For Those Who Work In A Bakery
Decorating By ashianadotkom Updated 11 May 2006 , 4:21pm by abbystepmum
So i went on an interview a couple of days ago. I had to go there again to meet the early bird decorator today and show her what i could do ....i guess you could say second part of the interview. This bakery only does buttercream decorations and she asked me if i was willing to teach them fondant 
, she said they loved my work. So with teaching themto make fondant and working with it what is the rate for cake decorator these days per hour.
wish i could help, but i'm canadian and our pay is way different from you. Plus I'm a bread baker not a cake decorator at my bakery.
Totally depends on where you live. I think you can look up average salaries for bakers on one of those salaries.com places or something.
If I were you though I would just have them order some Satin Ice, or Pettinice, or FondX. At the caterers I work at part time with the pastry chef, they order 15 lb tubs of Pettinice for like $32. So much easier than making it.
Your salary will be dependent on the cost of living so nobody can really help you out much unless they live in your area. You probably should not make under $10/hour though.
Thank you ladies so much!!
Kittagrl that's i will suggest that to them since they do use box mixes for their cakes they should be able to get them probably from the same source.
I've done simple cake decorating at thwo different bakeries it two totaly different areas. I got $9 in Seattle, and now I'm getting $ in a small town in northern california (Eureka). I'm not doing wedding cakes or anything, just simple stuff in high end bakeries, so if you're doing wedding cakes and/or intricate dicorations I would say you should get at LEAST $10 (in a lower living cost area) but better if you're getting around $12-$16 per hour.
~Kelsie
You should think about, what value you add to their business and not what salaries are in your area. Your are helping them to get new skills, so they can bring in more customers (read money). I have no clue about US salaries as I live in Europe. If I where asked to do a course in a bakery, I would at least take 5 times my normal hourly wage.
Almost forgot to wish you good luck
Update...they said they would start me at $7.50 an hour for now...they call it training because i have never worked in a bakery.
Then in a month i would teach them fondant and they would give me raise.
She is busy so we talked over the phone and i forgot to asked her how much of a raise.
But please tell me i am not crazy to think that $7.50 is too low
I was so excited about finally going to work after 4 year(i have a 3 1/2 year old) but now i am so bumped and discouraged
I think they need to decide if your are a "trainee" or the trainer.
I am in canada so the pay will vary from you, but i started doing cakes/bread/packaging at a grocery chain for 8.25/hr then moved to a different grocery chain(union) and am now making 9.25/hr just doing cakes, with regular raise increases....but i have little experience. Our head decorator makes well over 20$/hr with 16 years exp.
I guess it just depends how much they are willing to pay and how much you are willing to take. if you have a lot of experience you should be getting more.
hope this helps a little. good luck! 
It sounds to me like you are really excited to get back to work, and what better way than in a bakery doing what you enjoy.
If it was me I would go ahead and take the job even if it wasn't paying what I wanted at first. That way I would get the experience. Then once you do get a raise decide if the money is worth what you are expected to do.
I know I have taken jobs that didn't pay as much as I was used to just because I loved doing the job. I didn't mind less pay because I just loved going to work every day and I was happy to be there.
Thank you ladies.....i will let you know what i decide!!
I think it is deplorable that anyone would work for less than $15 an hour. Shame on employers who do that to others! No wonder there is such a large group of working poor in this country. The ones who still work but live in cars. Put a higher premium on yourself no one will value you unless you do. Why not try your hand at starting to bake at home. You would make at least minimum wage? Sorry, for the soap box operatics.
Wow... I worked in a bakery part time and I made $13 an hour.. I guess I was lucky!! I only worked there for about 6 months. Even though I worked part-time they wanted me to do ALL the cakes. I originally took the job because they wanted someone to do wedding cakes, but then I ended up doing all the ocassion cakes and cakes for the case...I was not happy about that, so I quit!!
Well, some of us employers start our employees out at lower wages for a reason. First of all, I have a hard time finding people with a work ethic & I've been stuck on many occasions scrambling to find someone to come to work. So I'm not about to pay someone $15/dollars an hour!!!! I don't even make that much when all is said & done & I'm sure other bakery owners are the same way. We have alot of overhead expenses, not to mention the turnover rate is very high & I can't afford to pay someone more than $8.00/hour.
ashianadotkom:I say if you really want to work there then try it out....then you can negotiate a higher pay if you want to stay there & teach the fondant.
I have friend who 25 years ago started a catering business with very, very, little money. All but one employee is still with her. She started off making a lot of sacrifices including paying her employees more than she. Today she is one of the top caterers in all of Los Angeles. She found that by paying a decent wage it was more cost effective. All of her employees have a strong work ethic.
I have friend who 25 years ago started a catering business with very, very, little money. All but one employee is still with her. She started off making a lot of sacrifices including paying her employees more than she. Today she is one of the top caterers in all of Los Angeles. She found that by paying a decent wage it was more cost effective. All of her employees have a strong work ethic.
well....theres the difference right there. The cost of living is much much higher in CA then most....therefore the pay should be expected to be higher.
Like it was said earlier....it really all does depend on where you live. I guarantee what you get paid in Houston is not even close to what you would get in Austin.
Just as CA is definitely not comparable to whats in Ohio.\\
edited to fix my cities!!! 
Just as CA is definitely not comparable to whats in Ohio
I agree. Actually around here 8.00/hour is a decent starting wage so I feel no guilt for starting the employees off at it.
And Fearlessbaker: thanks for the lovely story & glad it all work out for your friend. But for me, I think I'll stick to finding someone who wants to work & stick around before I start paying more...not the other way around.
Pay is also dependant on what the shop is able (or willing) to pay. I went for an interview a few months ago with a bakery, and the manager asked me what sort of pay I was looking for. This was after they asked me if I did "mad hatter" (topsy turvy) cakes and knew how to work with gumpaste and such, to which I responded yes I knew how to do all of that. I told the manager if that was part of the job requirement I would not take less than 10.00 per hour and would prefer 12.00 per hour. She nearly hit the floor! She told me.....thank you for your interview but we're only looking at paying someone around minimum wage. I wished her good luck on finding anyone who had that sort of experience for that pay rate.
Update...they said they would start me at $7.50 an hour for now...they call it training because i have never worked in a bakery.
Then in a month i would teach them fondant and they would give me raise.
She is busy so we talked over the phone and i forgot to asked her how much of a raise.
But please tell me i am not crazy to think that $7.50 is too low
I was so excited about finally going to work after 4 year(i have a 3 1/2 year old) but now i am so bumped and discouraged
$7.50 is REDICULOUS!!!! You can start at Walmart with never having a job ever before at about that and do less work. I would demand more!!
Ashianadotkom, while you are considering this job, don't forget to consider what it will cost you to go back to work. If you have a 3 1/2 yo, I'm assuming that you will be incurring daycare costs, which can be a real eye-opener! I worked as a bookkeeper at Michael's a while back, and LOVED the opportunity to get out of the house, get away from Elmo, and work. However, once I figured out what it was costing me in daycare for 2 kids and gas money, I was only making $1.20/hour. As much as I loved being around grown-ups and earning a wage, it just wasn't worth it for my family. Not trying to say you shouldn't give it a go if it's the right time for you, but it is definitely an expense to be considered before making your decision. Good Luck!
just a quick thought...wouldn't people be more apt to having a smile on their face, and showing up for shifts if they thought they were being paid well, and fairly?
If i was getting 12-15$/hr i definately would NOT be calling in. Just a thought.
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