Hi Angela
We (Pacific Identifications) charge an hourly rate for our work ($50
Canadian) and that definitely includes writing the report. The company
takes about 25% of this (which pays for supplies and going to conferences)
and we pay ourselves the remainder. And to give some scale, this is more
than electricians and carpenters make, but well under lawyers and doctors!
We have tried very hard not to get into that nasty trap of agreeing to
do some work for x amount of money and ending up getting paid $1 per hour
because it took much longer than anticipated.
The contractors we work with seem to come in two varieties. Some want
an estimate before they agree to the work. No matter how long I've been at
this, estimating still seems more art than science. I try very hard not to
underestimate, so often err on the over-estimate side. And then, it often
turns out that the contractor had an idea of what they wanted to pay anyway
(and it's usually not very close to my estimate!)
The other type of contractor will say "I have x amount of money to do
the bones" and I do what I can for the money that is offered. This often
involves sampling the assemblage. I like this better, as long as the amount
of money is not totally ludicrous.
Oh, and every once in a while, we get to do an estimate before the bones
come out of the ground. Now that is really divination!
Hope this helps somewhat.
Cheers, Becky
----- Original Message -----
From: "Angela Chavez" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 6:49 PM
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Fees
>I have a question about fees. I have been asked to look at a small
> collection, and the person wants to know how much I charge. This is the
> first time I have done any kind of analysis for money, and I don't know
> what
> to tell them. I don't want to charge too much, or too little. Does
> anyone
> have an idea as to what the "going rate" is?
>
> Thanks
> Angela
>
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