# Have you ever hired someone to format your Word docs? How'd that go?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-hired-someone-to-format-your-word-docs-howd-that-go/406961>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 6, 2007, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-hired-someone-to-format-your-word-docs-howd-that-go/406961 "2007-06-06T06:48:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-hired-someone-to-format-your-word-docs-howd-that-go/406961/21 "2007-06-08T15:31:10Z")

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I should probably clarify that I’m not offering to \*do \*the work, because I’m not an independent contractor, registered as a business, or in any other way set up to do independent work. (Though the idea is very intriguing and once I get back from holidays in October I think I’ll to look into whether there’s similar work available in South Australia on a part-time basis.)

Sorry if it looked like I was offering a negotiating rate - I notice on re-reading that it can be interpreted as an offer, but I’m just trying to give you a starting idea of comparable rates for secretarial work (which is really what report \*formatting \*- as opposed to writing - would be on level with) country-to-country. If other Dopers chime in with similar information, it might help you identify the best countries to target for your outsourcing needs.

Cheers,  
BWP.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-hired-someone-to-format-your-word-docs-howd-that-go/406961/22 "2007-06-08T16:20:18Z")

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[QUOTE=Bites When Provoked]  
However, this may help: my salary is AU$21/hr, in case you’re trying to figure out rates for secretarial skills from country to country.  
[/QUOTE]

For an employee, perhaps, but a contractor’s rates will/should be higher, because they must pay for their own SS taxes, equipment, bennies, etc. Figure at least double.

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