Working for someone else!

M

matt@wheelwax

New member
I was offered a good job at a newer local detailing place, and they liked what I did to my car and my parents, and were impressed with my knowledge of detailing (thanks to you guys). However, they only want to pay me $6.50 an hour, the same rate as all the other emps get. I talked to the manager and he said that they are a bunch of idiots and dont know squat about detailing. I dont think it's fair someone with my knowledge gets paid that amount for a higher quality work?



I know some will suggest my own detailing business, but I am a senior in HS and dont think Id have any time to do it. Plus, Id be swamped with just a single car, because I dont know anybody that is obsessed with car detailing like me, so yeah?



Any suggestions here?



BTW I currently make 7.45 at the local taco bell... lol quite a difference from car detailing ehh?
 
Look at it from his pont of vieuw:

you say you're a good detailer , but are you?

He wants you to prove it , and your car only will not do 'cause you've spent Idontknowhowmuch time on it getting it good.

He'll expect speed AND good results.



Most bosses work that way : you start from the bottom and work your way up.



friendly greetings

Christiaan

:wavey
 
I look at it this way... I'm making pretty good money right now. (not detailing. At my real job.) Anyway, I'm going to school to study something completly different. When I graduate I'll have to take a job that pays me less than I'm making right now. Even though I'll have to take a cut to begin with, I'll be getting experience and will advance to a salary much higher than what I'm at now. Its just the cost of switching careers.



If you want the experience that detail shops who pay higher salaries are looking for, then you are going to have to start somewhere. Work there for the notch in your resume and then take that experience and get a better job at a shop that pays better. Pretty soon you may find that you have the experience to start off on your own. You'll definatly make more than $7.50 an hour then. No more free tacos though... That would sucks. I'm munching on a Grilled stuft burrito with steak right now, in fact. MMMMMMMMMMMMM.... How 'bout hooking a buddy up? ;)
 
For the difference in wages, and since you are still in high school, I would just stay at Taco Bell for now. IMO $6.50/hour for a good detailer is a lowball offer.
 
6.50 an hour for detailing is not worth it, i pay my car wash guys 5.50 an hour and all they do is wash cars, they dont even come close to detailing.

I have some detailers that make over 10 an hour because they are good and i can trust them.

NYD
 
I did some part time detailing work for a limousine company when I was trying to save a few more $$$ for the downpayment on my new house.



I had answered an ad in the newspaper. The owner of the company told me about his business, basically it was 24/7 doing weddings, proms, corporate transports, airport runs, etc. He asked me if I would work on holidays and weekends (including Sunday!)



I told him that I would work every other Saturday...no Sundays or holidays (I worked enough of them at the firehouse!) and that any days I worked had to fit around my fire department schedule. I also told him that my fire department job came first....if I had a chance to work on overtime shift I woould work it or if I were to be called in on a multiple alarm that I would have to be able to go.





He also asked me what I expected for compensation..I told him that I did not need any benefits, since I had them through the FD and that I would start for no less than $12 an hour (this was about 5 years ago. He did not have a garage facility...all cleaning was done outside and it was mid-October).





He asked me what I thought made me worth that amount of money...I invited him to go take a look at my truck... he looked out the window..the sun was reflecting off it just the right way...



He asked me if I would mind making a coffee run for him, handed me a $20 to give him an opportunity to speak with his fleet manager. When I came back with the coffee, he told me I was hired!



He hired additional people to do washing and vacuuming, then hired another part time detailer (a police officer who worked the 4 to midnight shift ). We worked great together, and the growing fleet of limos and corporate cars never looked better!



I worked for the cpompany for two years and left the company when a new fleet manger took over..he cut my hours drastically, then cut me out of the schedule all together...he hired some "detailers" at half of what I was earning at the time ($15 an hour) said "I will call if if I need additonal help". He was a jerk with a horrendous toupee who ended up alienating everyone in the company...he got fired for incompetence just a short while afterwards!



A few years went by...then one Thursday night in June I got a phone call from a "panicky" representative of the company..asking me if I could come in that Friday and Saturday, because "they really needed the help...their detailer quit and they had a lot of limos to prep for weddings" I told him "no thank you, I had already made plans for Friday and that I was working at the firehouse on Saturday". He asked me if I would consider cancelling my plans for Friday and calling in sick or take a personal or vacation day to work Saturday...he then said he was "really, really desperate"...



I said sure..I would be his "hired gun" for $250 per limo, $400 for each executive coach....



There was dead silence...then a "I'll have to get back to you"...



Funny, he never did call back! :D





The moral of the story...



Ask what you think you are worth..the worst he could say is no!
 
Thanks for all the replies guys, that gives me some stuff to ponder. Im still a novice compared to some of you guys, and I would certainly learn alot there. However, like showroomlincoln said, at my age, current seniority over like everyone, and the benefits that are offered at t-bell (namely whatever hours I want), maybe taco bell would be the best idea right now.



Another thought here: I was talking about some of the techniques that I learned from you guys about various things and the guy who intereviewed me (the manager of the detail shop) didnt have a clue what I was talking about and said nah that stuff doesnt work. He never heard of like Zaino, Klasse, etc. and said they used some low quality bulk polishes and waxes.



Anyways, as you said gonzo, I told the guy what I needed to make there, and he was less than optomistic that Id be able to get even close to it. My time would be more valuable where I am at now.



Corey
 
Do what you like doing. If you're happy making burritos then stay at Taco Smell. If you like being around cars and detailing as you say you do, then take a cut in pay.
 
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