600$ per rent and college tuitions and such, the 80$ cab ride per week was hurting her financially also. I don't even know how much more she has to pay for her physical therapy that I take her to every morning. And for the record, she only paid the cab driver only the 80$, she was trying to get the best deal possible for anyone else that contacted her. I dunno, being a college student myself I feel like I understand her financial concerns and also feel bad about her disability that's making me question whether to do this or not. So far there's been two options in this thread. To make her pay me 50$ instead of $40 or have her pay me 40$+gas which sounds pretty reasonable. I'm scared to ask for $60 lol. When I firsted talked to her, she said 40-50 would be alright so I think asking for at least 50$ should be okay right? Would 50$ per week be pretty "decent" for my first job or is it still cutting it too close? And for decaf and luckyfool whom I known from bw for so long thx for always helping me out with good advice. I still remember u decaf re-editing my whole college entrance essay from E- to A+. What a shitty situation. I guess u either have to decide between "winning" 10 bucks a week and doing it because you feel good/helping someone disabled/etc or telling her it's still too low because of gas costs and you'll have to pass on it. I guess if u don't want to "be" a total ass you could tell her u will do it for the next 2/3 weeks till she finds a replacement, which maybe she won't and then will offer u more money. Acutally I'm only doing this until school ends becuz I'm gonig straight to korea when I'm done with my last final exam. May 11th is the last day of my finals so I'll be doin this for about 2-3 weeks exact acutally like you said LOL! She wants me to do it in summer also but I think I'ma just make some excuse and try to find another job.
Isn't your excuse that you're going to be in Korea O_o.
ALSO WHY U NEVER HANG WITH US.
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On April 21 2011 11:21 Megaliskuu wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2011 11:15 MaRiNe23 wrote:On April 21 2011 11:03 GoTuNk! wrote:On April 21 2011 10:56 MaRiNe23 wrote:On April 21 2011 10:26 djcube wrote:
It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others. It's not that she was trying to rip me off or anything but along with her 600$ per rent and college tuitions and such, the 80$ cab ride per week was hurting her financially also. I don't even know how much more she has to pay for her physical therapy that I take her to every morning. And for the record, she only paid the cab driver only the 80$, she was trying to get the best deal possible for anyone else that contacted her. I dunno, being a college student myself I feel like I understand her financial concerns and also feel bad about her disability that's making me question whether to do this or not. So far there's been two options in this thread. To make her pay me 50$ instead of $40 or have her pay me 40$+gas which sounds pretty reasonable. I'm scared to ask for $60 lol. When I firsted talked to her, she said 40-50 would be alright so I think asking for at least 50$ should be okay right? Would 50$ per week be pretty "decent" for my first job or is it still cutting it too close? And for decaf and luckyfool whom I known from bw for so long thx for always helping me out with good advice. I still remember u decaf re-editing my whole college entrance essay from E- to A+. What a shitty situation. I guess u either have to decide between "winning" 10 bucks a week and doing it because you feel good/helping someone disabled/etc or telling her it's still too low because of gas costs and you'll have to pass on it. I guess if u don't want to "be" a total ass you could tell her u will do it for the next 2/3 weeks till she finds a replacement, which maybe she won't and then will offer u more money. Acutally I'm only doing this until school ends becuz I'm gonig straight to korea when I'm done with my last final exam. May 11th is the last day of my finals so I'll be doin this for about 2-3 weeks exact acutally like you said LOL! She wants me to do it in summer also but I think I'ma just make some excuse and try to find another job. Isn't your excuse that you're going to be in Korea O_o. ALSO WHY U NEVER HANG WITH US.
I don't play sc2. Read my quote haha. Does tim still play bw? I whispered u on op teamliquid the other day but u never answered. I'm cho-goo-ling. I wanted to tvp tim and get owned.
edit: I'm only gonna be in Korea for 2-3 weeks becuz I thought I was going to take summer classes but I decided not to becuz of the budget cuts financial aid will only offer me unsubsidized loans to pay for my summer classes.
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No one can judge if this is good pay unless you provide a rough estimate of how much time is spent driving
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haha I think you're tiptoeing around this situation much more than is necessary. Just tell her that when you take into account the gas money, you aren't making ANY money. obviously she'll understand, and then you guys can discuss how much of a PROFIT you want to make. whether it be $10 or $40 lol. but earning $10/week to drive someone around is kind of ridiculous lol (seems like a waste of time to me). I guess it really depends on how much time you spend driving her around/how far you're going. And should the amount of profit you want be too expensive for her tastes, then you can just drive her for a stipulated amount of time for that $40/week while she attempts to find a new driver.
of course I think it's very nice of you to take her considerations into account, but if you want to do volunteer work for the disabled just do volunteer work. don't do "real work" and then be too ashamed/feel too bad to actually use it as a source of income. unless of course you want to drive this chick around as your own perception of "volunteer" work. but considering what you said in your OP, volunteering at a local community center versus having a job 2x a week as a driver might look more favorable on say, a resume.
