Question:
Hi, the reason i ask is that in the past when i have been asked by organisations and charities etc to come in and provide therapies to their clients or staff for the day, I have usually quoted £15 per hour for my time. It has however occured to me since that i may be selling myself short, as taxi costs, oils etc have to come out of that fee, so it works out at much less money than i would usually charge, with twice as much effort on my part. What do other therapists charge, i know it will be different in different regions but do u think £15 is about right or not enough.:)
I have done a few open days/charity events/health fairs & tasters over the years, but never with the expectation of making any money out of it. I have done a local health fair, where people were encouraged to buy a £5 voucher at the door, to use on the therapy of their choice. Any therapist in the room, who was handed vouchers, was able to submitthem to the organiser at the end of the day. Each therapist was expected to spend 15 minutes with each voucher holder. I submitted 24 vouchers at the end of the day - I was exhausted, but thoroughly enjoyed the day - especially being with other therapists from different modalities. I cleaned 5 regular clients from the event, who I still see 18 months later.
At charity events I have done, I have paid for 'stand space' and have not expected payment, but by handing out leaflets I have gleaned extra clients and covered any 'loss' I may have made.
To answer your main question, yes, £15 seems reasonable. Ifthe event is acharity one, you may prefer to talk to the organisers about refund oftravel expenses and a donation for products used, rather than an hourly fee - they may insist on paying you, if they think you are willing to meet them half way, in which case you could 'suggest' an hourly rate! Good luck - and keep your leaflet supplies well stocked!
I usually do them free from the goodness of my heart too, although if I were you I would make sure your expenses were covered, taxi, oils etc. I don't know anyone who makes money from doing open days.
Hi thank you for your replies. I should imagine that you think I have a money grabbing approach but in most cases the companies have approached me by saying that they had a budget for this kind of thing and what is my hourly rate? I have done some open days for free if that is what was requested but like you say it can be exhausting. Also a friend of mine was paid £100 for 2 hours by a company last year, which i realise is unusual but it has all just got me thinking. And when i asked her about it she said iprobably undercharging.Afterall we have paid to do the training and like i say theres the expense of getting there. The last event i attended, I was told in writing before i went that i was not to promote my business whilst i was there because that was not the purpose of the event, they wanted to treat their staff and they were willing to pay and it was in no way a promotion day for other businesses. So I guess its more these kinds of events that I'm concerned about, as i know that the other therapists who were there were also paid but could potentially have been paid more, just because they asked for more.
No, I don't think you are a money grabber, we all have to make a living. I think I am talking about events where I give treatments for free to promote the business and you are talking about treating staff, rather than being there to promote the business. It's just different cirsumstances I think.
Also I don't think there's anything morally wrong with making money, if you feel you are undercharging, I would charge your normal hourly rate. Us therapists often undercharge I think because of our desire to help others. Sometimes we must put our needs somewhere up there at the top aswell.
Think I might have followed the 'charity' curve too closely! If you are invited by a company to work solely on their staff members with no opportunity to advertise, then definately charge your usual hourly rate, plus add for time to travel, travel expenses and other expenses to cover products. When I do home visits, I charge my hourly rate, then add one hour (or two hours, if I go more than 30 miles). I add 5% to cover stuff like the washing of the towels/sheets that I use. I don't use oils, so have no 'products' to charge for. Alot depends on geography. I know some therapists in London who charge £90 per hour for site visits - I couldn't justify that amount, but it's nice to dream!!!
Hi,
This is an interesting thread. I dont charge for talks to women's groups, WI's etc. However, I do charge for Corporate work.BUT over the years, and I've been practicing for 30!, I recognise I have beennon-professional in my charging. Like many practitioners I enjoy my work, and find it hard to charge a lot for something I really enjoy. So a word of advice. Start valuing yourself high and charging what you believe you are worth. Do 'good works' for those who cant afford to pay. BUT remember, sometimes folk who drive a Mercedes, and park it round the corner,arethe first one's to say "How Much !!! " :-) I now charge much higher fees, and if I want to do soul work, its not in the corporate sector.
