Keys Characteristics of A Great Travel Company:

 

A great travel therapy company is the key to a successful career as a travel therapist. Within a great travel company, should also be a great travel recruiter to help find you amazing assignments and provide answers to your questions.

There are many different travel companies and there are a variety of reviews for all. I unfortunately cannot name just one company that you should work for because their are many great recruiters that work for sub optimal companies and there are many great companies that may have less than ideal recruiters.

The trick is to initially interview many different companies to find your ideal company and recruiter. Here are some key traits you want in your travel therapy recruiter and company:

 

The Keys To The Best Travel Therapy Company For YOU:

They should provide:

• Kind Communication

• Reachable 

• Great Benefits

• Great Unique Benefits

• Variety of Settings and Locations

• Great salary packages

• And great reviews

 

Kind Communication:

I recommend that you call the travel company and speak directly with a recruiter. Your recruiter is the key to finding positions that meet your needs and desires. As a result, you want to make sure your communication with this recruiter is informative, pleasant, and meets your needs. You will be talking with the company often, so you want to make sure that you trust your recruiter and can communicate with them easily.

The quality of the recruiter can dramatically affect your success as a traveling physical therapist. You want to know that your recruiter is dedicated and working hard so that you can make more money!

Reachable:

When you email or call, are you getting fast and professional responses? As a new traveler, you will have questions that need to be answered, so you want fast and frequent communication. Be open to allowing your recruiter to text, call or email to ensure fast responses.

Benefits:

Think about what you and your family need? Do you need really good medical care? Do you need tuition reimbursement or life insurance? Look through the benefits to make sure they match with your needs and goals. Narrow down your needs to those you cant skimp on, and make sure your company has these needs met. I recommend that you get a company that will provide medical insurance and professional liability insurance at least!

Unique Benefits:

Most travel companies are very similar. You can look for these examples to help find companies that stand out:

• Tuition reimbursement programs

• Perk programs: paid cruises, paid vacation time

• CEU programs

• Amazing customer service

I recommend that you choose a good job first and focus on added perks later. Many “company perks” such as matching 401K’s or perk programs have specific requirements that you may not even meet even if you were with a specific company. So don’t let these draw you away from a better job that can grow you career.

DONT FORGET TO JOIN THE FREE TRAVEL THERAPY 101 COMMUNITY! 

Compensation:

I have spoken to over 10 different recruitment companies all over the nation in my career. Ultimately, they all provided similar salary -and this was for New York and California positions- 2 very different locations! So it is highly unlikely that one company will have significantly different pay for the same job position as another company. The reason for this is that the facility hiring the travel company dictates the pay. So if you are applying for the same facility, then all the travel companies will have roughly the same pay scale, usually only a $1 difference/hour if anything.

However, different facilities pay differently. So if one company is only getting offers from outpatient or skilled nursing facilities, while other companies have more variety – then you may want to go with the company that has more variety. That way you can get a range for the outpatient, inpatient, and rehabilitation pay rates so you could choose the highest paying position. This would be another reason to go with a bigger company, as they would have more recruiters and likely more contracts around the country in a wider variety of settings.

 

Location And Settings: 

Sometimes your travel company just doesn’t have the job your really want. Your work is your livelihood. I stress that people try to stay with one company as much as possible as long as they are serving one’s needs. But if your company does not have the opportunities you want, then look for other companies.

For example, as my tax clock for one year was approaching, I needed to find a new assignment outside the 50-mile radius. I had not been home in almost a year and thus wanted to do an assignment near my parents in California. My current company unfortunately did not have any openings, and I was forced to look at another company so that I could work and see my family. If you are flexible with where you could move or what setting you are willing to work in then it will be easier to stay with one company but do not feel guilty leaving your company for work- you have to do what’s right for you and your family.

If you are feeling pressure from your recruiter, don’t let this sway you! Many companies say that they want you to only work with them. But this is your life, your career, and your money. Try to stay with one company to be loyal, but if this affects your needs and career path – then its time to say goodbye. I promise, nothing bad will happen. Other companies do not care that you switched companies several times-just don’t make it too much of a habit. And make sure to leave the company on a good note, so that if you need to return that you can.

 

Word Of Mouth Or Reviews:

I prefer to trust word of mouth reviews more than online due to various reasons, but reviews in general are important to get a feel of the employee experience with each traveling company.

 

Summary:

Finding the best travel company and recruiter is person specific. A great company may not have any positions open in your desired setting or location- obviously then this is not the perfect company for you! Despite bad reviews, I still advise travelers to apply and speak with any company that has the right type of job they are looking for, because reviews are very fickle. One person’s experience can be drastically different than another person. Look for a company that meets all of the above keys and you should be able to have a successful travel therapy career.

 

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Looking for different careers as a physical therapist?

TRAVEL HEALTHCARE BASICS:

How to Get Started As A Travel Therapist

How to Find Your Perfect Travel Recruiter

How to Find Your Perfect Travel Job