Freelance groom wage

[Betty&DannyTwoOfThem]

Hi, I'm a freelance BHSAI and currently just teach but I am looking to expand to do some groom/ general yard work. What price do people expect to pay for a qualified and insured freelance yard groom?
TIA

 

[The Xmas Furry]

There is a big difference between what some folk expect to pay, and what a decent groom should be paid.
If I get someone to mine, I pay £15 a visit. So £30 a day, for probably 30 mins max each visit (2nd visit can be cut to 10/15 mins if rushing), that's for a trusted person who happens to pass my yard gate anyway.

Remember in the winter everyone wants theirs brought in or done at similar times, so there is a limit as to how many clients you can take on (been there myself)

 

[chaps89]

Mine is £10 an hour, but I'd be surprised if it takes her much more than 45 minutes. I reckon it's a bargain! She'll charge £8 for a half hour visit.
I'm also paid £10 an hour by the yard I occasionally freelance at so it seems to be the going rate around here.
I don't really understand how anyone can do it (or anything self employed really) for less than £15 an hour, when you take into account travel time/costs, insurance, no sick or holiday pay or pension.

 

[sport horse]

It depends on how far they are coming and how many hours you require. I often use freelancers to cover staff holidays, sickness or in the depths of winter as an pair of hands. I would never need less than 4 hours work and quite often several days/week. I would always pay £10/hour or a little bit more. I would always require an invoice with full HM Revenue self employed numbers on it.

 

[honetpot]

I think you have to think what charge will cover your costs, travelling time etc, and have a minim charge. My freelance I have employed for nearly three years, and one of her problems is that some people do not handle their horses and they are quite dangerous, so you have to factor in your more likely to be injured and have time off.

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

I pay £10 per visit for holiday cover, two visits per day, probs 30-40 mins per visit .Involves bringing in, turning out, changing rugs, mucking out, and haynets and water obv. This feels like a very good deal for peace of mind when I'm away (and she feeds the cat too, which is a bonus!), but I wouldn't be able to afford this on anything like a regular basis.

 

[teapot]

Between £10 and £15 per hour

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Interesting commercial models. Whilst hourly rate is important so a client can have a market legitimate number, I always ask what the charge is per visit and encourage the person to work on an outcomes basis not an hourly basis.

This way they can calculate their travel costs and manage their diary around other clients. I know we pay above market but I don’t want staff feeling pressured to get the work done within a certain time.

Years ago we had a lovely irish backpacker do our horses when we’re away for 10 days. When I went to pay her, she gave me a ridiculously low number. I couldn’t understand how she got to that number so I asked her. She assumed I was going to pay her on an hourly rate and had recorded her time in 15min increments and then added them all together.

I explained that even if she had spent just 10mins of the hour, she needed to charge for the full hour. So when we recalculated using a more commercially acceptable model for Australia, it was four times higher. Proper pay!

Sweet girl, you should have seen her face!

If we us freelancers we have the commercial model discussion upfront so they know they will be properly paid. Per visit I find everyone is comfortable so they can spend as long or as short as they want doing the work.

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

I pay £20 for the first hour (minimum charge so if she's there for 10 minutes, it's still £20), then £15/hour or per visit thereafter in the same day, so if I have a days cover it's £35. It's expensive but I know I have a totally reliable person who will look after my horses well.
I don't know how anyone can afford for do it for £10/hour, by the time you've factored in travel costs and time, you'd hardly be earning anything.

 

[SOS]

I have done casual horse work in the past, I have no qualifications just experience and have always got jobs through word of mouth. I was insured. I charged £12.50 an hour and worked bloody hard to break even. The problem is the unpaid driving between the 2 hour jobs. My more permanent horse job I was paid £10.50 an hour plus mileage and paid from when I left home, it was worth taking less as there were more hours there (6-9Hr a day).

I have also freelanced in another industry as my full time job and charged minimum £16 hour, normally £20 for days. And upwards of £35 for OOHs.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I don't know how anyone can afford for do it for £10/hour, by the time you've factored in travel costs and time, you'd hardly be earning anything.

This. For freelancing, doing bits of jobs 2 hours here, an hour there, £10 is way too low.

 

[alibali]

I only did it occasionally but charged per visit depending on what was required. I'd estimate the time required and charge around £12.50/hour plus roughly 50p mile if outside a 5 mile radius of my home address. That meant after insurance and travel costs/time etc I'd be clearing roughly £9/hour.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I only did it occasionally but charged per visit depending on what was required. I'd estimate the time required and charge around £12.50/hour plus roughly 50p mile if outside a 5 mile radius of my home address. That meant after insurance and travel costs/time etc I'd be clearing roughly £9/hour.

I would expect someone to charge per mile for the travel and at least £15 per hour for the 1st hour, you could reduce the hourly rate for longer jobs, if you wanted to. I used to pay someone to turnout and muck out on weekdays, who lived nearby, £10 for the job (4 horses), several years ago.