Choosing Your Hourly Rate

Rate ambiguity is real. Enter rate guidance — a way for builders to determine an ideal rate for each mission by providing our customers’ preferred rate ranges on open roles.

As an independent builder, we know that setting your rate can be tricky. We understand the importance of finding the right rate — too low and you miss out on extra earnings, too high and you could be out of the company's budget range. To help A.Team builders choose their rate, we built a rate guidance tool called preferred rates.

Preferred rates: what they are & how they’re determined

When companies request a team for a new mission, they now have the opportunity to enter their rate range based on their budget and guidance our platform gives them based on similar roles from past missions. This guidance helps companies asses whether their budget is competitive or not.

As a builder-first network, our first priority is that our builders get meaningful, high-paying work. If a company sets its budget range below the A.Team average for a particular role, they’ll be informed that their request will likely receive lower interest from the network. If the rate is within A.Team's market rates, we’ll let them know it’s competitive and will likely attract interest from builders.

How to use preferred rates

Step 1: Open a mission you’re interested in

In the Teams tab, choose a mission that’s exciting for you.

Step 2: Locate the role card for the mission

On the mission page, find the open role that you’re interested in.

Step 3: Reference the company’s preferred rate

Toward the top of the role card, locate the rate range the company has set as their preferred range.

Step 4: Choose your rate for the mission

Consider the preferred rate range when deciding if this mission is a good fit for you. If you decide to apply, you can use this preferred rate to optimize your chances (more on this below).

What should I do if my rate is higher than the preferred range?

As the highest-paying platform for product builders, it’s our mission to not only give builders the most exciting work of their careers — but to also make sure builders are paid well. Here are a few things you can consider if a preferred range is below your rate:

• Apply to the mission with your current rate: If you’re strongly aligned in other areas like skills, experience, and availability, you can apply with your current rate. Just keep in mind that applying outside the company’s preferred range may lower your chances of being selected for the mission.
• Don’t apply — and try a mission more aligned with your rate: If the rate range is far outside your normal rate, you may want to consider skipping this mission and requesting to join a mission that’s closer to your hourly rate. We always recommend exploring multiple roles that are close to your desired range.
• Adjust your rate to be more competitive for the mission: If this is a mission that’s really meaningful to you, you can consider adjusting your rate for this mission.