I recently saw a help wanted ad looking for a cake decorator. The ad said that the cake decorator would be an independent contractor, paid on a per cake basis. I was wondering if that's a common thing to do, or if a standard hourly wage was more common.

They are sticking YOU with the tax responsibility. The employer should be responsible for paying and filing taxes.

If you took this job, you would want extra pay, to cover those responsibilities. they also could NOT direct your work. In order to be a contractor, the 'employer' cannot tell you when or how to work.

I would recommend you stay far away from this one.