Employment & Professional Networking Great OT traveling companies?

[Grace1000]

Hello, I am currently an OT student and I am trying to decide if I want to become a traveling OT. Does anybody know of any good traveling companies I should look into? What are your experiences?

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[scarpito]

Travel OT means sacrificing your social life (at least as a new grad) for a salary that will be much higher than your peers with perm jobs. Perks include avoiding burnout by being able to change contracts every three months or so, while disadvantages are the dismal location selection that comes with lack of experience. Jobs in more desirable cities often want travelers with 1-2 years of experience, and hospital/inpatient/outpatient assignments are a lot harder to come by than SNF or home health. I know this question was posted a while back, but anyone wondering about the ins and outs of travel or wanting company recommendations can feel free to message me.

 

[beestrng]

Travel OT means sacrificing your social life (at least as a new grad) for a salary that will be much higher than your peers with perm jobs. Perks include avoiding burnout by being able to change contracts every three months or so, while disadvantages are the dismal location selection that comes with lack of experience. Jobs in more desirable cities often want travelers with 1-2 years of experience, and hospital/inpatient/outpatient assignments are a lot harder to come by than SNF or home health. I know this question was posted a while back, but anyone wondering about the ins and outs of travel or wanting company recommendations can feel free to message me.

What crappy places have you been to?

 

[scarpito]

Various NorCal and Central Cal boonies so far. I did get a Bay Area SNF offer once, but the pay was $500 less weekly than a Central Valley placement with a much more reasonable cost of living. I haven't even been able to get into WA and OR yet, because those states usually reject travelers with fewer than 1-2 years of experience too. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome to have options, and I chose good pay over accessibility to civilization. New grads just shouldn't be fooled by travel companies with banner ads depicting glamorous cities, because those jobs often aren't realistic for us.

Here's another perspective: the most undesirable travel location placements can offer ridiculous salaries. I know new or newer grads who make 2K/week at their jobs in places that nobody has ever heard of. I chose travel to chip away at my massive student loan debt, and don't regret it in that regard. It just gets old quickly.

 

[beestrng]

Various NorCal and Central Cal boonies so far. I did get a Bay Area SNF offer once, but the pay was $500 less weekly than a Central Valley placement with a much more reasonable cost of living. I haven't even been able to get into WA and OR yet, because those states usually reject travelers with fewer than 1-2 years of experience too. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome to have options, and I chose good pay over accessibility to civilization. New grads just shouldn't be fooled by travel companies with banner ads depicting glamorous cities, because those jobs often aren't realistic for us.

Here's another perspective: the most undesirable travel location placements can offer ridiculous salaries. I know new or newer grads who make 2K/week at their jobs in places that nobody has ever heard of. I chose travel to chip away at my massive student loan debt, and don't regret it in that regard. It just gets old quickly.

How does the tax benefits work with the housing stipend or whatever. Like some portion of it is not taxed?

 

[scarpito]

You'll get a very low hourly pay rate which is taxable, while the bulk of your earnings come from other non-taxable stipends like meals and incidentals and housing. If you want the company to find housing for you, they keep that stipend.

 

[bebob]

Some companies say they offer mentoring. They sound sincere but I wonder if you can comment on this: how realistic or useful it can be? (It seems they pair you with a more seasoned traveling OT and you two talk or meet.) Thank you in advance!

 

[scarpito]

My company offers exactly that-- some form of online mentorship for new grads which pairs you with a more experienced current/former travel OT. I never took advantage of it, because I'd rather just ask my coworkers site-specific questions. Maybe people use it for treatment ideas, but I have no idea and agree that it's kind of unrealistic.

People tried to dissuade me from travel with the "no mentorship" threats when I was a student, but after my friends graduated and got perm jobs, we found that decent mentorship is hard to come by in general. So don't let that stop you from traveling if you're interested.