need info on hiring

L

loodi

New member
its been 15 mins i've been looking where could i post this but im still not sure if its in the right place...

anyway:

lets say there's a pro detailer in TX that wants to hire me (an amateur detailer that's been working for his own for like 3yrs now) as an extra set of hands for full time if i manage to get the green card or visa for at least 6 months (i'm from europe).

what's a normal wage someone can get for that in a month? (+/-, just to know what should be the range for like 8hrs a day and 6 days a week, i'm not asking exactly how much someone pays his employees, i don't want to stick my nose in someone's business)
 
Minimum $10 per hour. Detailing is hard work. What will make you more valuable is the ability to do good, consistent work / show up on time every day / don't argue / learn from your mistakes / make the owner proud to have you as an employee.
 
that's the part i'm afraid of.

work never scared me, i can do whatever and for whatever it takes if it's for a good buck, but it's kinda sad and it makes me angry a piece of paper could ruin it all... :/
 
$10~$12 per hour for gopher or true assistant.

$15 per hour for someone who has it together and can run a detail job.

xx% for someone running a full restoration job.
 
uhm... so i could be more in range of a 15 rather than a 10-12$ per hour...

this is getting more and more interesting...





(and thank you all for helping so far. those answers are helping a lot)
 
loodi said:
uhm... so i could be more in range of a 15 rather than a 10-12$ per hour...

this is getting more and more interesting...





(and thank you all for helping so far. those answers are helping a lot)
Click to expand...



Could? I dunno. That would depend on your value in his eyes. Those figures are based on my opinion and what I pay.
 
yes, i understood that, what i meant is i'm qualified to run as a manger in the field not only cause of the experience in the detailing world.... meh... now it's gonna look like i'm bragging :)



long story short, i can run a good detailing job all by myself from top to bottom. that's why i assume i'm in that range, not being a douche there that thinks is worth more for some random reason.
 
loodi said:
yes, i understood that, what i meant is i'm qualified to run as a manger in the field not only cause of the experience in the detailing world.... meh... now it's gonna look like i'm bragging :)



long story short, i can run a good detailing job all by myself from top to bottom. that's why i assume i'm in that range, not being a douche there that thinks is worth more for some random reason.
Click to expand...



Quite frankly I wouldn't expect to start out at anything other than base pay until you have proven yourself with regard to both technical skills and customer service abilities. In this business "previous experience" can often mean you've picked up bad habits you don't realize are bad habits, or that your style of working doesn't fit with the way a different shop operates. Hopefully you'll be going in with an open mind and willing to learn/change as you go....
 
In this business "previous experience" can often mean you've picked up bad habits you don't realize are bad habits, or that your style of working doesn't fit with the way a different shop operates.
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see, i haven't thought about this. but yes, i'm aware i may be wrong i something i do and hell yes, if i'm wrong i'd like to learn the correct way.



in fact, someone might actually even rather give the job to a newb instead of someone who knows what he is doing just cause of what you've just mentioned... i'd never thought of that...
 
After operating here in the austin metro area for over 8 years now, I've had many people work for me. Some that have detailed for many years and some that have only done it on a more personal level.



For me, I don't care if I hire someone and they tell me they have 15 yrs in the industry.....I need to see it to believe it. Not too mention, their methods will almost always be different then mine, so theres still learning there..



Just be careful in doing whatever you decide, you don't want to get to the US and quickly realize you're working for a DB or someone that doesn't want to pay you much.



I think $10-$12 to start is fair, maybe after 30 days if you have shown that you truly know what you're doing, a couple dollars an hour bump would be good, but I personally would need to see a minimum of 30 days of work from you.



My 2 cents....



ATX
 
loodi said:
yes, i understood that, what i meant is i'm qualified to run as a manger in the field not only cause of the experience in the detailing world.... meh... now it's gonna look like i'm bragging :)



long story short, i can run a good detailing job all by myself from top to bottom. that's why i assume i'm in that range, not being a douche there that thinks is worth more for some random reason.
Click to expand...



I didn't take what you said that way. We are merely talking business. You're asking and we are trying to provide input. It's all good. ;)
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Quite frankly I wouldn't expect to start out at anything other than base pay until you have proven yourself with regard to both technical skills and customer service abilities. In this business "previous experience" can often mean you've picked up bad habits you don't realize are bad habits, or that your style of working doesn't fit with the way a different shop operates. Hopefully you'll be going in with an open mind and willing to learn/change as you go....
Click to expand...



Spot on Charles.
 
cool, i'll let you know if i get the papers done then :)

thank you all for your input, you've helped a lot. this means a lot, seriously.
 
