In a message dated 8/12/99 5:46:34 AM Pacific Daylight Time, you write: << And personally I think they are fishing for a cheap date. That being said, the cost of living in Binghamtom _may_ be a lot less than where you or I reside, but probably not. Dale Fox RPT >> Please don't regard this as a cynical response, only what my father would have called "the *is* factor", that is, market place reality. I have never known of a university position that pays anywhere near what a piano technician can make in the private market. The music department at that university is likely to be a token one. It is probably a liberal arts school with a music program but really gifted and promising music students mostly go to "The Big Apple" if they want a real education and experience. Therefore, taking care of the pianos is not considered a very important budgetary item for this school. Now, they probably still have more pianos than one technician should ever have to care for but that fact is not even considered. The music department is like one of your worst, cheapskate piano teacher customers who will only pay to have the piano "tooned" once a year because any more expense what cut into the profit. Now, they do expect repairs and maintenance "as needed" but those things are considered incidental and *your* problem, not theirs. They structured the position as 3/4 time, not because there is only enough work for part time but because they *know* that as the proverbial "tuner from the university", you will have substantial demand for your services from the community at large for which you won't even have to pay for advertising. They know that when you leave at 3 PM every day, you have the opportunity to go out and make some real money and expect you to do so. They consider that they are doing you a favor and you working for half price for them is the price you pay for being set up in such a lucrative market. Just my not-so-humble opinion. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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