question for sysadmins regarding oncall
 

Hello from a fellow sysadmin :)

am just trying to gauge some infomation in regards to oncall payments and what you think is fair for oncall. A friend who runs a VPS company would like me to babysit his machines while he goes on holday. I am trying to figure out what to charge him.

Would 15-20% of my "day rate" plus an time-and- half per half hour for each incident?

nswers on a postcard and many thanks!

Honestly, I'd charge whatever you're billing customers now, and go time-and-a-half for any night/weekend work, and all expenses (gas/travel, meals, etc.). I realize they may be friends, but this is their (and your) business. It seems a bit cold-hearted I know, but look at it this way....if they WEREN'T friends, you'd charge them a different rate. This is no different...anytime you're working for a friend, you have to turn away other work that you make more money on.

That said, you DO have flexibility when it comes to billing terms, and what you'll take. So if your friend wants to do your domain hosting, and pass your name along to others looking for someone with your skills, a big discount/free services are always in order. :)

I would agree with this.
Work for free or full cost. Never cheap.