To be surprised at £18 per hour for gardening?

[Spagnolia]

We are struggling to keep the weeds and brambles at bay and started to think we might get someone to help.

A guy was recommended by neighbour but I almost fell off my chair when I found out he charges £18 per hour for general weeding, grass cutting etc using our tools and equipment.

My junior doctor child gets £14 per hour!

We are far from the South East.

Do you have gardening help?
What is the going rate at the moment?

Does your junior doctor buy all their own tools, pay their own NI, tax and Pension contributions. Pay for their own insurance plus everything else required to do their job safely?

YABU

I posted an ad in our local 'Next door' page, and found a lovely retired man who charges us £9 an hour.

For reference I used to pay £15p/h but this was 4 years ago, I'd expect £20 p/h to be the going rate.

And indeed have to retire 'earlier' because it's a physical job?

Your junior doctor is gaining experience that will make them a very high earner in future. What are yiu offering the gardener to make the role attractive.

Like any job, it's supply and demand. If that's what he's asking, you can pay it or not.

What is the relevance of the salary of a year one junior doctor with no experience?

Surely that's an argument to pay junior doctors more, not gardeners less?

Alternatively find a student looking to make some pocket money and supervise it, rather than an experienced gardener.

Standard self employed services I know charge minimum £15.00 an hour. I left nursing and I am now semiskilled self employed and I charge £45.00 to £50.00 for 1 hour. My DC wants to go into medicine so I can understand your shock. All I would say is that for my industry (which is 98% self employed) supply and demand dictates the rates and I know I can get £45.00 to £50.00 for 1 hour so that’s what I charge. I also have a waiting list 👍I’m not in garedening though 🎄

Ours is £22 an hour. We have them through May to September for 3ish hours every 6 weeks or so. Worth every penny as we have a toddler and full time jobs.

I don't think £ 18 an hour is that expensive for someone who is self employed.

A gardener won’t be working a fixed 40 hr week. Many weeks of year it will be too wet, frosty or just not the right time to prune. So they are limited to about 1/2-3/4 year max

I pay £25 an hour. He doesn't stop from the minute he gets here till he leaves. Total value for money.

That's actually below minimum wage! He's clearly doing it for reasons other than income.
I'd expect to pay £15 to £20/hr for effectively a tradesperson, but for general weeding and mowing only I'd expect maybe up to £15 on a par with say a cleaner. I'd expect to use your bins for disposal of cuttings and for you to do the thinking and just give me instructions.
Sounds like you've employed a proper gardner.

@Spagnolia the other options are do the gardening yourselves if possible ?

YABU

My lady, who’s now sadly retired, charged £20 an hour. I really miss her.

Bloody hell I think I'm being ripped off I pay £30 per hour, but he only comes once a fortnight

Jesus Christ!!! The snobbery!!

Our gardener is £22 per hour and he charges us his lower rate because he’s here for 6 hours every week in summer, every fortnight in winter.

If you are booking him for 1 or 2 hours he’d be £25 an hour.

We pay ours £27 in the North West.

Maybe your child could retrain as a gardener

£25 an hour round here. I’ve embraced the dandelions.

Think yourself lucky you’ve found a gardener that’s willing to do weeding, can’t find one of those for love nor money round here, precisely because it’s not cost effective 😀. That said, GBP18 ph seems ok but if it’s a job rather than a weekly regular slot you’re after, I’d be looking for a quote per job not per hour tbh. If it’s a weekly regular slot then make sure you know exactly what you expect to be done for those hours and ensure the gardener agrees it is a realistic expectation.

I was quoted last year £25 per hour pp South East - it would have to be the team of 2, minimum time 1 hour. Now that for me was high risk - if they are 5 mins late, and take 5 mins at the end to clear away their tools in the van - that is 20 mins of time not being spent on my garden at a cost to me of £8 and change. I was then also put off when I asked about plants and was told the couple ran their own nursery and supplied plants. My garden is a small garden - modern development, so not history or major old plants to care for. I have tried looking for students and none want that type of work.

When someone is self employed you're not just paying for an hour of their time. It doesn't make any sense to compare to a junior doctor.

Are you suggesting that everyone else should be earning less than £14ph?