- What should you look out for in a recruiter or company?
- What are some ways recruiters or companies can take advantage of you?
- Red Flags to look out for in travel companies
These are two questions that I get often.
Here is some insight into 5 Red Flags to look out for when working with recruiting companies.
Low taxable wage
Make sure the company pays a taxable rate that is within the reasonable amount for your job – the general rule of thumb that tax advisors have instructed is between $19-23/ hour.
Stipends and Per diem wage
The maximum amount of tax – free money that you are allowed to collect in a day is determined by the IRS. Your housing and M& I should not exceed the max allowable for that area according to GSA.gov
Companies may manipulate these two items in the pay packages to offer more money by not adhering to guidelines above; they may lower the taxable rate and/ or offer per diem and housing greater than allowable rate. This puts you at risk for an audit and owing taxes on the extra money to the IRS. Disclaimer: I am not a tax advisor- so please do consult with one. I would recommend having an accountant to do your taxes. TravelTax.com is a firm that specifically serves travel healthcare professionals and can make sure you are adhering to guidelines.
Slow response time
Typically, response time within 24 hours is reasonable. If they are out of town, another person should be checking their emails/ following- up for them.
Not telling you average pay package before submitting
A recruiter and company have the “bill rate” that the facility is willing to pay, so from that, they should be able to give you the estimated pay package before submitting.
Sign-on or completion bonuses
Sign-on or completion bonuses are coming out of the “pie” anyway and are just ways to entice you to sign or to stay through the full contract. Avoid at all costs and have them rolled into your contract. If a facility has to incentivize you into staying until the end, what are they hiding?
They don’t let you work with other companies
I once heard that a recruiting company had a PT sign a contract barring them from being hired by another recruiter. You should NEVER sign a contract like that.
Be wary and cautious if you find that any of these are true.
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