Consultant Prices?

[NeoSlashX]

Hey everyone,

I was contacted by a history professor who wants to send his students out to film interviews of local people talking about events in history. He did it last semester and the videos weren't the best quality for obvious reasons.

He wants to bring me in as a consultant to help the students through some basics of video to hopefully get the videos up to at least a watchable standard. After talking to him, we decided to develop a lesson plan and I"ll be a guest for two classes.

I'm completely clueless on how to price this because I've never done consultant work on this level before. I'm just curious what you guys would charge in this situation or what a consultant generally charges.

Thanks!

 

[Rainer]

You might have also discussed payment. I'd start by asking if there's a usual fee the professor or the organisation pays for this and see if it sounds fair. Sounds suspiciously like the professor might be expecting you to do it pro bono, in which case it's up to you whether you still want to take it on.

 

[Paul F]

Agreed. Fees should have been discussed at the first meeting. Don't go any further with this until you understand what it is you want to do.

It's completely up to you. What do you feel you want for your time and knowledge in this instance. Is this any Ivy League college that pays its professors well and charges big fees or is this a junior college with students on a budget? Do you want to help these guys and donate time or do you want to earn a respectable fee?

If this were a normal consultation, then you do not charge your normal hourly rate. You are providing expert knowledge that was gained by you over years and is disseminated in minutes. That hard-earned knowledge is valuable and should be treated as such. Fees for consultations can be very high - it's just a matter of what information is being provided and how valuable it is.