My farrier charges $45
for a trim; $100 for putting on NB shoes, $200 for winter
shoes with pads, charges for the shoes and
pads separately and
charges mileage. He does an
excellent job; he is prompt and professional and handles the horses firmly but
kindly. I do bring him hot and cold drinks, I make sure my horses
are caught, clean and well trained. I listen to and
respect his professional opinion regarding foot care. I try to have some
cookies or a snack handy for his breaks. All that
said, I don?t ?tip? on top of my
bill. He is being well paid (the highest prices in our area) for a
professional job.
Personally, I don?t think I should have to ?tip? for someone to
come on time, know their job and do it well.
It took me ten years to
pay off my college loans. I spend about $1000 per year on
classroom supplies that are not reimbursed. I have to go back to
school and to clinics and seminars and conferences (all paid out of my pocket)
every year to stay up to date with new federal and state demands in
education. I work 50-80 hours a week with over 150
students a day plus chaperoning dances, games, open gym
nights and conferences for students, and writing seniors letters of
recommendation for scholarships and awards; I spend a lot of
time in the summer revamping curriculum and working with leadership
students. I do not get paid extra for any of the extra time I
put in and my salary schedule is topped out even though I have 10 to 15 years
to retirement and will continue to spend money on classroom expenses and
further training during that time. In my experience,
this is a pretty typical schedule for a teacher. And believe me, we
don?t get tips (although right after
report cards come out
we sometimes get our houses
egged or TP?d and receive
the occasional prank phone
call)!
I also believe tipping
is for minimum wage jobs and is a bonus for good service. I
don?t believe professionals should expect to be tipped. My
farrier certainly considers himself a professional.
