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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be surprised at £18 per hour for gardening?

217 replies

Spagnolia · 23/01/2023 18:25

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?

OP posts:
StrawberryAnnie · 23/01/2023 19:40

If you can’t afford £18 per hr, could you ask your son if he could do it for £14?

Seeing as he went to university for 5 years, he is bound to do a better job than a gardener anyway.

Goshdammit · 23/01/2023 19:42

Handyweatherstation · 23/01/2023 18:37

I charge £20 an hour, the going rate in this area. I paid for the course I did to become qualified, buy all my own tools, safety gear and insurance. I get no paid holiday or sick pay and I work outside, all year round, in all weathers. My knowledge range includes botany, entomology, plant pathology, mycology, chemistry, genetics, the latest developments in pest control and fertilisers. I also have knowledge of wildlife and conservation and can plan out garden beds to good aesthetic effect, year round colour, scent and structure as well as benefits to wildlife. I'm familiar with about 15,000 varieties of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, as well as fruits and vegetables. Anyone paying me is getting a good deal.

This.. plus a working knowledge of Latin!

dogdaydown · 23/01/2023 19:42

Don't pay it then.... simples!

Quinoawoman · 23/01/2023 19:44

Personally, I like to pay people a living wage when they do stuff for me to earn a living.

Yabu.

Original poster
Spagnolia · 23/01/2023 19:44

Thank you to those of you who’ve shared their knowledge of the going rate for similar work, it’s certainly much higher than I’d expected. I guess on reflection a lot of mumsnet posters may also be South East and London-based where wages are much higher.
To some on here, as my granny would say ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all ;) ‘

OP posts:
Badbudgeter · 23/01/2023 19:45

I’m sure I’ve read the true cost of employing someone on minimum wage is £14 an hour. Ni contributions. Holiday pay. Pension contributions. For any self employed position your starting rate should be at least £14 an hour with a premium for skills and experience and your travelling time/ costs. Obviously some people are able to charge a lot more but if you can’t make an average of £14 an hour including travel time you’d be better off doing min wage stuff for someone else. £18 sounds on the low end tbh.

It is a lot of money, so I do my own weeding, Its unreasonable to think because someone is self employed that they should work for peanuts.

Mummyoflittledragon · 23/01/2023 19:48

I am not in those locations op. From memory my gardener charged £16 ph last year plus travel/mileage. It may have gone up this year.

Scotty12 · 23/01/2023 19:57

Ours is more like £30 per hour but they work like absolute machines and get ridiculous amounts of work done within that time. So - totally depends on what the individual(s) achieve within the time. Give them a go and see…

Crazycactuslady · 23/01/2023 19:57

I'm £25ph for a full day and not in the south - I'm in the North West. It's about the going rate for anyone who does more than mow, blow and go...

GreekDogRescue · 23/01/2023 20:01

That’s very cheap. Cleaners charge £20 in London and gardeners about £35. Mid you all they seem to know how to do is chop things down so we’ve given up now.
embrace the weeds and don’t now too often as this is good for wildlife.

zurala · 23/01/2023 20:04

I pay £20/hour for both my gardener and my cleaners. It's the same as I earn, it's a fairly basic wage for a professional in my opinion.

IDontCareMatthew · 23/01/2023 20:18

Spagnolia · 23/01/2023 19:44

Thank you to those of you who’ve shared their knowledge of the going rate for similar work, it’s certainly much higher than I’d expected. I guess on reflection a lot of mumsnet posters may also be South East and London-based where wages are much higher.
To some on here, as my granny would say ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all ;) ‘

I think we can say what we feel actually!! Don't give a toss what someone's granny would say

Flamingogirl08 · 23/01/2023 20:20

Casual brag about the Doctor son 😆

AppelationStation · 23/01/2023 20:27

This is why DH now works for the National Trust and big estates rather than people who want their tiny lawns weeded within an inch of their lives. The pay is still meagre considering the training and knowledge he's paid for / accumulated but at least his employers recognise him as a skilled professional. And they don't regularly ask him to do things that are unsafe/illegal/terrible for the environment.

whatwasIgoingtosay · 23/01/2023 20:31

I pay £18 per hour in a deprived northern area and think it very reasonable. This thread has made me think maybe I should put the rate up this year.

whatwasIgoingtosay · 23/01/2023 20:33

And I also have a junior doctor child, but don't think that's remotely relevant to what I pay the gardener.

spirit20 · 23/01/2023 20:35

To be honest, when I read the title I thought the aibu was that it was so low. I think in this day and age, £18 per hour is a very good rate, I would have expected significantly higher.

Greensleevevssnotnose · 23/01/2023 20:36

Ours was £250 for the day two of them from 9-4 in the pouring rain. They worked bloody hard removed over 60 sacks of rubbish.

StubbleAndSqueak · 23/01/2023 20:42

That's like comparing apples to pears @Spagnolia
Being self employed is expensive YABCU

Blondeshavemorefun · 23/01/2023 21:07

As with anyone who runs their own business so is self employed

They have to out of income pay

Tax and ni 2&4

Diesel costs to each job

Took expenses

Buying maintaining hiring

Pli

Also to cover holidays , sick days and bad weather snow/frozen days

£18 is a bargain

Octopusmittens · 23/01/2023 21:09

£30.00

silverclock222 · 23/01/2023 21:10

Cheeky! Pay your JDS £18 to do it then. The value of anything is how much you need it, not the pieces of paper with A/B/C/D on it.

MRex · 23/01/2023 21:10

We can't book at £25 round here. In fact, it's hard to book anyone at all, the good ones are all booked out until autumn. Companies charging £35 plus a surplus on materials are available, and next door forum had a guy offer up £50/hr. At that rate, we'll go without for now.

silverclock222 · 23/01/2023 21:11

Spagnolia · 23/01/2023 19:44

Thank you to those of you who’ve shared their knowledge of the going rate for similar work, it’s certainly much higher than I’d expected. I guess on reflection a lot of mumsnet posters may also be South East and London-based where wages are much higher.
To some on here, as my granny would say ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all ;) ‘

Yes, like how a gardener is less worth of £18 than your son...... sticks/stones/glasshouses and all that.

gogohmm · 23/01/2023 21:19

£30 an hour is normal here, cleaners are £20 an hour. Supply and demand. Not even south east!