Would it be unethical to offer a job on these terms to a friend?

[Beebldrama]

Friend lost their job/walked out of it, four years ago. Their money has now run out and they're in dire straits financially. No money to pay rent, sofa-surfing and with their current mental state, unlikely to walk into regular employment. They have previously had thoughts of being self employed. I have a job I need doing, skilled manual labour that they could excel at (if they feel up to it) and would possibly boost their self esteem. It's a sizable job and could keep them busy for some weeks. I could only afford to pay them £100 a day though. But gross this would be 2k cash in hand for a month.I am wary of a couple of things. Firstly, being seen to be taking advantage of a friend when they're down or secondly, that they're just not mentally up to it & either bodge it or just walk off the job half finished. What do you think?

£100 a day is great!

That's £10 per hour on a ten hour day!

Generous and helping a friend by sounds of it. But only you can decide if they will be up to it or let you down.

I'm wary because I'm out of touch and I think the going rate for labour might be double this?

I dont know. We have a rule here that we dont pay friends for business. It doesnt always go brilliantly. Especially when it is you helping them as much as them helping you.

having said that I realise our nanny was our friend first..oops

You can offer it and they can say no if they don't want it. I don't think you're taking advantage I think you're trying to help them back into work. If you explain that you can only afford this but think it might not be the going rate so will understand if they're not interested, they won't think you're trying to pull a fast one.

Where in the UK are you? (Don't answer if you want privacy!)
I'm in the Midlands and paying £150 to a very experienced painter/decorator. There are cheaper here, but they suit me and it was a personal recommendation.

If your friend is inexperienced and you're not in Central London then £100 day rate is fine.

I don't think I'd do it though. I had a down on their luck friend stay with me for a month. Kept going on about wanting to repay me somehow. I was going to pay a gardener for some clearance work, so after repeated badgering about insisting he do something for me, he said he'd spend the day clearing a large border. Not gardening - clearing. No skill required and he couldn't mess it up. But he made such a half arsed job of it that I really felt resentful! I hadn't expected anything in return for helping out an old friend - and now it seemed like he expected heaps of praise for doing pretty much fuck all after being really pushy about helping. I never felt he was taking the piss when he was staying (and being fed by me) for free. But I did feel cross at the lack of effort. If your friend doesn't "perform" you may also feel annoyed. Jobs and friends don't mix, I think!

I think that sounds like a lovely thing to do. Frankly, I have a PhD and I barely make £100 a day! As it's likely to be cash in hand, I think that's very generous.