Am I being low balled?

[missmercy05]

Can anyone who has traveled in California or has knowledge of the market out there help me with this question? I'm a travel nurse in Georgia looking to relocate to California specifically Southern California (Los Angeles, Torrance, Bakersfield area). I'm working with a recruiter at a travel agency and she quoted me $1600 before taxes ($about $1400) for an assignment on a MedSurg unit, Night Shift, 36 hours a week. Currently Georgia travel nurses are making anywhere between $1200 to $1700 for MedSurg assignments depending on the hospital, location, and agency. Just want any

advice from nurses in this area of California on your take with the quoted pay package. Recruiter didn't give a breakdown of per diem , housing etc just the total. I know the cost of living is a bit higher than Georgia so I'm surprised the pay is so similar for both areas. This recruiter is trying to convince me that the market is saturated in California and the jobs are filling up quickly so nurses should jump on any opportunities they get. I'm familiar with this kind of talk having been a commissioned sales person in my past life. Just would like some insight. (Sorry for typos I'm using my phone)

[NedRN]

Insight on pay only comes from competing offers from different agencies, just like buying a car. You have to collect information, in this case relevant to your specialty, years of experience, and assignment location. There is no other way to learn what you are worth.

You can condense and compare offers on a level playing field by using PanTravelers calculator. After that, if you are looking in different locations, you have to include local housing costs to determine which one leaves you with the most money after taxes and expenses.

It seems pretty unbelievable that Georgia pays travelers as well as California. Possible I suppose in limited circumstances. But completely irrelevant to you it would seem. You want to relocate? Staff jobs in California pay $40 plus per hour plus benefits, far more than travel jobs. With 25 years of experience in the OR, I was offered $100 an hour for per diem (no benefits) by Kaiser. Besides better pay as staff, you may be able to get a signing bonus and relocation expenses. Since you are relocating, you are not eligible for tax free stipends from travel companies (your tax home is now your new location). That is a major financial benefit of being a traveler that you will not get.