Teaching as an independent contractor and commission?
January 14th, 2010 | by admin |I teach on a contractual basis for many schools and libraries. There is an organization through which I teach and the director of that organization books a lot of work for me. Recently she put me in contact with someone that she’s already teaching with who is looking for teachers to come to his district and teach our discipline. I would not be contracted through her or her organization, so she would not be receiving the usual 33% fee that she takes on each contract. In lieu of this, she has asked me for a 10% finders fee on everything I make. Is this unreasonable?
If nothing else, it seems unreasonable on a tax basis (everything I make would be pre-tax, which means I’d be taxed on money that I’m just handing over to her). Do any of you see any other issues with this? Is there a reasonable alternative? Is this an acceptable business practice?
Since you pay her 33% on work she gets for you, it’s reasonable that you should pay her for lining up this outside work as well. An ongoing 10% seems a bit steep tho’… Offer her a one-time ‘finders fee’, the size of which would depend on the amount you are likely to earn. Should she reject that, you have to decide whether her past and future services are worth a confrontation over this one job.
Good Luck!
One Response to “Teaching as an independent contractor and commission?”
By PrinevilleBob on Jan 14, 2010 | Reply
Since you pay her 33% on work she gets for you, it’s reasonable that you should pay her for lining up this outside work as well. An ongoing 10% seems a bit steep tho’… Offer her a one-time ‘finders fee’, the size of which would depend on the amount you are likely to earn. Should she reject that, you have to decide whether her past and future services are worth a confrontation over this one job.
Good Luck!
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