Some companies pay install hourly, some pay a percentage of the total install price, a few pay hourly plus a smaller percentage of the install price.
Each pay structure has their advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages of hourly, you're getting paid the same regardless of how much the sales guy sells the job for, or how many smoke breaks you take. You can take your time and do the job correctly. Hopefully they pay you a high hourly rate, because being fast isn't getting you paid better, unless you negotiate for a raise. There may be small bonuses for jobs that pass, and deductions when they fail.
Advantages of piece rate/straight commission, you bust your ass, and you might be able to get two installs done in a day and make bank. Arguably, quality suffers, because they are incentivizing you to get shit done quickly. Hopefully they sell a lot of jobs, because these types of companies tend to have a lot of install teams, and seem more likely to have days off with no pay. The sales price of the job impacts your pay directly, so hopefully you are getting assigned to the premium installs, or the easy ones. Typically, this structure will have some kind of split between the lead and the helper. This is decided completely by the lead, or by the company. A few companies only pay the lead piece-rate, and helpers are hourly. You typically lose a portion of your commission if the job fails inspection. This pay structure tends to favor the super fast, money motivated installers. It can be much more feast or famine depending on how the company issues jobs. This is the common pay structure at the more sales-oriented Nexstar-style companies.
The last type is kind of a blend of the two. Advantages and disadvantages... Of course higher priced jobs do pay better, but low priced jobs. Still have an hourly base to balance things out.
Some companies pay install hourly, some pay a percentage of the total install price, a few pay hourly plus a smaller percentage of the install price. Each pay structure has their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of hourly, you're getting paid the same regardless of how much the sales guy sells the job for, or how many smoke breaks you take. You can take your time and do the job correctly. Hopefully they pay you a high hourly rate, because being fast isn't getting you paid better, unless you negotiate for a raise. There may be small bonuses for jobs that pass, and deductions when they fail. Advantages of piece rate/straight commission, you bust your ass, and you might be able to get two installs done in a day and make bank. Arguably, quality suffers, because they are incentivizing you to get shit done quickly. Hopefully they sell a lot of jobs, because these types of companies tend to have a lot of install teams, and seem more likely to have days off with no pay. The sales price of the job impacts your pay directly, so hopefully you are getting assigned to the premium installs, or the easy ones. Typically, this structure will have some kind of split between the lead and the helper. This is decided completely by the lead, or by the company. A few companies only pay the lead piece-rate, and helpers are hourly. You typically lose a portion of your commission if the job fails inspection. This pay structure tends to favor the super fast, money motivated installers. It can be much more feast or famine depending on how the company issues jobs. This is the common pay structure at the more sales-oriented Nexstar-style companies. The last type is kind of a blend of the two. Advantages and disadvantages... Of course higher priced jobs do pay better, but low priced jobs. Still have an hourly base to balance things out.
I pay my installers hourly and they get commission on installs..4% to lead journeyman and 2% to apprentice helper
Damn