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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Scott Thile wrote:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN class=609134617-13062008><FONT face=Arial size=2>One thing we've
got to keep in mind while looking at what appear to be low salaries when
compared to private sector work is retirement, insurance, vacation time,
holiday time etc... It took a while, but I now have 3 1/2 weeks of paid
vacation time (and it's about to be 4). One of those weeks is just about to
start--hurray! Hmm... maybe it has, come to think of it... That's another
benefit. I' guess I'm being paid for this ;) I also get a week off
between Christmas and New Years, and another 3 days off for Spring Break, plus
3 days off for Thanksgiving week, 3 Monday holidays, more sick days than I'll
ever use, etc... and all of that is paid! I've heard that it costs the
average University nearly twice our salary to actually employ us. I'm sure it
varies, but I can well imagine that we would need to net nearly twice our
salaries in a private practice to end up even. That's net, as in after
car expenses, supplies, phone expenses, shop expenses, etc... You can't just
look at your salary versus what you can put in your pocket after a
day of tuning in the real World.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=609134617-13062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=609134617-13062008><FONT face=Arial
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Depending on the employee's contributions yes, it
varies. But my total compensation value: leave, retirement,
FICA match and all was only about 1 1/3 times my salary.
A situation where the employer pays all the bennies is about 1.5 times the
salary. Not double.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To get yourself an extra month of paid vacation,
just add one tuning a week. One tuning a week at 48 weeks is an extra
48 tunings at your fee. Sounds like paid vacation to me. At $52K for
a piano tech, that's about 10 or 11 tunings a week. Add 5 more for
benefits and one more for vacation. 16 or 17 tuning equivalents a week
will match the total university compensation package including
leave. If you want sick leave or more paid leave, add one more a
week. Still a light week compared to university work. Then, you have
far more tax advantages you didn't have as an employee. Your cell
phone, your computer, your internet service, your mileage -- all that
becomes pretax rather than post tax. Those expenses are deductible for the
self employed but not for the employee and they are expenses that exist for
both. And remember FICA is based on gross salary for the employee and net
take home for the self employed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I can't imagine it would take twice the earnings to
even it up, and certainly not twice the amount of work. The fellow who's
been doing the interim work here after I left is interested in the job.
Says he's tired of the road is his main reason. But he's also acknowledged
since he's been working up there that it is far more work than he's
been accustomed to and making $30K more with 10 weeks of
vacation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jeff</FONT></DIV>
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