Quote from: Nygeel on June 04, 2012, 04:31:07 PM
The way I understood it they were asking me how much I wanted to get paid per day as opposed how folks are usually paid per hour. It's a contract/1099 position. I asked for $175 a day working 9 hours a day (the ride there and back is an hour each way). I didn't know if this was considered an appropriate rate.
I see. You were going to be working as an independent contractor, right?
That's a little more complicated situation.
When I speak of per diem, that is the amount that the company or agency allows one of its employees to spend while on business away from the office. Some companies use an "actual expenses" basis, and require you to submit expense reports with receipts. Others will place maximum expenditure limits. Some will use the GSA/IRS rates and require no receipts - which is nice, because you can actually make a little money by staying at less expensive places and not using your full meal allowance.
Keep inmind these have potential tax liabilities.
With regard to the 1099 question, as with the "salary" question in interviews, the best course, in my opinion, is to say that you are flexible and to ask probing questions of the interviewer, such as "Do you reimburse mileage, based on the IRS rate schedule?" I am not as familiar with that sort of employment arrangement.