Jill
Answers:
I have done a few open days/charity events/health fairs & tasters over the years, but never with the expectation of making any money out of it. I have done a local health fair, where people were encouraged to buy a £5 voucher at the door, to use on the therapy of their choice. Any therapist in the room, who was handed vouchers, was able to submitthem to the organiser at the end of the day. Each therapist was expected to spend 15 minutes with each voucher holder. I submitted 24 vouchers at the end of the day - I was exhausted, but thoroughly enjoyed the day - especially being with other therapists from different modalities. I cleaned 5 regular clients from the event, who I still see 18 months later.
At charity events I have done, I have paid for 'stand space' and have not expected payment, but by handing out leaflets I have gleaned extra clients and covered any 'loss' I may have made.
To answer your main question, yes, £15 seems reasonable. Ifthe event is acharity one, you may prefer to talk to the organisers about refund oftravel expenses and a donation for products used, rather than an hourly fee - they may insist on paying you, if they think you are willing to meet them half way, in which case you could 'suggest' an hourly rate! Good luck - and keep your leaflet supplies well stocked!
Answers:
I usually do them free from the goodness of my heart too, although if I were you I would make sure your expenses were covered, taxi, oils etc. I don't know anyone who makes money from doing open days.
Answers:
Hi thank you for your replies. I should imagine that you think I have a money grabbing approach but in most cases the companies have approached me by saying that they had a budget for this kind of thing and what is my hourly rate? I have done some open days for free if that is what was requested but like you say it can be exhausting. Also a friend of mine was paid £100 for 2 hours by a company last year, which i realise is unusual but it has all just got me thinking. And when i asked her about it she said iprobably undercharging.Afterall we have paid to do the training and like i say theres the expense of getting there. The last event i attended, I was told in writing before i went that i was not to promote my business whilst i was there because that was not the purpose of the event, they wanted to treat their staff and they were willing to pay and it was in no way a promotion day for other businesses. So I guess its more these kinds of events that I'm concerned about, as i know that the other therapists who were there were also paid but could potentially have been paid more, just because they asked for more.
Answers:
No, I don't think you are a money grabber, we all have to make a living. I think I am talking about events where I give treatments for free to promote the business and you are talking about treating staff, rather than being there to promote the business. It's just different cirsumstances I think.
Also I don't think there's anything morally wrong with making money, if you feel you are undercharging, I would charge your normal hourly rate. Us therapists often undercharge I think because of our desire to help others. Sometimes we must put our needs somewhere up there at the top aswell.
Answers:
Think I might have followed the 'charity' curve too closely! If you are invited by a company to work solely on their staff members with no opportunity to advertise, then definately charge your usual hourly rate, plus add for time to travel, travel expenses and other expenses to cover products. When I do home visits, I charge my hourly rate, then add one hour (or two hours, if I go more than 30 miles). I add 5% to cover stuff like the washing of the towels/sheets that I use. I don't use oils, so have no 'products' to charge for. Alot depends on geography. I know some therapists in London who charge £90 per hour for site visits - I couldn't justify that amount, but it's nice to dream!!!
Answers:
Hi,
This is an interesting thread. I dont charge for talks to women's groups, WI's etc. However, I do charge for Corporate work.BUT over the years, and I've been practicing for 30!, I recognise I have beennon-professional in my charging. Like many practitioners I enjoy my work, and find it hard to charge a lot for something I really enjoy. So a word of advice. Start valuing yourself high and charging what you believe you are worth. Do 'good works' for those who cant afford to pay. BUT remember, sometimes folk who drive a Mercedes, and park it round the corner,arethe first one's to say "How Much !!! " :-) I now charge much higher fees, and if I want to do soul work, its not in the corporate sector.
Jill
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