Hi,
I have been working full-time this year doing odd jobs on AirTasker, mostly IT related.
Started off earning $100-200 a week and now it is my main source of income.
Have completed over 100+ jobs.
Ask me Anything!
[AMA] I work full time doing odd-jobs on AirTasker
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I'd assume around 20 hours or less normally. There have been sometimes when I've worked more but maybe once or twice in the past 6 months.
So you work part time.
Yeah I'll pay that haha. Probably should have said part-time in the title.
Define odd.
Odd as in random jobs
Define Random.
No seriously, some examples would do.
They are mostly IT related but some have included:
- Setting up email signature
- Removing business from Google Maps
- Creating a survey for a Simpsons quizMost of the money comes from website building or social media work, as those are normally around $250-350+ jobs.
@dragonindespair: One guy paid $50 for someone to walk them from the eye hospital to the hotel just down the road. Easy money I say.
@Clear: That seems like the kind of win-win situation Airtasker was designed for. Someone on their lunch break gets $50, half-blind guy just out of eye surgery doesn't get run over.
@Clear:
Wow.. actually makes me feel sad reading that. Each to their own, but I'd never be able to take money for something like that regardless of whether I knew the person or not.@bobbified: You don't know how long the road was, how many crossings, if it's out in the middle of nowhere, etc. I might not take money to do it, but then if a stranger asked on an online posting for it and it was more than a few minutes out of my way, I just wouldn't do it - not just because of the trouble, but because it's a fairly strange request and the ever-present danger it's some kind of scam or trick.
@HighAndDry:
Agree with what you're saying - I was thinking that if I was around the hospital or something and someone stopped and asked me to help them out with the offer of money.Online-wise, I'll admit that it's unlikely I'd respond to such an ad in the first place because it is quite a strange request. Guess that's why makes me feel a little sad because the first thought that crossed my mind was the surgery isn't a choice and he's really got no-one he's close to that can help him?
@bobbified: Yeah - I thought that at first and was a little saddened too. Still, it's good that they can still be independent because of things like Airtasker, instead of… I don't know what the other option might be. Waiting in the hospital lobby for a good samaritan?
100 jobs assuming $200 average per job is $20,000, is this sustainable for you?
Just checked and the average is sitting at $99.19
167 done since 25th Jan, so definitely sustainable for me. I am looking to expand obviously and make more but great for now.
$35000 a year isnt great if you keep up with this pace i guess, but it may grow…
Yeah I don't think it's great - just good for the hours I put in where I can focus my extra time on other endeavours.
@mrdavedave:
I don’t think so.I am doing 20 hours a week on AirTasker and 10-15 hours working on building my own business/working with direct clients, all from home.
How many hours do you work a work / spend getting to work, and roughly what would you earn?
35K a year, for a half full-time role, with flexibility and variable work, is very good. Better than most people
The only not good thing, is the lack of security. But most jobs are less secure than people think anyway
What's your average weekly earnings?
Currently $843.40 from AirTasker alone (not including my first two weeks of work)
is this before tax, running costs like car, etc?
Before tax and costs yes but I don’t have many costs really.
Most of the work I do is computer based, have unlimited internet anyway.
Ok, I'll ask the obvious question… Why?
Doesn't seem like it's making more money than a normal full time job so, why do you prefer this route?
A few reasons..
- Work from home.
- I'm my own boss.
- Can always increase/decrease hours
It is making more than what I would make in a standard retail job ($44K yearly~ at current rate) and I am working at most 20-25 hours a week.
Yeah but is it paying more than if you worked part time/casual for an IT firm? Sure it's more than you'd earn in retail but obviously if you're building websites and the likes thats skilled work that would normally pay more anyway…
I haven’t got any degrees. If I’m working part time for IT I would be making less per hour than I currently am, and having to go into work/report to someone.
Long term goal is to build out my business more.
@SimpleWebDesign: a colleague of mine in government has no degrees and is an EL1 at around 30 years old, earning $120K or so. Having no degree is no barrier if you know what you're doing. (He's a Java developer)
@Quantumcat:
Yeah that is the issue, I don’t really work “full stack” per so. Just basic web design and knowledgeable about basic things.@SimpleWebDesign: The helpdesk at the company I work for pays $73,000 a year minimum. some of the longer serving helpdesk techs are on about 90k. they're constantly on the look out for new staff as well.
it seems like you're selling yourself a bit short by saying you'd only get $44k a year doing retail. If you know how to use a computer and have good phone manner then you can do helpdesk
@chicken8:
I'm not particularly fond of help-desk style work. Not really great over the phone, prefer email communication.My previous jobs have just been retail at that rate. I think I could potentially land a marketing job with $50-60K however assume that would be full time work.
