On 3/1/08 14:15, in article , "pied
piper" wrote:


"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
...
snip Which is best?

but its only cutting a bit of grass which would go on the compost heap
and a few twigs that would burn, not doing a big job.

kate
If its that simple do it yourself if u want a proper job done then pay a
professional . Im sure u wouldnt object paying that amount for a
roofer,brickie,chippie,plumber etc etc a gardener is just as skilled and
has the same overheads .
What would be left after tax ni transport fuel etc etc .
Its ok for the odd jobbers who top up their pensions and just doddle
about but for the self employed who need to make a living out of it u
need to charge the going rate.
I wouldnt take anything on that was less than 5k per year.
And I find people like u quite insulting to the trade.


yes indeed I could fly up to Scotland every couple of weeks and do the job
myself.

kate
Why not it will keep u from keeping the minimum wage at an all time low



Look, nobody is trying to gyp anyone else. What is being asked is what is a
fair and reasonable wage in a particular area. This varies enormously
throughout the entire country, as does the cost of rent, food, water etc.
If what *you* are being paid doesn't strike you as right or fair, then
perhaps you are in the wrong career. Or perhaps you should do as Rod did
and go into private service on an estate.
We don't know if the people charging the £25 per hour are qualified or
whether they are merely people offering to cut the grass and trim back the
trees but with no actual horticultural knowledge or training. I certainly
wouldn't employ a carpenter, plumber, roofer or brickie who had no skills in
those jobs and nor would I trust valued shrubs to someone who knew nothing
about pruning. But asking someone just to keep a garden tidy is not in the
same league and that seems to me to be what is being enquired about *in the
main* - not a ruthless land-owner trying to grind someone down to the lowest
living wage for highly skilled work on an arboretum filled with
horticultural rarities!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'