- How to research an area before accepting an assignment
So you have a list of travel therapy job options to choose from, but you aren’t sure what to look for in an assignment?
This is what I like to consider job shopping, because initially it seems more like shopping for a product on amazon, then a job search, in my opinion. Here is some criteria to consider when looking at the options presented by the recruiter:
THE LOCATION
Research the area before you agree to interview there because if you dont want to move there for 13 weeks, then don’t interview there. One of my BEST tips: Do a Google image search of the town. This will give you an idea of what the area is like and if you can see yourself living in that place. If you are concerned about crime in the area, you can do a search for a heat map of crime in the area. It’s important to know what you are getting into and understand what the area is like. In addition, it can help you to determine where you want to live (or not live).
AVAILABLE HOUSING
Second, it’s important to get an idea of the housing market in the area, before you agree to move there. Check Craigslist and Airbnb to see what the housing market is like. A brief search will give you the information you need to understand how easily or difficult it will be to find housing in the area. It only took me once to realize how important this is –
This was one of my Rookie Travel PT Mistakes. I accepted a job in Naples, FL for the winter. The job sounded amazing, the area looked beautiful, and I had heard lots of good things about it from friends and family. I accepted the contract and began my search for housing. As I scoured for housing, I realized that all the short-term housing had been previously reserved by snow-birds over a year in advance. You see, the population fluctuates by over 200% in the winter months. And everybody and their grandmother (literally), goes there.
In addition to rentals being scarce, they were very expensive! I got lucky in finding a
foreclosed home that was willing to rent short- term, but this is something I should have considered before moving to an area.
THE ASSIGNMENT
When a company gets a job opening, there may or may not be details associated with the job. They will share the details they DO have, but they don’t always have many. Get details like guaranteed hours, location, EMR, productivity, hours, and length of contract, etc.
Get as many details as you can about the position as you can before deciding to submit or not.
One detail, like productivity, may make or break whether you even want to submit your application to the position.
In addition, you should be able to receive a “ballpark” figure of what the pay package will look like for the job.
A generalized pay package will do, if they don’t have exact figures, and that does not mean it cannot be negotiated after that point, but understanding the pay before submission is key.
In addition, get this pay package info in email, not text. This way, you can refer back to it easily and it is documented in a form that isn’t as easily lost or deleted.
Prior to interviewing, look-up the facility for reviews (if available). Some companies won’t disclose the details of the facility before submission to protect their connections. So, if available, check out reviews, and if not, the interview will help you complete this process.
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