@SimpleWebDesign: why not do some study and get a real IT job? If you rely on this too long, the work could dry up (if technology changes so less people need you to do the things you know how to do) and then you have a big gap in your resumé, making it harder to get a "normal" job.
@Quantumcat:
Degrees don’t mean shit in my opinion.I can make more money if I focus on building my business in my spare time and then will be my own boss further down the track.
I can’t see the work drying up really, lots of businesses want websites and small business marketing. If anything I can see it increasing.
@Quantumcat: I failed High school, went straight into IT and have been on 150k package for the last 7 years plus $200 bucks a day travel allowance for the last 2 years working across asia
@SimpleWebDesign: maybe not a degree but you need to do some kind of study even if self directed. Technology changes constantly, what you're doing now may not be in demand in 5 years. But up to you.
@lextsy: I'm not surprised by that, there's people that learn by doing and creating and are better at self learning than sitting through formal learning. As I said in a previous reply my colleague has no tertiary education but he's the most respected Java developer in the branch and earns plenty of $. He's always got projects going like making an online media server for his dad (who is interstate) to watch his movies, programming arduinos to open and close his blinds at sunrise and sunset, and loads of other stuff I don't understand. I imagine you're the same, constantly updating your skills and being challenged, rather than doing the same thing all the time.
Yep. I know a couple of people who don't have degrees or dropped out of uni without ever finishing, and they're earning more than 100K/year doing full-stack web development.
@chicken8: the engineering company I used to work for paid engineers with masters degrees and 4 year's experience only $55k
Do your parents wish you'd get a real job? I assume you are at home still given the small amount earnt.
Nope. Moved out and living in a different state from them.
Do you need to charge GST and declare a BAS?
I don't charge GST as I am earning under 75K. They price that people pay for the job is inclusive of any GST/etc if I was charging it though.
What I bid (say $300) is the total price they pay. I then automatically get paid my fee from AirTasker minus 15% (for their service fee).
BAS - not too sure, will probably have to come tax time.
bas is quarterly?
Just realised I don't need to as I'm not registered for GST
You don't have to answer, but what are you doing in regards to tax?
And less dangerously:
Have you calculated what your current income level translates to once you take into account things like tax, super, leave, other benefits/entitlements, etc? I feel a lot of people in your situation (especially people driving for Uber because that has more business expenses compared to IT) overestimate their ultimate 'take-home' amount.
Do you have a back-up plan in place or have you budgeted for an emergency fund in case Airtasker bans you/is banned/etc, and do you do work on other platforms as a secondary source of work?
I am going to reach out to a tax agent familiar with AirTasker/similar services come EOFY as this will be first tax year of doing it.
- I've calculated in regards to tax, but not super/leave/other benefits - which I probably should do.
- I have recently launched my own business and have some clients who come to me direct rather than going through AirTasker. As well as some repeat clients where I am editing/maintaining their websites or social media accounts on a weekly basis. That wouldn't be enough to cover me if I were to be banned on AirTasker though. Ideally I will be able to have coverage from clients directly in the next 3-6 months and then rely on AirTasker for less work.
Just watch out for income tax as ATO are getting data feeds from Uber, Airbnb etc.
To offset tax record all your expenses with receipts - ie driving to jobs, any equipment etc
Best bet as you are saying you are doing is to go to a tax agent but do that now-ish as EOFY is coming up.
Yeah I will definitely be going to a tax agent just to play it safe
I'm not sure you really need a tax agent, just declare all your airtasker income as PPI, and don't forget to deduct "some" internet/electricity/home office, and if you use your phone for airtasker app, can deduct "some" there as well.
what do you do in your other 15-20 hours per week?
I'd say at least 5 is spent on reaching out to new customers, however it's not really full-on work. Rather I'll be watching TV or something, have my phone on me and get notifications if a suitable job for me comes up.
The other time is spent playing games, working on my own personal business ideas or work for repeat clients.
Do you wear a bowler hat?
Sadly not
Hi, I was wondering why don't you have a regular 9-5 job? Also, what is the benefits of doing Airtasker jobs rather than a 9-5 job?
already answered above. freedom
This is a good question - sounds to me like the tasks you are doing could be done outside of regular working hours. If i could be bothered (which right now i can't), i'd be doing my current 8-6 job and knocking over some of the things you've been doing after work/in the morning.
I'm not right now, but in the next 6 months or so i'll start looking to do thinks such as feasibility analysis/business plans and commercial leasing business cases etc.
I'd like to think i could earn an extra 10-20k a year doing this stuff outside of work hours, on top of my salary to make living in Sydney just that little bit easier!
Yes I think the tasks could be done outside as a lot of the time it’s clients who are building their own businesses after-work.
