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A friend's daughter is hopefully going to do some work for us over the summer - painting some outside walls, railings, gates etc. She's 15 (I think, might be 16).
They're coming up later to check out what we'd like doing so she decide if she actually wants to do it, and I'll let her know how much we'll pay. I know the minimum wage is five quid-odd an hour, but that just seems stingey - I earned a fiver an hour for a summer job twenty years ago. So, I'm think £7.50 an hour. Seem fair? Overly generous/miserly?
Piece rate, not hourly rate.
That wall = £20
Those railings = £30
etc
That discourages her getting bored and leaving the job half done or just dragging out the work for more money.
If you were getting a fiver an hour 20 years ago, it would be pushing nearer a tenner now.
Quite like the piece rate idea - estimate the hours, multiply by 10 or whatever.
As it's painting, is she doing the prep as well?
£5 sounds fine at 16. If you were getting 5 20 years ago under 18 you were lucky. 4 hours is £20 which is enough for a cheap night out.
Price work is the alternative but you would need to set so e requirements/ standards to stop working like mad but splashing paint everywhere missing bits etc in the rush
That discourages her getting bored and leaving the job half done or just dragging out the work for more money.
I must admit most of my friends teenage kids are nicer, less conniving and devious than that approach implies yours are WCA! If the OP Shows a bit of trust and respect, he'll likely be pleasantly surprised IMO.
I did similar as a teenager and being trusted and paid to do a proper DIY job by 'grown ups' was great for my (then) fragile self esteem and made me very focused on doing a good job.
I got £75 a week when I was 16 (1988) labouring for a plasterer, 5 days at £15 per day, about 7 hours work per day so £2.xx an hour
As it’s painting, is she doing the prep as well?
Yeah, but it's only rough prep - sanding down the railings, washing down the walls, maybe some filling. It doesn't need a massively high standard of finish which is why I'm paying a teenager to do it.
I must admit most of my friends teenage kids are nicer, less conniving and devious than that approach implies yours are WCA! If the OP Shows a bit of trust and respect, he’ll likely be pleasantly surprised IMO.
I did similar as a teenager and being trusted and paid to do a proper DIY job by ‘grown ups’ was great for my (then) fragile self esteem and made me very focused on doing a good job.
Yeah, I'm going with this approach if I'm honest, as a Scout leader I know that this (often but not always) works, and I'm making it clear that I'm happy to pay decently but I want her to crack on and do a decent job. Plus, there's no way her mum would let her get away with not finishing the job, and also sees it as a great learning/developing thing.
£7.50 isn't bad at all.
[i]I must admit most of my friends teenage kids are nicer, less conniving and devious than that approach implies yours are WCA! If the OP Shows a bit of trust and respect, he’ll likely be pleasantly surprised IMO.
I did similar as a teenager and being trusted and paid to do a proper DIY job by ‘grown ups’ was great for my (then) fragile self esteem and made me very focused on doing a good job.[/i]
Okay, I will reword it in Snowflake speak 🙂
Engage the person in the process of work scope and estimation. Allow them to discuss what aspects they feel comfortable taking on - painting and finishing - and those where they do not feel as engaged - paint prep and rust removal. Once there is harmony on the challenges and opportunities the effort and value will naturally flow forward and can be allocated to the various options identified.
Dinosaur Translation - Agree what they can and cannot do and how much they will get paid for it. This makes sure they understand and are happy to do the work. Then pay on piece rate.
as a Scout leader
Surely there's a missed opportunity for a community project/badge work crossover there?
How much to pay for child labour?
Small bottle of Rola-Cola and a Club biscuit every 4hrs should suffice.
Surely there’s a missed opportunity for a community project/badge work crossover there?
Believe me, I considered it, but I don't think "paint the Leader's house" counts as a community project. grr... 🙂
She is an ex-Scout though, and her mum is the Cub leader.
I believe the tender of choice for kids these days is bottles of prime?
In 2000 I was 16 and was on £2.50 an hour.
In 2002 is was 16 and my summer job paid £5.50 an hour after a months probation period on £4.50 an hour. If I was 16 now I’m pretty sure I’d be happy with £7.50 cash though.
depends where in the country you are. Minimum wage might be fine oop narth, its miserly in london
3 hours work in the local cafe for a teenager aged 14/15 is £20 cash. I base that on what I pay my teenager for 3 hours work.
Piece work is good however you don’t want it too slap/dash. There needs to be some quality standards.
£6 an hour with a bonus for a decent job?
Or that's what you tell her anyway, you can always pay her the £7.50 you planned all along but it'll encourage a good work ethic and avoid you getting a crap level of finish.