Hey all,

So here is my situation-- I applied for a position in SD. I verbally accepted the position and had the contract in my hand to sign, but then things fell thru with my family and I told my recruiter I wouldn't be able to go to the assignment. He came back with " what can we do to make you go to this assignment?' He proceeded to tell me he'd give me 2000 Sign on bonus and another 1000 when I sign my next contract with them. My question is where is all this money coming from? I'm already going to be making 1300/we if I do this assignment. Does this sound sketchy or is it believeable. I researched the company and they don't have the best reviews but they do have some..

Any ideas?

It does leave one shaking one's head, huh? My take: they hadn't found anyone to take the job and they're under the gun to seal the deal. You were the answer to their struggles. They had a (nearly) signed contract & were going to make a handsome profit. Then, your situation occurred. They don't want to lose two clients: you & the hospital, so....$$$! I had two similar situations as yours. Good Luck!

With a fair profit margin (around 24 percent), the agency usually makes around $5,000 gross profit (before internal expenses) on a 13 week assignment. So there is enough room to offer more if they deem it necessary. They make nothing if they don't fill the position, and since they are in competition with other agencies, if you turn it down, they have likely lost that assignment completely.

If they were lowballing you or simply start with an over 30 percent margin, $2,000 simply brings it down to a fair margin. $1,000 for the next assignment has nothing to do with this one, and they can adjust your other compensation and you will never know.

$2,000 sounds like a fair amount of money and it is, but to put it in perspective, it is about $4 an hour (and your next assignment will then be $4 a hour less). Not chump change, but if other agency offers total about the same, you are falling for the psychology of a large bonus with no net difference. I don't know if $4 an hour is significantly above market rate for the assignment you are considering, or enough that you can bail on your family issues, but just make sure you are comparing apples to apples by talking to other agencies to find out what fair compensation is. It is a competitive industry, but quotes can be packaged very differently and deceptively.

There are some disadvantages to bonus structures as well, and I'd bet that despite calling this a sign on bonus, much of the bonus if not all will be dependent on completing the assignment. If you miss a few hours, or get terminated the last week, you may have just lost $4 per hour worked (probably making your pay below market). With negotiable bonuses like this, I would try to get it rolled into your hourly.

I was offered this same job by core med for less. 250/ week less. Plus the bonus.. so ya it sounds good but don't want to have any surprises later on when I get my paycheck that they are somehow deducting it some how.

I've pretty much got sucked into by my recruiter. He told me since I already verbally agreed to the assignment, if i back out now then the vendor Medifis would put a DNU on my profile...so i took the assignment and just waiting for the contract

I was offered this same job by core med for less. 250/ week less. Plus the bonus.. so ya it sounds good but don't want to have any surprises later on when I get my paycheck that they are somehow deducting it.

I've pretty much got sucked into by my recruiter. He told me since I already verbally agreed to the assignment, if i back out now then the vendor Medifis would put a DNU on my profile...so i took the assignment and just waiting for the contract

That is BS. Medefis does not place do not use on individual travelers, and certainly not at an agency's request. The hospital might. If an agency wants to tell the hospital you accepted the position without doing contracts, that is completely their risk. Have you even seen the written contract yet? I've never seen one I was willing to sign without some language adjustments and it is not uncommon for travelers not to go forward.

That said, you really should not ever verbally or in writing "agree" to an assignment to the hospital or agency. Just say you are very interested in the interview (if true) and will discuss it with your agency. To the agency, tell them you want to see the real contract now. Make sure that everything discussed with your recruiter and the interviewing manager is in it (like schedule, accurate compensation, unit, and so on) and no "gotchas" such as at will language, excessive missed hour penalties, open ended penalties that include lost "profit".

Once you have interviewed and the hospital wants you, your negotiating leverage goes up considerably. So stand firm on anything that is not to your liking but be reasonable - you want to have a good working relationship. Even with what they have now offered, they are certainly making a fair profit.