Stating an overseas rate

[vwdan]

I've been asked to state a day rate for a European role, and I just wondered how you guys sussed it out? I can do some guesswork on flights and hotel, but even doing "due diligence" without knowing a more exact location isn't that much better than the finger in the air approach. Do I make the presumption that I'll be covering expenses and should I state that presumption? (I want to say yes on the presumption, but no to stating it, because if they were expecting to cover some expenses then I've just done myself out of it)

[GazCol]

I've been asked to state a day rate for a European role, and I just wondered how you guys sussed it out? I can do some guesswork on flights and hotel, but even doing "due diligence" without knowing a more exact location isn't that much better than the finger in the air approach. Do I make the presumption that I'll be covering expenses and should I state that presumption? (I want to say yes on the presumption, but no to stating it, because if they were expecting to cover some expenses then I've just done myself out of it)

You need to know the location, the length of the contract and tax laws of the country you’ll be contracting in, just for a start – there’s a world of difference between the equivalent of a £500/day role in Norway/Switzerland compared to Romania/Cyprus, for example.

[vwdan]

You need to know the location, the length of the contract and tax laws of the country you’ll be contracting in, just for a start – there’s a world of difference between the equivalent of a £500/day role in Norway/Switzerland compared to Romania/Cyprus, for example.

Hmm, I may be in deeper than I want to be (I don't have any real hope of getting this gig, but it seems silly to not respond). It's an EU country and I rather naively (at 0700 this morning) just thought I could work there and get taxed here, but you make a bloody good point. I need to do way more reading first.

[GazCol]

Hmm, I may be in deeper than I want to be (I don't have any real hope of getting this gig, but it seems silly to not respond). It's an EU country and I rather naively (at 0700 this morning) just thought I could work there and get taxed here, but you make a bloody good point. I need to do way more reading first.

It should be that simple, but rarely is. When contracting abroad I always consult with a cross-border tax specialist in the designated country – it might cost a lot, sometimes a significant amount, but it’s worth it for the peace of mind and if I was in contracting for the money, I wouldn’t do it abroad.

[vwdan]

It should be that simple, but rarely is. When contracting abroad I always consult with a cross-border tax specialist in the designated country – it might cost a lot, sometimes a significant amount, but it’s worth it for the peace of mind and if I was in contracting for the money, I wouldn’t do it abroad.

Do you have any advice on how I should handle responding to this request? Like I say, I don't have any real hope of landing it, but I am available and I'd certainly do it if I got the chance. But I don't want to waste money and time consulting people on it just for the sake of an e-mail. Is it acceptable to give a rate subject to change after due diligence with regards to tax?

[GazCol]

Do you have any advice on how I should handle responding to this request? Like I say, I don't have any real hope of landing it, but I am available and I'd certainly do it if I got the chance. But I don't want to waste money and time consulting people on it just for the sake of an e-mail. Is it acceptable to give a rate subject to change after due diligence with regards to tax?

The first thing you need to establish is where and for how long - from there you've got the basic information to establish how much the rate is in real terms as you'll then be able research tax rates and cost of living.

[vwdan]

The first thing you need to establish is where and for how long - from there you've got the basic information to establish how much the rate is in real terms as you'll then be able research tax rates and cost of living.

That's fine, thank you - I can simply respond saying that it's not possible for me to state a day rate on the information provided.

[vwdan]

So very glad I didn't spend much time thinking about it. They called me back and gave me an "average" day rate which was less than I expect to earn over here...

[NotAllThere]

That's fine, thank you - I can simply respond saying that it's not possible for me to state a day rate on the information provided.

The simplest approach is simply to say that my day rate is £blah, subject to the specifics of the location and the contract. You are then not bound by what you said. Even if you say straight out "£500" (e.g.) it's extremely hard to bind you to the rate until the contract is signed. It is vitally important to remember that until your signature is on the contract, everything is negotiable.

However, if they won't even tell you what country it is in, they're being needlessly coy and you tell them to get stuffed. The chances of anything coming of it are remote if they're being that stupid.

[d000hg]

Quoting excluding travel/accommodation seems better to me, as you cannot hope to estimate those at this point.