Questions You Should Be Asking Your Recruiter
When starting out as a traveler, we recommend reaching out to multiple recruiters from various companies. This is not only to find a recruiter you mesh well with, but also to see which company offers what you’re looking for. Most travel companies offer many of the same things, however, there are small discrepancies between each. This is why we recommend having a list of questions and taking down notes of what each company has to offer then comparing them to see what works best for you. Below are some our of questions that we recommend asking and are based on our experiences as travelers. All of these come from real experiences we had and wish we knew more when we starting out.
1: Will I stay with the same recruiter even after I am placed?
Believe it or not you may start out with one recruiter, then be handed off to another once you are placed. This is because some companies have recruiters who specialize in certain areas. And yes, this has happened to us. This was not something we were a fan of because we would establish a relationship with one recruiter then be handed off to someone else for our assignment. We felt like we were having to start over building that recruiter-traveler relationship, which is very important going into an assignment where you are relying on your recruiter for any problems that could arise.
Phoenix, AZ Hot Air Balloon Ride
Tucson, AZ Saguaro National Park
2: Do you offer day one insurance?
This may or may not pertain to you. Our home state is California and although we have tried, we cannot get private insurance as it does not cover us out of California. Annnnnd we are too old to be on our parents insurance. Therefore, we rely on insurance provided from our travel company. In our 6+ years as travelers we have experience several different start times for insurance when signing with a new company.
1: Day one insurance (your insurance coverage kicks in on the first day of your assignment)
2: Insurance coverage starts the first day of the first month AFTER starting your assignment. We started an assignment mid August and out insurance coverage did not start until September 1st.
3: Insurance coverage begins 30 days AFTER the start of your assignment. ( You start your assignment September first, your insurance coverage starts October 1st.).
Recently, out of the 3 companies we consistently use, they have all transitioned to starting day 1 of an assignment. This may be the overall trend of the industry however, after talking to other travels, we know some of these practices are still in existence. It would be very important to ask this question before committing to an assignment.
We also like to ask, if we stay with your company from one assignment to the next, how long am I able to take off between assignments and still maintain my coverage. This is nice for those of us who like to take a little time off between assignments for long road trips or vacations while still being covered by your companies insurance. We’ve had coverage for up to 2 weeks between assignments.
We’re going to need health insurance at all assignments with the adventures this girl schedules!
3: What Con-Ed does your company offer?
This is very important as you know we have to keep up with con-ed to maintain most of our PT licenses (It is true, con-ed is NOT required in all states)
Some companies allow a certain dollar amount to cover con-ed courses and will reimburse up to that limit. It can be used for anything con-ed related and we’ve had yearly subscriptions covered as well as in person courses.
Some companies have their own learning center/continuing education system they go through and will send you a link to sign up and you can use the courses available through them.
Even when a company offers con-ed re-imbursement, we have also negotiated during a contract extension additional money to be put towards an in-person course we are wanting to attend.
4: Do you assist with the licensing process?
We have worked with multiple companies and let us tell you, some do ALL the leg work when it comes to the license process while others send you the link to the state website and say “Good Luck”. Depending on your preference, this may or may not matter to you. One of our travel companies goes above and beyond with the licensing process. They have their own team dedicated to licensing and they reach out to all the state boards for verifications, request our transcripts and our NPTE scores. All we have to do is sign a paper here and there and they do the rest, INCLUDING, covering the costs for you. Now, if you take a job with this company in that state, they do not ask for reimbursement. However, if you take a job with another company in that state, they will ask you to reimburse the costs for the license. Other companies we work with will simply say, “send us your receipts and we will reimburse you.” Which is also fine if you’re ok with doing all the work to obtain the license.
Regardless of the assistance they provide for licensure, they should all be re-imbursing you for licensing costs.
5: Do you offer assistance with onboarding?
Same goes for onboarding. Some companies will set up your drug screen, finger prints and physical. Thy will have the place picked out for you and send you the address and mail you the forms. All you have to do is show up. Others will give you a list of options in your area and have you call to set this up yourself. The longer we have traveled, the more we see companies doing more to make the onboarding process easier. However, we have noticed bigger companies have a specific team to handle onboarding and the process tends to be much smoother. The smaller companies, who may not have that many personal on staff to assist can sometimes take a little longer to get the paper work complete.
That in no way means we don’t like working with smaller travel companies. Sometimes they are more personal, and can be better overall with communication directly with your recruiter.
6: What settings do you see more job openings in?
This is important if you’re particular about your setting. Again, we work with multiple companies and follow many job boards. We have noticed some companies have more acute care jobs, while other companies seem to have an abundance of outpatient jobs. In our own travels we have experienced this exact scenario. Kari has had most of her pediatric opportunities through one specific company and we’ve had most of our acute care opportunities through another. While some recruiters will likely indicate they have “all settings”, it will be apparent rather quickly based on the jobs they send you.
It’s important to continue to keep this in mind as you search/work various jobs with recruiters/companies. If there is a certain area you are wanting to travel to, and you consistently don’t receive jobs in that area from your recruiter, this can mean one of two things. First, maybe it’s just not an area that many travel jobs are available, and this can definitely be true. However, that company may just not have those jobs. There is some overlap in the industry, but there are jobs that are unique to travel companies and you need to be working with those companies to find them. Otherwise, you may never get the location you’re after. And to be honest here, when you’re first interviewing/talking with a potential recruiter, they will likely tell you A: they have jobs all over, or B: if it’s an area they don't have a lot of jobs they will likely tell you “No companies have jobs in that area”.
While this may or may not be true, I wouldn’t take one recruiters word for it. Ask around. Use multiple recruiters. Reach out to other travelers on social media and follow job postings on Facebook. All of this will give you more insight into the travel market and what you should be expecting as a travel therapist.
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This is by no means an all inclusive list, but hopefully is a good start for you to ensure the company you will be working with for your next job has the things you need to feel/be successful.
As always, we are happy to be a resource if you have any questions about travel therapy. Feel free to contact us via email or instagram.
Honolua Bay, HI. Kari likes to live life to the fullest!
The key to having a successful career as a traveler is working with a recruiter you can trust, but also with a company that has everything you need to succeed. When we started out, we didn’t know what to ask or even what was important in a recruiter/company. Here are a few questions you should be asking every recruiter!