View Single Post
Unread 05-13-2006, 09:07 AM   #73 (permalink)
Etoile
Registered User
 
Etoile's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1,184
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reba
At my company, we get paid by the hour, no benefits. The public school and state interpreters get paid salaries, with benefits.
Just to add a perspective from the Washington DC area - the demand for interpreting is so high here that most agencies hire staff interpreters. I am one of those, I get a yearly salary and benefits and guaranteed 40 hours of work a week. There are many agencies in the DC area that operate like this; these agencies also have a pool of freelance interpreters who get paid hourly as you do.
Quote:
That's fine if they pay on time. Then, there is also the taxes to figure. Ugh!
I can't imagine ever wanting to be in private practice. It is a big hassle, hard to get clients (because you are competing directly with big agencies), and too much work for me. I am not a Human Resources person or a scheduler-type person or a billing/money person. I am an interpreter, that is what I do best, and I stick to that. If I were to work for myself I would have a lot more to worry about and it would cause me a lot of headaches. Being self-employed is NOT easy.
Etoile is offline   Reply With Quote