On April 21 2011 11:15 MaRiNe23 wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2011 11:03 GoTuNk! wrote:On April 21 2011 10:56 MaRiNe23 wrote:On April 21 2011 10:26 djcube wrote:
It's hard to judge when you don't specify any distance/time that you're driving. I'm going to assume that it's at least a 20 minute drive one way for each task plus the time it takes while she's out for "grocery shopping and such" and agree with your mom that it's not worth it. Gas prices will definitely hurt and that's not to mention the absurdly high prices right now. IMO, it's not worth $40 a week to drive someone around, although, it is your first "job." The initial mistake was accepting the $40 when she was willing to pay $80 to others. It's not that she was trying to rip me off or anything but along with her 600$ per rent and college tuitions and such, the 80$ cab ride per week was hurting her financially also. I don't even know how much more she has to pay for her physical therapy that I take her to every morning. And for the record, she only paid the cab driver only the 80$, she was trying to get the best deal possible for anyone else that contacted her. I dunno, being a college student myself I feel like I understand her financial concerns and also feel bad about her disability that's making me question whether to do this or not. So far there's been two options in this thread. To make her pay me 50$ instead of $40 or have her pay me 40$+gas which sounds pretty reasonable. I'm scared to ask for $60 lol. When I firsted talked to her, she said 40-50 would be alright so I think asking for at least 50$ should be okay right? Would 50$ per week be pretty "decent" for my first job or is it still cutting it too close? And for decaf and luckyfool whom I known from bw for so long thx for always helping me out with good advice. I still remember u decaf re-editing my whole college entrance essay from E- to A+. What a shitty situation. I guess u either have to decide between "winning" 10 bucks a week and doing it because you feel good/helping someone disabled/etc or telling her it's still too low because of gas costs and you'll have to pass on it. I guess if u don't want to "be" a total ass you could tell her u will do it for the next 2/3 weeks till she finds a replacement, which maybe she won't and then will offer u more money. Acutally I'm only doing this until school ends becuz I'm gonig straight to korea when I'm done with my last final exam. May 11th is the last day of my finals so I'll be doin this for about 2-3 weeks exact acutally like you said LOL! She wants me to do it in summer also but I think I'ma just make some excuse and try to find another job.
you know, it might be more convenient for her/she might be more willing to pay you 60$ as opposed to you making up some excuse and her having to try and find another college student to drive her around. definitely what you should do is see how much the gas costs for you to drive her around, talk to her (instead of a text), and proceed from there...
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Tamu sc is pretty much all sc2 ;;. Me and Tim occasionally rage at sc2 and talk about how much we hate it, then go on iccup, but that only lasts a few hours, then its back to the sc2 :<.
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On April 21 2011 11:25 awu25 wrote:
No one can judge if this is good pay unless you provide a rough estimate of how much time is spent driving
I'm goign to do that the next time I drive her to get specifics but google map says its about 13 mins which I feel like is somewhat accuate. It felt 15-20 min-ish to me but since it's the high way I think the 13 mins might be close but like I said i'll do a more accurate test on monday.
Also can't forget I'm in texas and it's frickin 97 degrees outside..so I'm also blazing on the a/c too the whole way.
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I been refreshing this thread to answer back as quick as possible but I have to go to tutoring now but I will make sure to take into considerations all the advice that's been given to me in this thread. thanks alot guys. TL ftw
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I think as long as you're apologetic I think you should be fine. Put together some numbers and show her your expenses: gas, insurance, maintenece...work out something more reasonable. For a part time low skill job like driving $8-10 per hour ontop of your expenses should be plenty reasonable.
I dont think you should feel bad asking for more pay just because she's disabled. Most disabled individuals want to be treated like everyone else. Sure transportation+college costs are tough, but lets be realistic they're tough for everybody including you. Disabled people receive welfare checks to help them out in situations like this. Of course its never going to "be enough" to cover all the special needs, but assistance is available.
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You're only going to work this job for the next 2-3 weeks. I can't see the point of any of this, she may be more inclined to hire someone new for a long term solution rather than forking out more money for someone who isn't going to stick around.
But if you really want to press the payment issue than come up with some numbers before proposing it such as how much your time is worth and estimated amount of gas expense. Numbers will help your argument.
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ur looking at 15ish miles both ways 2x a week w/ a third trip of uknown time for the third trip. if your car gets average mpg I would say you are spending 3x gallons of gas (approx) to drive her, at $4 a gallon ur spending 12 (let's call it 15) and getting 40 a week. The biggest thing to consider now is how much you value your time. At $25 a week your profit/time is going to be low (40 minutes 2 days and then the time in the store) at that point if you have nothing better to do and it doesn't cut into potential time of doing something better $25 a week to help her out seems ok. I wouldn't ask for $60, $50 would be a good number.
What type of car do you drive?
How much time do you dedicate to each day? are these trips on days that you would be going to school anyway? Are you going out of your way (by a fair margin) to pick her up?
How long is the time in the grocery store?
These are questions you don't have to answer to us but use it in your own thinking. I would say that if you are going to school anyways and live fairly close to her then $40-gas a week to essentially worth the trip to the grocery store and worth it. If she is across town then no.
When it comes to talking w/ her you should be honest and confident, don't lead the conversation but let her know what you are thinking, chances are she will come to a fair conclusion (well... hopefully) and your next 3 weeks should be ez.
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If it's only for a 2-3 more weeks, I'd just finish it out (out of kindness). But I'm generally a nice guy. The other people's advice is good though, asking for $10-$20 more is reasonable though.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
This is all that matters.
($40weekly pay - weekly cost of gas) / hours = hourly effective wage.
If this number is lower than what you can get at a minimum wage job, it's time to quit. If you're an engineering student, you can probably get higher pay as a private tutor.
edit: one thing you can do is ask to be reimbursed for gas.
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EPT
