Sound Like Very Paltry Pay.

[Smowball]

They are advertising a job near me for a courier. Its for 4 hrs a day, during that time you have to deliver between 30-40 parcels. You get paid 50 or 60pence per parcel, depending on size, and if the person is out you have to go back. You also have to pay all your own petrol. Doesnt that sound like a really bad wage?

[2sp_]

By my calculations (dodgy as they are...), if you were to deliver 40 parcels at 60p each you would earn £24. That's only £6 an hour and if you have to pay for your own fuel and use your own vehicle it seems like a poor deal to me.

[woolleysheep]

plus if you have car insurance it would have to cover you for your work

[Smowball]

Thats what I thought. If you're delivering up to 40 parcels thats going to use up a lot of fuel isnt it.

[2sp_]

What sort of distance or area does the job cover?

I'm sure you would get a better pay from a courier company that provided a van and gave you an hourly rate rather than per parcel.

[rockyracoon]

My dad rang one of these courier companies the ither day, they told him 60p per parcel, averaging about 18 parcels a day, he told them to eff off.

[Smowball]

Within 4 miles of your house. But you also have to drive to the depot to collect the parcels every morning and thats half hour away.

[tonyav]

Smow is this job on a self employed basis.

[aelmpvw]

isn't £6 per hour below the legal minimum?

[rockyracoon]

I reckon you'd be classified as self employed so the minimum wage wouldn't count.

[tonyav]

Thats what I was thinking rocky.

[buildersmate]

The employer cannot be advertising for an employee if the rate of payment is per parcel - this is a contract involving self-employment. Take it or leave it - Minimum Wage Rates don't apply.

[boxtops]

It's casual labour, surely, on an as-needed basis? Bear in mind the cost of adding business cover to your car insurance policy, you would definitely need that.

[buildersmate]

Boxtops
Casual labour is a generic term that can include both employed and self-employed basis. You are right, but the point is that this one has to be on a self-employed basis - it can't be anything else.
This is how HMRC explains it, if you need to know.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/working/intro/casual.htm

[Smowball]

Yes I think this is classed as self employed. But still crap money

[tonyav]

The self employed part is how they get away with paying below the legal minimum pay smow.

[Smowball]

I know, bad tho isnt it.

[tamborine]

could be CDs, software for IT companies by motor bike ?

[tonyav]

Yes it is bad smow.