What is the going rate?

[Dustman]

Not really a tech question but I need some honest answers. I've worked with php for years now but I've always done it for work and I'm on sallary. I've got people wanting me to do side jobs but I honestly don't know what the going rate is for hourly php/mysql/actionscript development. Whats the norm out there right now?

-Dustin
Rom 8:28

 

[vbkris]

good one, i myself wnated to know this.

Known is handfull, Unknown is worldfull

 

[jpadie]

have a look at rentacoder. it will give you an idea of the projects that people undertake and at what prices.

bear in mind that "going-rate" is going to be entirely location dependent even though we live increasingly in a virtual world. put simply the buck goes far further in Romania that it does in Virginia.

As an example I outsourced some coding last year to a Brazilian thru rentacoder. i estimated about 3-4 days of work and he charged $215. it was bespoke work so there were no libraries that would have helped shortcircuit the time span.

 

[Olavxxx]

I think that if they can "touch and feel" you and if they want you do do something that they dont know yet (as many do), the price is way higher than a specific job.

Eg. If you get a job "We want a webpage", but they dont say what they want.. Remember to make a project descrition together with the customer, so you dont make something which they are not happy with and suddenly start demanding more, for free..

I have earned "ok" on some jobs, some I have done very cheap, it all depends on how much work it is, how specific they can be, if they are easilly availible (personally), etc. A great deal of work might be "non programming", if the customer barely knows what the internet is.

Also, if it's webdevelopment, you have to ask if you are to fill sites with new content, which format they will send it to you, etc.

I feel that a "real person" (not a remote internet job) is worth more, as the customers feel more secure about the project.

Olav Alexander Mjelde

http://www.volvo-power.net

Admin & Webmaster

 

[Dustman]

I know what you mean.. I have done a few sites on the side for friends.. and yes, always plan it out ahead WITH the customer.

Anybody else out there have a suggestion or anybody that actually charges a flat $/hr rate?

-Dustin
Rom 8:28

 

[azimuth0]

I considered making rentacoder my job at one point. So, I decided my minimum weekly salary and my maximum weekly hours. Then, I made a table, with each row representing a bid amount on a job, and looked at how many of those jobs per week I would have to do.

I also did about 10 jobs or so, to get a feel for how much people were expecting to spend and how flexible they were.

With that information in mind, I decided that there was no way I could get enough jobs on rentacoder to maintain my minimum standard of living. People in less costly countries may have better luck.

Anyway, there's your basic method. Best of luck.

-

http://www.bitmuse.com/

 

[Olavxxx]

azimuth0 has a great point here.
Especially for me, I live in Norway.

A very simple webpage I would say 300$.
(eg. 10 hrs)

A more advanced job, 1 week fulltime: 1500$

Something inbetween: 5-600$

It's very hard to say a specific price, but it all depends on the customer and what the customer REALLY wants.
The customer mostly does not know what he/she wants and this is why you most likely will use resources on talking to your customer, traveling to them, etc.

Also, it's often back-forth, etc.

Remember: Get all project terms on paper, signed by all parties.

A book on project managing might be good for every programmer to read. I had highschool class about it, so I learned a bit.. (quite interesting and easy to learn).

The terminology is quite self-explanatory.

Olav Alexander Mjelde

http://www.volvo-power.net

Admin & Webmaster

 

[Itshim]

I also have a full-time job creating web applications, and will accept a few side jobs here and there. Since I'm not trying to make a living from these side projects I will usually charge a minimal fee, based on project complexity, not an hourly rate. People who want to hire you for a single project or even several small projects are not looking to pay the going rate for a programmer. Since I am not really making any money from my efforts I will only accept projects that I find interesting or a challenge. Of course there are always those lame projects for friends and family, but if I'm not doing those for free I usually work on some type of barter system.

The barter system is not a bad deal. I currently have an ongoing agreement with a professional web designer, who has provided me with numerous site designs and layouts that are far better than anything I could have come up with.

Also, I am constantly surfing the employment websites (craigslist, monster, careerbuilders), if you really want to break it down to an hourly rate it seems that LAMP programmers are usually offered anywhere between $15 and $25 US dollars per hour. I have not seen any reputable listings lower than $15, but I have definitely seen listings over $25 for 'advanced' or 'expert' programmers.

I also have to agree with DaButcher:

...if they want you do do something that they dont know yet (as many do), the price is way higher than a specific job

I would also suggest staying away from these types of side projects, unless the client is family or friend. It has been my experience that the time it takes to figure out exactly what they want, and then code it, it is not worth the trouble.