In saying that, I do believe if I had a regular job I wouldn’t have as much luck getting as many jobs as I do. This is because you need to be quick to post on new jobs you see. If you have a job where you are at your computer and can dick off to bid on tasks every so often, then that would make it a lot easier.
Do you have or want a mortgage?
Don't have one currently. Not sure if I want one yet to be honest.
I am early mid-twenties, just taking it as it comes for now really.
On average how much are you taking home a week, after fees and paying tax?
$715.40 at the moment from AirTasker
That isn't too shabby for 20 hours a week. Works out to approximately $65k on a FT basis based off my simple maths. Obviously, that's just an average without taking into account tax implications. Not to mention Super etc.
How long did it take you to build up a consistent inflow of jobs?
Honestly only a couple of weeks, took a lot of bidding on jobs and getting rejected at first as well as doing things for extremely cheap.
Here is a list of my first 8 weeks earnings:
Week 1 - $65.45
Week 2 - $347.86
Week 3 - $831.94
Week 4 - $386.47
Week 5 - $815.15
Week 6 - $1011.22
Week 7 - $692.75
Week 8 - $834.75
Do you think that other guy was unfairly treated? ;-)
This should be a concern of the poster. Airtasker is still very much in growth mode - but like all business it will start screwing over their workers. The poster needs to be aware of this and plan accordingly (give out his details post work so people can contact him direct, not via the Airtasker platform).
I agree, 15% cut off the revenue generated by poster is huge for very little effort from airtasker platform
I said this in the other thread too, but 15% is a TINY cut. Considering that Airtasker is how you get the work (and so your income would be 0 without it) and that anyone is free to not use Airtasker at any time (and yet don't), it shows the value that Airtasker as a platform adds.
Not to mention - if you're an employed professional or tradesperson, you'd be lucky to see anywhere CLOSE to 85% of your charge-out rate as pay, even including all benefits, super and other entitlements.
Yeah 15% is a tiny cut for clients I otherwise wouldn't have.
I compare it to my own marketing costs and outreach I would have to do.
A $349 website to the client means paying $52 to AirTasker for that client. I have no issue with that.
@SimpleWebDesign: Hey mate, can you PM your website/details? I might need a website from you one day.
The biggest problems is the race to the bottom, people under bidding each other to get jobs. Some people dont value their time.
I agree. When I first started I had to do the same. If you want to stand out you’ve either got to have a great profile with lots of reviews, or be really value.
I use UpWork a lot.
Sure there are mundane crap that I just farm out to people.On the other hand there are a lot of skilled people in there, and it is far from a race to the bottom.
Upwork weren’t taking on any more web developers when I last tried- definitely wanted to get on that platform though
What programming languages do you know?
How much do you earn on average per hour?
Assuming a 20 hour working week, $42
Was just generally browsing on airtasker and came across this task -
https://www.airtasker.com/tasks/share-a-deal-on-ozbargain-10…
Is this even allowed??
Scotty all over it. Good to see
That is not on
$5? Damn undercutters
They're the reason why when somebody contacted me here asking to post a deal on their behalf that I had such a hard time convincing them to send me a free done worth $400
Have you thought about moving into a full time, working perhaps 38 to 40 hours a week ?
Yep. I am planning to try and work more each week. I still have work for other clients that I do in the week directly (which I prefer in the case of AirTasker ceasing.
I can see in the future my week looking like this:
20-25 hours AirTasker
10-15 hours my own business / direct clients
Do you plan to this indefinitely?
Long term goal is to build more clients from AirTasker who will become direct clients. For now I am happy doing this though, relaxing and saving money pretty easily.
What about the drawbacks of the work? Specifically no holiday pay, no superannuation, no sick leave and no guarantee of work each week?
The guarantee of work is fixed by having clients who reach out to me for weekly work. I have 2 clients at the moment who I am doing 3-4 hours work for each for $120 ($240/week).
I don't have any contracts or similar in place, however have had on-going work for a couple of months now with them and seems like there isn't going to be any slowing down in the near future.
No holiday pay/super/leave is just something I have to deal with, which I am happy to for the trade-off of being able to work from home and be my own boss / choose my working hours.
Hey thanks for doing this AMA honestly including details about less than amazing rates of pay and the alternative method earning which from the comments people tend to get a stick up their butt about : )
How often do you have clients prefer someone with no experience but quotes dirt cheap and then later come to you needing the whole job done again but properly? lol
No problems haha
I’ve only had it done a couple of times. I assume when something like that happens the person who posted the job sort of assumes it’s airtasker’s fault for the poor work they receive, and shun the platform. The times when I’ve had it happen has been for SEO work which is a bit hard to really monitor from a client perspective unless they are getting updates about what is hapoening.
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How many hours do you normally work a week?