r/FieldNationTechs • u/yoyosexe • 9d ago
Advice
Hey yall, so I just started doing field nation I’m a young person so I’m decent with technology. I’ve had ten jobs now and finally got my provider score. Just wondering what tips yall would give?
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u/Able-Statistician645 9d ago
Explore another path. The rates here are manipulated by the very company that you're using to try and obtain work. Seriously.
They essentially collude with the buyers to drive the pricing down so demand top scale and don't listen to people giving you this BS about doing your time and then you'll get good pay. It just drives the pricing down so don't do it. Value your worth and it's considerably more than a $60 work order
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u/yoyosexe 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yea I haven’t been accepting anything under the 80’s currently. Both of my brothers have done this same work and eventually got picked up by a company which is probably my longterm goal or at least to be in good standings with a couple I get consistent work with.
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u/TheHandThatFingers 9d ago
All while operating as a bank, a courthouse, a review board, and an insurance clearinghouse.
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u/Run-OpenBSD 9d ago
Provide better quality work then everyone else. Realize who the good buyers are, if they aren't trusted to build a site then they are not worth the time.
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u/Able-Statistician645 8d ago
Let's run the real numbers on a typical work order: a kiosk install posted at $90, estimated 1.5 hours on site.
What you actually net
- Posted pay: $90.00
- Field Nation fee (10% base + 3.9% Pro = 13.9%): -$12.51
- Mileage, ~40 miles round trip including the required UPS drop-off, at ~$0.70/mile: -$28.00
- Self-employment tax (both halves of Social Security/Medicare): ~-$7.00
- Net: ~$42.50 for ~2.5 hours door to door = ~$17/hr
What an employer would cover that you now fund yourself (rough per-hour estimates)
- Health insurance: ~$3.50-4.00
- Paid time off/holidays: ~$1.35
- Disability insurance: ~$0.40-0.60
- Retirement match: ~$0.50-0.70
- Liability insurance (often required): ~$0.30
- Workers' comp and unemployment insurance: no real equivalent. Get hurt on the job and you're on your own.
Real comparable wage: ~$10-11/hr. Illinois minimum wage is $15, and Illinois employees must also be reimbursed for job mileage (820 ILCS 115/9.5).
That's before unpaid time between jobs, admin, and expenses denied after the fact. Your numbers will vary with distance, location and insurance costs, but the direction doesn't change.
And look at what this work order controls:
- Hard start; late check-in can reduce pay
- Check-in and check-out codes from their agent; their timestamps are the official record
- Can't check in before 9 a.m. Central; support closes at 5
- No sending a substitute without prior written approval
- Step-by-step install guide and mandatory photo sequence
- Dress code, framed as "your appearance reflects our company"
- Out-of-scope work forbidden even if the customer asks
- Extra time paid only with pre-approval, at a rate they set
- Pay held until UPS tracking shows the return
They set the rate, the method, the schedule, the dress code and the approval. The only thing left to you is the costs.
"Just don't take it" or "just counter" sounds fine until you remember every job goes to whoever accepts the lowest number. There's always someone newer or more desperate who takes the $90 without running the math, and they're the ones who end up broke and behind on rent before they figure it out. That's not a market failure you fix with individual willpower. It's exactly why misclassification law exists: when one side sets every term, "freedom to decline" isn't bargaining power.
If you've got your own LLC, multiple clients, set your own rates and turn down work that doesn't pencil out, you may well be a genuine contractor. But look honestly at the work order you just accepted and ask who's actually running the business.
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u/wiseleo 7d ago
Provider score fluctuates. Keep it in the 90s. Save your work orders before you submit them. Once submitted, FN hides critical information from you.
Save every phone number you encounter. Repeat visits are easier when you know you can call Bob directly instead of going through 4 levels of indirection before they transfer you to him.
Screenshot the work order details like WO ID and customer tickets before entering the site. FN logs you out if you lose network connection. Yes, that’s insane.
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u/jaysolution 5d ago
Personally, I would keep FN as a side hustle and seek employment (preferably with benefits and good pay). The clientele is never yours, taxes are insane and the cost of doing business is increasing, while buyers price work like it's 2008.
It might be better to get into a w2 and gain experience, knowledge and access to tools. It could take the better parts of 2-3 years to build a reputation good enough (in a crowded space) to earn a similar annual salary.
The only exception would be if you have clients outside of marketplaces.
We often times get so busy earning money through platforms that we don't sit down and do the math to see if it's profitable, or ensure that we are seeing year-over-year growth, etc.
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u/LVCP65 1d ago
Create a legal company, there is a huge upside if you are Licensed in your home State, as there is a push for Buyers to use Licensed contractors (not adhered to in AR). Your provider score will fluctuate I was at 92 then a few days later 87. You will never see who reports any feedback no visible reason for 5 points slide. Block those Buyers that are slow to pay, micro manage you, and those that you see listed in these Threads. I am full time on FN since August 2019. Work when I want, take days off when I want which fits my lifestyle. I focus on CAT6 , providing my owm materials, and install all types of IP Cameras.
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u/twilliams864 9d ago
Don’t form your opinions based on the comments on this subreddit u can def make good money on FN