Rates for hiring part time RPG MV programmers/"helpers"?

[jameswestbrook351]

I'm not putting this into the classified since I am not hiring currently, but simply wanting feedback.
Long story short, my current plan for my ******* is if I reach my "Full Time Job" perk halfway in my college semester, I will be unable to work full time on the development since I can't just drop out halfway in. My plan is to use the extra money i do not need to hire a part time programmer or "helper" with getting more stuff done in my project.
I wanted to get some feedback from people who are more experienced with this.

If you were a part time programmer helping someone in their RPG MV project, how much would you charge per hour? It would be approximately 20-25 hours per week. The pay would also obviously be consistent until a specific date when I can work full time again.
Does anyone know of other suggestions to use the extra income to make up for the fact I would not be able to work full time? The purpose of this is so extra work can go into the game as a reward to the Patrons who support me.
In case someone asks, the approximate amount I would have to spare per month is 2,300. That is about 575 per week.

In case it's not clear, if I were to theoretically hire someone for this position, I would spend the few days showing how I normally do the programming, and I would show them all the notes I have regarding structure, plot of the game, ect all information that would be needed. I would have the project on a dropbox folder, and the part time programmer would have this folder synced to their computer would probably talk on skype several times per week to discuss the project or address questions or concerns the programmer has with me or I have with the programmer, and I would probably have to look at their work daily to see what changes were made.

This part would not be required, but some of my perks involve me getting in touch with my patrons. Some examples are monthly/bimonthly(depends on perk) google hangout calls. There is also a group discord everyone above a certain tier can access. There are also monthly/bimonthly multiplayer game events with specific patrons. An extra winning point for the programmer would be if they wanted to be involved with these perks, and attend with me since they are technically part of this project. Whether or not the person wanted to attend these or not would be up to them probably.

My biggest concern is some things that may be needed in the project may involve some image editing, or mapping, or something else that isn't just RPG Maker. Would you think that being able to do other skills would increase pay rate? Or would you say not because it's all still in the 20-25 hour mark where they are working, regardless of what the are working on?

I am not sure of all this yet, so I am wanting some feedback before this time comes.

EDIT: Another idea did occur to me, which is i take one or two months of payments(3,300 is equal to three months part time), and then pause ******* payments until I am working full time.

 

[Hudell]

For something bigger like that, you can probably get a lower hourly rate than most commissions would go for, but the price you'll actually pay will depend on the person's location. For instance, I live in Brazil were minimum monthly wage is roughly 300 USD. You mentioned 2.300 USD. That's probably more than most seasoned programmers in my country make, so you would have absolutely no trouble paying one.
Just like Brazil, there are programmers here from many other countries where the situation is similar.

Your biggest problem will be finding someone with time and dedication to work on a project that isn't theirs. This is never easy to find, regardless of how much you want to pay.

 

[Sharm]

You're thinking about this backwards. You need to start with a budget and plan what you're going to put in a game within that limit, not start with a game and figure out how to pay for the budget. The pay rate of the person you hire isn't going to change based on how many hours they work, it's based on how much they're going to charge per hour. What you get out of the time you're paying for is going to depend a lot on the skill and speed of the person you're hiring (and location). So yes, extra skill sets could increase the pay rate or make finding them in a single person impossible (likely both). I'll give you an example of what I mean. A pixel artist who's trying to break into the comission world would probably charge around $15 an hour. They'd be slow, having to figure things out as they go and make a lot of mistakes and the result won't be as nice as a pro's. I am a good and experienced pixel artist, I could charge $40 an hour and easily get plenty of work. I don't make as many mistakes, I'm much faster than a new artist, and the overall look is going to be better since I have a lot of knowledge and skill. The new artist may be way cheaper per hour, but someone like me would be much more cost effective, even though you're getting me for less than half the hours. So you see, what you're trying to accomplish in the time frame is much more important than how many hours you could get someone to work.

If you're wanting someone to be as invested in the project as you're implying it'd be good to stop thinking about them as a helper and start thinking about them as an employee. Figuring out the skill level you'd require for the project is going to help you figure out how much to spend, and give you a better idea of what you're looking for as you look through the resumes and portfolios of your potential employees. Knowing exactly what you're going to want them to accomplish and how much of your budget you're willing to spend towards each element is going to be essential, otherwise you're just going to end up bleeding money into the project with no end in sight. Take some time to plan your project out so that you know these things, what elements are essential and what could be cut if the budget gets tight, and then look into hiring someone. The clearer you are about what you're expecting from them, the better the programmer is going to be about letting you know if they can do it, how long it will take, and how much it might cost you.

Personally, I wouldn't even consider looking into hiring someone like this until I had at least two projects under my belt. There are so many things about game making that can only be learned by making and finishing a project, and you're going to want to know those things very well when you're spending so much money on it. If you don't you're going to crash and burn very badly. This is doubly true if you intend to sell the end result, that means you're starting up a business, and that comes with it's own set of problems to sort through and overcome. However, if you're hiring people not to be on a team but as one off assignments, this becomes a lot less risky. I still wouldn't do it until I had one completed project, though.

 

[jameswestbrook351]

@Sharm That does make sense, and I will consider what advice I will take.
Employee is a better word, I just used the word "helper" because in my mind it was "Picking up what I can't do". I will probably use the word employee for this.
I definitely agree with you in the second paragraph. If it comes to this I will definitely 110% have to plan every little detail I can.
I am still considering what options there are, some could maybe be do a few commissions in code or art for the game and show it to the patrons, or saving the money for the project and it can be decided how it's spent in the future. By the time that point ever comes, I'll probably just have a list of every possible option and have my patrons give feedback on which options appeal most to them, and consider the options further.

 

[EternalShadow]

Just to note, are you looking for someone to make all aspects of the game (maps, events, etc) or to actually edit the JavaScript code? The former aspects is not what a programmer does, the last point is.

 

[jameswestbrook351]

Just to note, are you looking for someone to make all aspects of the game (maps, events, etc) or to actually edit the JavaScript code? The former aspects is not what a programmer does, the last point is.

The first one. What would you call it?

 

[EternalShadow]

The first one. What would you call it?

Developer.

 

[jameswestbrook351]

@EternalShadow yeah that is a better word. I'll remember that when the time comes, thank you.

 

[Shaz]

Your cash to spare divided by the time you want this person to spend working on your game works out to about $23-$25 per hour. That's a pretty good rate for something that's essentially a hobby for a lot of people here. Exchange rates will make that look better or worse, depending on where they live (assume you're talking USD). If you do decide to go ahead with this, make sure you look carefully to see what any applicants have to offer, as you'll probably get a number of people apply. Don't just take the first one who comes. Make sure they're up to the task.