so out of curiosity I replied and went to an interview today to a local window cleaning co hiring help.
here’s their pay rate,
min wage for the first 2 weeks training
after 2 weeks you get 35% of the job $. after 90 days it goes to 37%. and keeps going up after that. he said a few guys are up to 42%.
he showed me a few accounts that they only charge $25. I’m not so sure it’s worth my effort to use my own vehicle and all.
you use your own truck, they have health insurance. you can use their tools or buy your own. (ladders, squeegee’s etc)
they have set routes you do over and over. so not so much not knowing what you’re doing for the most part.
he mentioned if everything works out for you he’ll let you take all of your routes for the week on monday so you don’t have to keep showing up back at the shop for the week. (would save me a ton of gas)
he also said if you get all the jobs done for example on wed, come in the shop and he’ll give me more. so the earning potential is really up to me how much I want to do.
he said most of the guys average $100- 150 for the day.
kind of hard to imagine since he said they basically only charge $1 a window. and he mentioned he’s having a hard time keeping guys. which leads me to think the pay isn’t worth it.
I was thinking about going ahead and taking the job because I’m really having a hard time getting my own work. so what do you guys think? sound like a fair pay?
I’ve never worked for another window cleaner and i have no employees, so I don’t know if his pay rate is in-line with others.
However, if your not working and making money (and have no real prospects for doing so anytime soon) then $100-150 is $100 to $150 you don’t have.
I’ve done much harder work for much less money. If you have kids to feed and need to work then take the job. But don’t bail on him as soon as you learn something. If you want to work for him until you get your own biz setup then be upfront and honest with him about your situation.
You may well learn some valuable things that can help you with your own business later on. If he has guys that don’t stick around, then that is an excellent opportunity to stand out and maybe become a crew leader (more money).
Also, you said there is basically as much work as you can handle and the pay continues to go up-- so you have higher earning potential.
Personally, I don’t want to work for anyone but me, but I understand your situation may be different. There’s no shame in working for another.
Depends on the part of the country. For an experienced windoew cleaner to make minimun wage is no good. Especially for two weeks. As far as 25$ jobs…I come across these for the company I work for. I usually get paid a higher percentage on those jobs, and they are few and far between. The way I look at it is work is work, better to make money than no money. Health ins. is a big plus. My advice is if you are confident in your talent, ask to start at 37% or higher, you’re probably worth it…Don’t take the minimum wage for 2 weeks, that’s harsh. Ive been at a few different companies and have never started below 38%.
P.S. The company should be able to get a realistic idea of your capacity well before @ weeks. I know if I’m working with an idiot within the first few minutes. Cheers, Justin.
so their % doens’t sound unrealistic? I’m sure he’ll see that I’m no idiot. I understand why they pay min wage at first especially if they are only charging a $1 a window in and out.
This sounds very similar to the co. I used to work for. Almost to the “T”. We usually charged $1/window for storefronts, but more depending on level of dificulty, residential, etc. It can be a pretty good deal. And don’t let the turnover rate get to you. In the many years I have been in the industry, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. A lot of those ppl think “cleaning windows, can’t be that hard, right?” but learn very soon (generally after 2 weeks when their checks are all commision) that it is definitely a skilled trade and not a “anybody can do it” type of job. I made good money there. 40% at a $400 home is good money especially when your home by 3!
From my experience it sounds fairly typical. They probably pay minimum to start because people quit the first 2 weeks anyway. The percentages are about what I used to work for (around 40-42%) But we also got a bonus each week consisting of an extra $40 if there were no callbacks and everything was done on time. The gas adds up big time. I’d find out how much you’re going to have to travel. And also I wouldn’t sign anything that looks like a non-compete if you intend on still doing it for yourself. We had jobs as low as $12, but if they are close to each other it doesn’t matter all that much IMO.
well guys I don’t think I can work for this kind of pay. It just doesn’t add up to be worth my time.
since monday I’ve used $50 in gas and made $93 (after gas). that’s not going to cut it. I will just use this experience to my advantage and move on. I can make more than that working at a wendy’s (which the other guy I was with said he does).
so my math works out to be about $5 something per hour so far. lol no thanks.
I can honestly say though the guys are super nice and all but man I just can’t justify using my own truck and making less than min wage.
we did clean some places I never thought about going to. like those odd business complexes with the 7-10 windows on the front and docks at the back. I’m sure you’ve seen them where you live. I couldn’t believe how many of them wanted windows cleaned.
for $15-$20 a pop making that on my own would be fantastic. but not for 35%.
I’m sure the other guys are making more % wise but for now, that’s all I get. some of these places are priced at $11 and i had to drive 15 min to get there from the other places. one place was $11.69 after tax and I drove a good 15 miles to get there.
yesterday and today I made some decent money though.
we did a 4 unit condo construction clean up in and out. that was a few hundred dollars of course.
then the clubhouse it was a few hundred. everyone that works on the building gets their %.
and today a few hundred. I think it was close to $400 for 2 houses. one in and out the other just out.
took us from 9am to 3 pm not really trying to work too hard.
I’m not sure I understand it correctly but in a way yes we get some kind of tax deduction for gas. I think he said it’s 45 cents a mile or something like that. we have a worksheet to show our miles for each day.
I want a paycheck first so I can see if it’s actually worth it. I mean I can’t make a real decision if it’s worth it based on just one week.
I’ll tell you one thing, anyone that thinks window cleaning is easy and anyone could do it is def mistaken.
I used to build sunrooms, install windows and doors etc, and window cleaning takes it out of me as much if not more, than that kind of work did.
Is your employer taking out your federal/state taxes, ss, and all the other required deductions? Or is he planning on setting you up with a 1090 at tax time?
uh no doubt. I got sent downtown today. spent $7 for parking…worked 8 hrs made…$41.
they said they charge $1 a window but that is bs. I’m cleaning 30-40 windows at places for $24. ( i get $8.40 lol) they’re nice and all but the pay sucks.
I just can’t justify the gas, my truck use, my TIME, my having to pay for parking. I have a headache.
honestly, I don’t know how the other guys do it. it’s not worth it.
well I guess I better speed the heck up then lol. I come up with that based on what I used for gas, parking etc etc.
to meet that min wage, you’d have to rush around every store and clean it as fast as you could and without taking a break for lunch. I’m just not into that.
I’m not lazy, but I’m not willing to work that hard for next to nothing.
I’ve sat on my butt before doing literally nothing, and made more than that.
I mean when you have to drive 10 min and 9 miles to get to a place that is priced at $10 and it has 15 windows to do in and out…come on, that’s crazy. it’d be one thing if I got the $10.
they are not pricing the jobs at $1 a window like I was told. I think they’re under pricing themselves. I also found out they used to be Fish window cleaning just 2 or 3 years ago. so that explains a lot!
my first day the guy I was with was happy averaging $10/hr. lol he has a second job at wendy’s. I’d just find one better paying job. or get my own window customers. heck, he’s really good at it anyway. why not make your own money instead of working for 35%
