So, I've got a possible job on the table for this period of unemployment. As most of you know, I'm an academic librarian with a background in Classical archaeology. An emerita professor from UGA, where I used to work, is here in Cincinnati on a book-writing fellowship (to use their library). She wants to hire me as some combination of technical support, editing, and psychologist.

I am well aware of the potential liabilities involved on the personal side; she embraced me when we met because we discovered that her parents and my grandparents were good friends, but she's a huge personality and something of an egoist and rather scattered, so anything I teach her on the tech side may or may not be retained. But, you know, she's not actually my mother or anything, so I think I can keep things professional.

Her goals are: teach her to use Zotero well and help her get her existing collection of citations and .pdfs moved into it and organized; help her get up to speed syncing her iPad, iPhone and mac, and figure out what are useful apps, and install them, and get her comfortable purchasing books and music to use on all her devices; help organizing and editing her book in progress, which is about Pindar; possible advice on placing with a publisher, and maybe editing, a book based on about 8 published articles she's written over the years about masculinity.

I said I'd do some checking and write up a proposal for her, with fees. Thoughts? I don't think there's a freelance librarian's organization that suggests fees, and while some of this is editing, some of it is technological, and some simply organizational. Also, am I insane to take this on at all, despite my level-headedness going in about her personality?

If you get a regular job you may end up with dysfunctional boss. This at least is limited time. Make your best estimate of how bad it will be working for her. Assume it will be at least twice as bad as you think. If you still want the job, go for it.

I don't know rates. When you come up with a range, take into consideration she is hard to work with, and quote from the high end of the range.

Gar, first impressions of the website (keeping in mind I am rankest of amateurs):

I like the background and titles. I don't know about the font on those buttons - the two-word ones seem awfully cramped & hard to read, maybe a little simpler of a font would help? Did the font change in the middle content section on purpose? (It's a little distracting, if so). Also, an extra "a" in a sentence near the end of the first paragraph ("Rather than a providing..."), and in the first sentence of the second paragraph, "United States" should get an apostrophe (United States').

Overall, I'm left intrigued by your ideas and interested to know more.

Hope that helps.

You might want to ask bonny about rates -- this seems like a combo of coaching/research assistance/editing.

I'd write up a contract, set fees and set clear parameters. I can send you my resume and writing/editing contracts to use as a template.

I'd suggest at least $40 an hour. You can track time using Toggl.com (free) or you can suggest a project fee for a set number of hours, with extra added if you go over the project hours set.

I don't think you're crazy, but I would set very clear parameters for the job, or else you get stuck with doing a shitton of work for her, and get paid for very little of it.

My rule of thumb for freelancing in general is figure out the hourly rate if it were a salaried position (~2000 hours in a work-year), and then double it. So basically the "thousands" in a salary would be the hourly rate. If it seems like a $50K/year job, charge $50/hour.

Hmm, she's used to academia. I suspect she would plotz at $50 an hour; I was thinking asking $25 was on the risky side. Amych or anyone used to dealing with academics want to chime in?

Well, let her plotz, then. Ask for 30, be willing to negotiate. Academics are used to un/low paid grad assistants :) I think that ours got $13 an hour or something ridiculous like that.

I think you're right about the plotzing, given that research assistants in her world = grad students, not $50K. I'd ask for 30-35, present it as a specifically defined package of professional-quality librarian-type services rather than some girl-friday thing, and still expect some pushback.

flea, don't forget to include taxes in your calculations.

Yeah, I think I got paid $15/hour as a grad student. But like dcp says, if you're going to be responsible for all the taxes, bump up the number for that, at least.