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izaiasalmeida
Community Member

Jobs Requiring Expert Level and Explicitly Informing a Low Hourly Rate

Hi all,

I'm seeing a lot of jobs being opened by clients, where they require expert level and then in the job description they say that the pay rate is $5 to $7 per hour, for example.

I don't know if other freelancers are also feeling this, but there's a banalization of expert jobs. All clients create projects looking for experts but then hire someone at $5/h which obviously isn't an expert.

Upwork, can you do something about this? Maybe require a limit to the job hourly/fixed rate, or charge the client to create the expert job?

It's getting harder and harder to really understand who is looking for an expert and who is looking for a bargain. Expert jobs should mean something.


Cheers!
Izaias Almeida

11 REPLIES 11
florydev
Community Member

I don’t really want Upwork involved with this because I have seen nothing to make me think they are qualified.

If I see a job that is at a ridiculous rate I just don’t apply or if I do, I certainly do it at my rate. Clients don’t get to decide what they pay, I am pretty sure they would choose free, so why should I let these suggestions bother me.

I think everyone who does what I do should charge as much as I do but hardly anyone does. They have their reasons and I have mine.
tlbp
Community Member

Expert means nothing. Ignore the term. Look at the $.

abid1978
Community Member

hahaha

 

Hi Mark, thanks for your reply.

I disagree with you here. I obviously don't apply to jobs where the client wants an "expert" but also wants to pay what an undergraduate student would get.

If you don't think Upwork is qualified, why are you using their platform? In my option, they are more than qualified for this and, since the expert field is there, they either should make it worth or just remove it.

Because they don’t do what I do for the clients I did it for! If you feel they are qualified to say this rate is too little are you prepared for them to say this rate is too much? I am not.

I want them to stay out of it and I can choose to convince a client to go higher...or not. And if someone is willing to do the job at way lower than me...that’s their mistake.

I use the platform to find projects...but if they get into the rate business I will find another one.


Izaias A wrote:

 In my option, they are more than qualified for this 


You have no idea how wrong you are. You do not want Upwork to mess with this. Or anything else.

 

You are not applying to those jobs, so you're okay and you certainly don't need Upwork to interfere with your own business decisions.

 

If someone wants to take on those jobs, good for them. Not your problem. Not mine. Move on. 

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

5 dollars is high 😛 ... I saw also worse job posts 😛

 

But anyway ... I do not even read what "skills level the client selected", everything that counts is job description, and feelings about other data when I looking the posts. You can simply ignore "beginning/expert level" section.

I think it can only be used in job search filter, but yes ... if you know that this section is useless, then you will not use it. I miss some other options in job search filter, and probably the best would be that Upwork remove "skills level filter", with something useable.  Maybe the basic idea is not bad, but I think clients just clicking it "randomly". 

 

Much more funny are situations when a client write a whole list what freelancer's skills he/she is looking for (sometimes it could be printed on A4 page), and then the expected hour rate is 3-4$/h, or 10$ fixed.

 

lukaselsner
Community Member

 
lukaselsner
Community Member

 
izaiasalmeida
Community Member

Everyone is probably missing the whole point here.

Upwork has the data, they know how happy the client is after a contract ends, they know the expertise level that was required by the client when opening the job, they know the hourly rate that was charged (or fixed price).

It's extremely easy to cross all the data and find patterns to understand what's needed to a successful job.

I'm not saying Upwork should block someone from applying to a job, or should only allow the client to hire within specific rates.

It's just that, if you want an expert, you CAN'T add that you want to pay $5/h in the job description.

Maybe tweaking the fields, the copy, to make it clear that experts cost more than $5/h, and give clear price ranges. Do you want an expert on data science? Ok, that will cost you $200+ per hour.

This would be helpful for clients to set their expectations, this would be helpful for freelancers who will more clearly understand how much the client is willing to invest.

It's so simple...

Ok, I've got your point.

 

I think that something similar already exists for freelancers when applying for a job. They try to "increase rates", but honestly it does not look it works. I never got a job, when followed UpWork's suggestions 😛

I do not know if something similar already exists for clients or not, but I think that UpWork may be not interested to suggest clients how much they have to pay. Here is not a socialism, and every client/freelancer should know when he/she get for a rate. If a client whats to pay 5 dollar and get a freelancer the Upwork gets percentage. If Upwork request he must pay 20 dollars, he will leave the platform without hiring. And I think hour rates are not such problem here, then hiring rating ...

 

Anyway ... I know for a project where 10 entry level people are developing it for 18 months and still not finished. I am sure that such project should be finished with 3 good developers in 6 months. But yes, good developers are maybe 2 or 3 times more expensive per hour. But start calculating now ... 5*10*18= 900, but 15*3*6=270. So you can see which way is cheaper, but explain me with what words you will convince the client that more is less 😛 

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