What are different ways recruiters can take advantage of you as a travel PT?
Run away if they say…
- You can only work with them and no other companies
- You were submitted for a job without your permission
- You can collect the stipend if you travel 50 miles from your tax home
- What setting is best for you as a new grad or being pushy toward an assignment that isn’t a good fit for you.
Run Away if they Say…
You can only work with them and no other companies.
You have to do what is best for you and working with more than one company (ideally, two initially) will help improve options and opportunity for negotiation. It’s typically to work with more than one company and all apart of the business.
Subbing to jobs without permission
They should get your approval before submitting your information and resume to any job. Unless you give one company exclusive rights to submit you to anything that fits your criteria, they should always ask first and get approval. Tell them up front that you want to apporove any submission to a job beforehand.
Telling you you can collect per diem money if you travel “50 miles away” or still are staying/ sleeping at your home.
It they tell you this, I am going to just give them the benefit of the doubt and say they are new at their job and just don’t know the rules yet. Otherwise, they should know better. There are very clear guidelines about having a tax home and rules to follow in order to collect tax- free stipend money, and “50 miles away” is NOT one of them. In order to qualify for tax- free money, you have to adhere to specific regulations, and this statement is NOT accurate.
Other ways they can take advantage:
Telling them you are subbed to a job, but not actually subbing you. They may do this because they have another candidate that they would rather fill the position for one reason or another- maybe they will accept a lower bill rate, etc.
What setting is best for you or being pushy
When a recruiter tells you what setting is best for you as a new grad- that is up to you to decide based on the interview, your past experience, your comfort, etc. There is no way a recruiter can tell you what is best for you. Some companies try to push SNFs: They may say things like, “You will have to do a SNF for your first assignment/ as a new grad.” Keep in mind too, that some large companies are sister companies of rehab agencies, so their goal is to staff their SNF facilities. So, there may be a push to accept a SNF position, or may primarily have SNF jobs. Don’t feel rushed to sign a contract or accept a job that you don’t want, or feel pushed to sign a contract in the same day you are offered it. Typical response time is 24-48 hours after the offer is made.
Other ways they can take advantage:
Consider your relationship with your recruiter a business relationship. Some try to hook you as a “friend,” and you feel bad leaving them for another company, as a result. Ultimately, you have to do what is best for your career (and wallet). They all sound really nice, it’s what they do. Remember to take a look at the bigger picture.
A lot of companies post jobs in every single state in almost every location that automatically renew on job boards and indeed.
That being said, companies websites and job listings are not very reliable.
Example, someone got licensed in Utah, they saw that some companies had listings there for travel gigs, then they called them all and they are all “filled.”
I also personally get jobs sent to my email that we have already filled several weeks prior to the email. So some companies don’t update their list’s either.
Some places post jobs in super popular locations just to get therapist to reach out.
This is why I recommend using company/ recruiter that you know you can trust.
Want to get connected with the recruiters/ recruiting companies that I know, use, and trust?