I could never work hourly as a detailer. I would simply lose my shirt. Thankfully I realized early on about 40 years ago, I couldnt make money for someone. Therefore, my work had to be TOP-NOTCH, in order to survive. Think about it and perhaps take a different approach and bank on your work quality. My quality work has paid off through the last 39 years. Search: "Auto polishing" I earned a spot in the first three that come up. I earn that right daily. My clients keep me first. Its been that way Since 1969. Good luck to you and remember to work hard and dont put out any junk work. The rest is the reputation you build for yourself. Goodnight.
 
As far as I'm concerned if someone's only worth ten bucks an hour they aren't worth having around. If I were hiring, I'd be looking for someone worth at least twenty.



I don't base my valuation of a helper on what they can do, I base it on what they can help me do, how much faster they make me. It's about keeping the money man working. If they pay attention and when I need a tool or product, its there for me because they saw that need coming, that's a time saver, if they can vacuum out a car while I follow them doing the cleaning (because cleaning requires judgement - how hard do I really want to hit that leather for example, what cleaner will take that stain off the carpet?) then apply treatment while I'm doing something else, that's time I'm spending on the things requiring my particular skills.



All the simple, low skill, things we do when we're detailing still take time. A helper should be setting up and packing up while I'm talking with the client, (I work mobile because my clients don't want their cars out of their sight let alone in some shop.) they should be looking for what's next and making the job run smoothly - asking what I need and what to do if they don't know - they should stay on task and be paying attention constantly - moving with intention, just like I do. I work at a pace that makes me a very good hourly rate, but again, a lot of what I do, what we all do, isn't exactly high skill. Any helper who can increase my overall output by half is worth all of twenty an hour, and they should be able to that almost immediately and pretty near double the output by a month or two.



The problem isn't the twenty bucks, the problem is the paperwork required, the extra insurance, license, etc. and having to come up with the extra work. At this point, I'm about to retire, so I'm winding down not gearing up, but I wish we had a living wage law in this country based on the theory that if a boss wants to tell someone what to do and that person can do it, the boss should pay at least a living wage for that privilege. I think it's pathetic that Wal Mart helps their employees get public assistance, food stamps, for example because they don't have to pay a living wage. We may or may not get cheaper prices there, but we're all subsidizing Wal Mart's labor costs with our tax dollars.



Robert
 
well, my 0.2 on that will maybe help you think in a more grateful way towards what you have (the laws in your country).



it was friday, 3 days ago that i started with a e39 BMW. silver metallic, expected about 25hrs of work. i just finished detailing it. it was 35hrs. (my estimate was spot on, but the owner changed him mind saturday so he wanted me to detail under the hood and the wheels also, unlike he first wanted friday when he droppe the car. nvm, he paid the extra).



so it was 3 backbreacking days. consider i dont own a detailing shop, nor even a car wash, so all the money goes right into my pocket. what can i get out of a detailing job like that? well, i got a bit les than 250$. full detail except taking away the orange peel: 3m fc+, superfina, ultrafina SE all on 9227c makita and respective colour-coded 3m pads, glass treatment, wheels, wheel arches, engine bay, fast interior cleaning, 2 coats of sealer and one of carnauba, blahblahblah....



thats the reason i want to move. working for anyone else in the US the same thing as im doing here can get me 4 times the money. as easy as that. theres no future here, corrupted politicians screwed us all so im basically running while i still can.
 
loodi said:
well, my 0.2 on that will maybe help you think in a more grateful way towards what you have (the laws in your country).



it was friday, 3 days ago that i started with a e39 BMW. silver metallic, expected about 25hrs of work. i just finished detailing it. it was 35hrs. (my estimate was spot on, but the owner changed him mind saturday so he wanted me to detail under the hood and the wheels also, unlike he first wanted friday when he droppe the car. nvm, he paid the extra).



so it was 3 backbreacking days. consider i dont own a detailing shop, nor even a car wash, so all the money goes right into my pocket. what can i get out of a detailing job like that? well, i got a bit les than 250$. full detail except taking away the orange peel: 3m fc+, superfina, ultrafina SE all on 9227c makita and respective colour-coded 3m pads, glass treatment, wheels, wheel arches, engine bay, fast interior cleaning, 2 coats of sealer and one of carnauba, blahblahblah....



thats the reason i want to move. working for anyone else in the US the same thing as im doing here can get me 4 times the money. as easy as that. theres no future here, corrupted politicians screwed us all so im basically running while i still can.
Click to expand...





I am more than grateful for this country and the opportunities I've had. I guess I should have listed things differently. The primary reason I'm not hiring a helper is - I just don't want the added responsibility of providing work for someone besides myself as I'm winding down.



If the big guys paid living wages it would put more money into the economy - like oil in an engine - and we'd all have better opportunities because there'd be more economic activity and more people with more money in their pockets to spend.



Robert
 
uhm... a post disappeared... *confused

anyway, same thing goes for us in the european union. and long story short: people have no money in the pockets to have their cars detailed.
 
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