Natwerk Designs

What would be a fair salary for this position?

I recently graduated with a residential space planning & design associate's degree. The job I landed is a "Bathroom Designer." My responsibilities are, when the client comes in, to get a feel for their wants & needs in the new space. After this preliminary discussion/consultation, I go to their home and do measurements. I then come back to the office and put together an entire design for them...I draft a floor plan in AutoCAD, then print out the specs for all of my plumbing selections, paint selections, countertops, cabinetry, lighting, tile etc. Sometimes I even do rendered drawings of the space for the clients to visualize. Once everything is together, I meet with the clients again and present the design to them and also the pricing (so I do budgeting, technically, too.) We do this until the design is perfect for them (sometimes my first presentation hits the nail on the head, sometimes there are minor changes requested.) Once they are ready, we sign a contract and I schedule them with our contractor and tile installer for their project to begin. I fill out purchase orders for all of their materials and submit them to be ordered. Once construction starts, I spend a few hours each day on the job just overseeing everything and making sure everything is being installed how we wanted. My boss has told me repeatedly that I am the best designer they have had so far. I have sold 4 bathrooms (large budget, $25,000+) in the 3 months I have been there. However, I am at $10 an hour. I was promised a commission plan also, and that has not been put into effect yet. When I confronted him about it, he made me do some sort of math equation so that I know how much it costs them to employ me and what fees I am helping cover when I sell things, to keep the business running. I am getting very frustrated. I feel like I am worth way more than $10/hour. Am I being taken advantage of? Should I confront my boss again? I am grateful to have a job, but $10/hour hardly supports my family of 4!! My husband earns a decent wage but he will be going part time soon so that he can finish his degree in elementary ed (he has to begin student teaching soon). Wanted to add, I was promised a commission plan during my initial interview. I am right outside of Philadelphia, Pa

Public Comments

1. First of all, it depends very much on where you live. Where I am--Nassau County, NY--this would be a lot worse than, say, somewhere in West Virginia or some other part of the country where living expenses aren't as high. (And when you're talking about Nassau County, just about anywhere else is cheaper.) In a bad job market, you pretty much have to put up with it. My son, for example, got a Bachelor's degree two years ago. He started out at a small local private college scanning documents for student assessment. He was making $14/hour. Two years later, he has the title of Assistant Director of Student Assessment and is doing much more complicated work, yet he's making $14.50/hour. He works full-time hours but they won't put him on salary and make him eligible for medical benefits or paid days off. He's still treated as an hourly worker. They, too, keep making promises, but in the end, it's either put up with it or leave. Sadly, I think this is the case with you. No employer will care about your husband's situation or anything else. If you leave, they'll get someone else who'll be happy with the $10/hour. It sucks. Edit: OK, Philly is not a cheap area, either, but the bottom line is that right now it's an employer's market and you're pretty much at their mercy. But certainly talk to your boss again and see if they'll be willing to work with you a bit. Remind them that you were promised commission. (It would help if you had that in writing.)