Shucks, your pay will depend on just how competent you are. A trainee might start at 15 @hour but would increase rapidly as he/she becomes more proficient. We have been charging 85 @ hour for 6 years now and have been in business for 45 years. The quality of our work usually means less attorney time, thus cheaper cost to their client. Each case we work on and what we are given to work with is very different.
When you learn how to handle photographs, models, sketches, or just telephone descriptions your value increases. When you can take the material and work up the necessary drawings to cover what is claimed, your value increases. When you can make use of exploded perspectives, breakaways, sections, and enlargements and get to understand the nuances of the patent office, your value increases.
Would you be working in someone's office using their equipment and space or on your own? Would someone else being paying your withholding and medical or would you? Are you just copying drawings or putting some pizazz in them with heavy lines and good shading? What happened to the person you would be replacing? What ever happened to him/her will most likely happen to you. What is the quality of drawings that your person if use to getting?
Simply put, yes, take the job at 12 @ hour, show what you can do and if your guy is any good, he will increase your wage. If you do good work and he does not increase your wage, caulk it up to experience and go somewhere else. Good people are hard to find.
Just so you know, I started at 2.50 @ hour 45 years ago under the guidance of another draftsman here in Chicago and spent several years learning the craft. And yes, that was a low wage even then but it was more fun than loading boxcars.
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Topic: entry level drafting hourly pay (Read 3127 times)
