I was perusing the contents of my inbox when one e-mail got me thinking out loud, “Is this for real?”
Here’s partly what the e-mail said:
“Thankfully, the answer is no, and that’s why I’m writing: to invite you to a special live training event that I’m putting on with John Jonas, who’s going to teach you how you can recruit full-time, honest, hard-working, loyal, intelligent people, in the Philippines, for about $300/month!
(And no, these aren’t the unreliable, questionable-quality, barely-speaking-English-type providers that you can hire for $3/hour on sites like oDesk!)”
Image credit: Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The emotions that raged within me were on the opposing sides of the spectrum – one that felt good that people oceans away are now recognizing the good side of the Filipino online worker, and the other? Incredulity at the measly rate.
I don’t have a gavel, so I’m not a judge
While I’m not in a position to judge – being employed full-time and enjoying fringe benefits most online workers don’t, I cannot judge nor complain – I still believe $300 for a month of full-time work is too little, given that prices of prime commodities are consistently going up and not down.
Then again, I cannot blame those that do accept the meager rate, especially since the employment rate in the Philippines isn’t stellar. And those that do land online jobs, more often than not, consider themselves lucky to snag $300/month jobs after weeks and weeks, sometimes even months, of bidding for posted jobs. At the very least, they can put food on their tables with that amount.
Not a pretty picture, I know, but true.
How much do you value your time?
I remember asking a good friend of mine one time. I didn’t have any idea how much to charge for a particular type of work. He said: “I cannot answer that for you, Maricel, because only you can answer with honesty how much you value your time.”
One of the things I learned from Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad is the concept of never trading time for money. This, in part, is the reason I don’t accept hourly online jobs. Besides, my full-time job should be enough to cover the hourly part for a long while. Still, I am not saying I will NEVER accept hourly online jobs. I cannot predict the future.
What I know, however, is this: I value my time, and I probably won’t accept $1.58/hour jobs. Well, I hope to God I won’t have to, not now or ever.
How about you? How much is your time worth to you?
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yeah, my time is valuable, and most of these online writing jobs are a waste of time and a joke.
fifi leigh recently posted…My Lulu.com book promotion tour….
I agree with you on that count, Fifi Leigh.
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di ko lam hourly worth ko. baka kasi mapataas oh mapababa. magkano po ba dapat ang usual na icharge ng isang degree holder per hour sa pilipinas? yung $300 “pwede” na yun kung single ka at hindi man lang nagbibigay ng konti sa magulang. kaso pag $300 lang, hindi makakaipon. hindi makakapagasawa. haays.
monmon recently posted…My Pet Cat Has Just Given Birth
Hello, Mon. I think that would depend. Ano ba ang expertise mo? Ano ba ‘yong value na kaya mong i-deliver? For starters, I think it would be best to research the industry benchmark. Like, say, if you’re a technical writer, i-research mo kung magkano usually ang tinatanggap ng isang technical writer. I would suggest to never undersell your capabilities.
Yup, kung per month ‘yong $300, I think medyo mababa talaga.
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freelance writer po ako ng kahit ano.. ung iba kasing client, nagbabayad ay per hour hindi per article/words. magkano po ba dapat singil ko pagkaganun? magkano po per hour? at magkano po per article? more than one year na ko nagfrifreelance. dapat ko bang babaan rate ko kasi pilipinas naman tayo? sabi kasi ng iba, sa US daw $25above isang 500word article.
monmon recently posted…My Pet Cat Has Just Given Birth
Mon, the rate depends on your expertise and experience pa rin. Personally, I go for per-deliverable types. Kasi the faster you go, the more you get paid. Unlike with hourly jobs, kahit mabilis ka, you still will get paid by the hour.
As for $25, I think that’s a decent enough rate. Some people go beyond or below that rate, depending on their skills and experience and if you’re perceived as an expert in your field.
Your rate will always be your choice, Mon. Just don’t undersell your skills to get more projects. That might not be sustainable in the long run. 🙂
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