Job Offer Reality Check: Student Pay and Commute Calculator

Compare hourly student job offers with the commute and unpaid breaks included.

The biggest advertised hourly rate may not give you the most money for your time. Job Offer Reality Check compares up to three offers using hourly pay, typical shifts, shift length, unpaid breaks, round-trip commuting time and extra work costs.

You receive:

- An editable .xlsx calculator for three offers.

- Weekly gross pay and pay after your listed costs, before tax.

- Total shift and commute time.

- Effective pay per hour of committed time.

- Automatic highest-rate markers and input warnings.

- A worked example and a quick-start guide.

In the fictional example, a nearby $18/hour job produces $15.32 per committed hour, while a more distant $20/hour job produces $13.60. You can change the inputs to reflect your own offers.

Download, open the workbook and fill the yellow cells. No macros or AI subscription required. This is a standard .xlsx file; check that your spreadsheet app can import and edit it. Apple Numbers and live Excel compatibility have not been independently verified. The included example gives you reference results to check.

This calculator excludes taxes, tips, overtime, benefits and career value. It is a money-and-time comparison, not a payroll or tax calculator.

Digital download for personal use. No physical item will be shipped.