Commercial Trainee Pay

[saberry17]

I am a residential appraiser & have no experience with the commercial end of appraising. I have a family member who finished classes and is being offered a commercial trainee job in Philadelphia. Appraiser offering job is telling him to tell him how much he wants to be paid. Can someone in the commercial end of appraising tell me what one just starting out as a trainee could expect to be paid? Thanks for your help!

 

[Matthew Barber]

I paid mine $750/wk, then slowly eased them in to 40% splits after a few months.

 

[Deleted member 126639]

It is illegal to pay an unlicensed appraiser as an exempt employee. Cushman and Wakefield got killed paying back pay plus overtime. The fees in Philadelphia would support a $60k base plus overtime. I would be assertive about your rights as there are many sweatshop operators, but only after being hired. Eliminating the sweatshop model is the best way for every ethical appraiser to earn more and secure a future for our industry. There is a huge shortage of junior appraisers as most nationals are following the law, so old school starting salaries are nonsense. Don't let him accept less than $60k.

 

[Deleted member 126639]

I paid mine $750/wk, then slowly eased them in to 40% splits after a few months.

How can someone live on that? That's one $3,000 job a month you can do in a day. You can't gamble more
Than three days of work over three months to see if someone can add value to your workflow?

 

[saberry17]

It is illegal to pay an unlicensed appraiser as an exempt employee. Cushman and Wakefield got killed paying back pay plus overtime. The fees in Philadelphia would support a $60k base plus overtime. I would be assertive about your rights as there are many sweatshop operators, but only after being hired. Eliminating the sweatshop model is the best way for every ethical appraiser to earn more and secure a future for our industry. There is a huge shortage of junior appraisers as most nationals are following the law, so old school starting salaries are nonsense. Don't let him accept less than $60k.

He is telling him he will be an independent contractor for about 4 months (a trial basis) if it all works out for both of them then become and employee. He has his trainee license.

 

[KHS445]

I seriously doubt he will meet the the IRS definition of being an independent contractor.

 

[Zephyr999]

I seriously doubt he will meet the the IRS definition of being an independent contractor.

Agreed, because he requires supervision, it's not possible to claim independence.

 

[Deleted member 126639]

He is telling him he will be an independent contractor for about 4 months (a trial basis) if it all works out for both of them then become and employee. He has his trainee license.

Yeah, a common illegal practice. For the sake of our industry, report such miscreants for their crimes. fees and report quality and the profession a whole will vastly improve, while thieves will be driven out.

 

[shrubberyvaluation]

How can someone live on that? That's one $3,000 job a month you can do in a day. You can't gamble more
Than three days of work over three months to see if someone can add value to your workflow?

Thats about the median income for a job, and this is one where you are in training. You can argue the merits, but claiming you cant live on that depends on the location. What do internships typically pay?

 

[Zephyr999]

I paid mine $750/wk, then slowly eased them in to 40% splits after a few months.

This is reasonable given the dynamics.