The Wage That Is Not the Wage

The Second Number · Page 1 of 3

Name Date
DIRECTIONS: A first job: $15.00 an hour, 20 hours a week. Work out what actually reaches your account, one line at a time.
#LineWorkingAmount
1.Hours × $15.0020 × $15.00
2.Taken off before you see itabout 17.65% of the line above
3.What actually arrivesthe first line minus the second
4.So what is one PAID hour really worth?the line above ÷ 20
The money taken off is tax and other deductions. It is not optional and nobody asks you first.
  1. You told a friend the job pays $15.00 an hour. Using your last line, write the sentence that would have been true.

And You Are Not Paid for All of It

The Second Number · Page 2 of 3

DIRECTIONS: Getting there, coming home and waiting for a shift are unpaid time. Read, then answer.
Say that is 3 extra hours a week. You cannot use them for anything else.
  1. How many hours does this job actually take out of your week?
    Working
  2. Divide what actually arrives by that number. What is an hour of your life worth to this job?
    Working
what the job says$15.00after deductions$12.35per hour you give up$10.74the same job, three ways of counting an hour
The advert said $15.00; the second number is $10.74. Both are true, answering different questions.

Comparing Two Jobs Properly

The Second Number · Page 3 of 3

DIRECTIONS: Two offers. Which pays more per hour you give up?
#Job AJob B
What it says an hour$15.00$13.50
Hours a week2020
Traveling and waiting3 hoursnone — it is next door
Deductions17.65%17.65%
8.Per hour you actually give up
  1. Which job pays more per hour of your life? By how much?
  2. Job A "pays better" and Job B is better paid. Write the difference between those two sentences.
  3. What is the question to ask about a job that is NOT "what does it pay"? Write the one you would actually use.