What's the minimum rate you would work for, away from home?

[ChimpMaster]

In the UK or in Europe.

Is it worthwhile working away from home for £300/day? What if there's a 4 hour drive each way (so ~£100 petrol for the week) and hotel costs of £50/night. Then your other costs like food etc.

After costs & tax you might walk away with, what, £150 a day, annualised to £35,000.

And the fact that you're away from home all week, away from the family and friends.

There has to be a cut-off point right?

[alreadypacked]

In the UK or in Europe.

Is it worthwhile working away from home for £300/day? What if there's a 4 hour drive each way (so ~£100 petrol for the week) and hotel costs of £50/night. Then your other costs like food etc.

After costs & tax you might walk away with, what, £150 a day, annualised to £35,000.

And the fact that you're away from home all week, away from the family and friends.

There has to be a cut-off point right?

I would not get out of bed for £300 pd.

HTH

[d000hg]

There has to be a cut-off point right?

Of course. But it's different for everyone.

I would not get out of bed for £300 pd.

Meaning I could pay you £300 not to get out of bed all day?

[scooby]

In the UK or in Europe.

Is it worthwhile working away from home for £300/day? What if there's a 4 hour drive each way (so ~£100 petrol for the week) and hotel costs of £50/night. Then your other costs like food etc.

After costs & tax you might walk away with, what, £150 a day, annualised to £35,000.

And the fact that you're away from home all week, away from the family and friends.

There has to be a cut-off point right?

I'm northern based, and the rates are lower than London. If working away (as per my last contract) i.e. based in London, I work out the cost of hotels and travel and make sure I still clear the sum I will take as a minimum. I was paying £65pn for hotel, £280 trains per week. I still cleared the sum I wanted, even more so when I spent weeks not travelling and working from home!!

You just need to identify what you be happy earning based from home, and work out your travel costs. If the day rate on offer is enough to provide both, consider it. Just remember, if married with kids etc, there is an impact that a day rate will not cover... I know this, however the fact my last contract has provided a good house deposit did help a little, but I wont be doing it again (according to the wife anyway...)

[Old Hack]

Depends how long I'd been on the bench really. I think you have a rate you want to work for, but that has to be flexible if you're not getting work. This is also dependent on how you view gaps in your CV.

You can rent rooms for £300 a month, or less, depending what standards you have. Buy a campervan (they hold onto their money, so Hector will not mind, as you're giving him more Corp tax at the end of the day).

Too many variables really.

[oscarose]

Depends on location, client, ‘opportunity to learn new skills’, ‘time out of contract’, etc. If something was only a few miles away, I’d probably go down to an absolute minimum of £250 if I’d been out of contract for over a month.

[Alf W]

I wouldn't work away from home full stop. I'd rather have extended bench time. Life's too short to be spent counting piles of gold in some cruddy hotel room in London.

[SimonMac]

I am resigned to the fact that I have to work away, but I then try to maximize my revenue as with everything else, rather than paying £65pn in a hotel I am in a house share at a little of £20pn, also means I can stay here one weekend a month saving me travelling costs

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

£300/day for a local gig maybe, for one further away you would need to add £150/day to that if it is outside of London and an additional £75-£100 if it is within London. Otherwise I would send my wife out to work until I found a local gig at £350+

[lukemg]

Done it in the past but I won't work away now unless I was really in the brown stuff financially.
Spent years building up warchest to avoid this very situation.
I have a minimum rate I won't work below but everything is flexible after 3 months getting splinters !!