Consulting Fees

[Roger Bell]

Elayne, your post raises an issue in my mind that some of us may have
not considered. In Canada you have universal healthcare. In the US, we
do not. Some contract writers in the US may be able to get insurance
through their spouses' companies. Others here cannot or are single. Thus
some writers have a negotiating advantage on their rates if they already
have insurance. For those of us who would have to purchase it privately,
it is a substantial cost of doing business or we do without.

Roger Bell
Technical Writer
770.246.2300 x 2366
VCG, Inc. 
The power to succeed. 
www.vcgsoftware.com
1805 Old Alabama Road, Suite 250, Roswell, GA 30076 

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		From:  Elayne - view profile 
		Date:  Fri, Sep 8 2006 8:18 am  
		Email:   "Elayne" <sand... at rogers.com> 
		Groups:   bit.listserv.techwr-l 
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		Up here in Ottawa, I get $50/hour CDN in my pocket for
basic Web writing 
		and $70 in my pocket for technical writing (online hep
development).  I 
		work through staffing agencies for the low rate and
consulting firms for 
		the higher rate (which also means long term contracts on
projects).  In 
		both cases, the middlemen are charging about $525 per
diem.  I'm a 
		senior TW and my rate is considered high.  These rates
are for the 
		public sector (Government of Canada, oh dear, I'm
supposed to call it 
		"Canada's New Government), the private sector here is
comprised mostly 
		of telecom and biomed companies, so the rate continues
to be supported. 

		Going through middlemen means that they take care of my
security 
		clearance, it means I always get paid on time (even if
the middleman 
		doesn't).  I could try and go direct through the
government's 
		procurement methods, but I am a one-person shop.  I may
make $5.00 more 
		per hour, but the administrative overhead is too much of
a nightmare. 


		Annual gross income has been between $96,000 and
$110,000 for the past 
		15 years.  And I have nothing to show for it :) 


		Elayne