My fee structure is largely
determined by the fact that I have six humans and three large animals to feed and a house
to build. Welcome to the New Middle Ages, where the market is not the main factor.
Normally there will be no discounts. If you are on a limited budget however, and if your
cause invokes my sympathy, I will look for a way to get you what you need at the cost you
can bear.
Accommodation is from $25 for basic
floor space in our home-office a few stept from the Kremlin to $55 for our entire
apartment if available, with discounts if you rent it for a week or longer. Something
bigger and better equipped can be rented from our acquaintances for $60-90 per night. For
more details see the Accommodation in Moscow
section.
I prefer charging you for big things
while doing/availing the little ones at no cost. For example, if you rent our place,
Internet access or bike rental are included. If you hire me for $30/hour, I will not
bother charging you for gas or on-line time or long-distance calls.
My time is effective but expensive.
I am available for $20-50/hour, depending on the nature of the assignment. Hire me
if you need a lot of services at the same time. For example, if you are coming to Moscow
for two days, need appointments arranged before your arrival, letters translated, a car
and a driver and a secretary and all-around support, hiring me for $250-300/day may make
good business sense. Not so expensive, actually, given that the cheapest interpreter would
cost you $15, and a driver would want around $10 per hour. Consider that the cost of my
undivided attention, a place to sleep on my couch with unlimited access to the
refrigerator, the use of the car, hourses, the bike and anything else that may add flavour
to your trip is comparable to just one suite in a good hotel!
 From our
mailbox -
Your prices are an outrage! For a day of your work you want as much as very
few Russians make in a month! I called my buddy at the Xxxx* Embassy in Moscow and he
confirmed that the average monthly wage in Russia is $40 per month!
My comment -
What did I do wrong to be compared to an average Russian factory worker and not,
for example, to that friend of yours in the embassy?
________
* I don't want to identify the country. I have friends and colleagues in there and
don't want the name of this country to be mentioned in this context - pv
|
If you need just a guide to show
you around, I'd recommend Olesya, who will cost you $10/hour or $50 for the entire day. I
have a list of translators, interpreters and guides, and will send it to you on request.
Payment can be made by cash in
Moscow. Advance payments can be made by cheque or direct bank transfer. The official
Russian "beznal" - the official "white" money - is entirely OK
too. We'll soon be able to take Visa and MC.
At least a partial pre-payment is expected of new
clients. Once a business relationship in established, invoices are issued at the
end of the project or at the end of the month and are due one month after posting.
