Goodbye Teaching, Hello Traveling!!

[nursebrandie28, BSN, RN]

thank you guys for all your posts!! i bet i have spent the last two reading them non-stop!!

i have been a nurse for 6 years. i am almost ready to graduate with my masters in nursing education. i am getting married in april, no kids. well, last fall, i got 'my dream job' and got hired full time as a nursing instructor. what i have found out, is i am working 10x more for 10x less pay.

meanwhile, my fiance just graduate his bs in business management and cannot find a job in his field. right now, he is working in patient accounts at a local hospital and hates it!! jason wants me to travel because he can find a local school or an online school and go back. he wants to get his accounting degree and become a cpa.

so, my contract in may ends with the college and i thought, newly married we would both take the plunge and travel. i have always wanted to do it and i just feel now is my chance!!

so i just have a few questions that i could not find in previous threads!!

1.) we bought a house last june, we have lined up that his parents will take care of the house while we are on assignments. for those that travel with a mortgage payment, do you still come out ahead and what do you do for routine maintance in between assignments?

2.) we will need insurance, most companies offer insurance, however, how many weeks out of the year do you have to work for them to stay on their insurance plan?

3.) does anybody pay for their own insurance? what rates and companies do you recommend?

4.) for those who travel with their spouse (non-nursing spouse) how does it work out? does he/she try to find temp work or just manage the apt and school?

thanks in advance!! i am counting down my days and planning where my first assignment should be!!

[bagladyrn, RN]

Congratulations on taking the plunge! (Marriage and careerwise!)

To answer a couple of your questions:

A house with a mortgage may help you in establishing/maintaining a "tax home" which is required for your housing and travel expenses to be "tax free". There are other criteria as well, but that would take a whole post on it's own. DO NOT believe anyone who tells you you can get tax free money without a qualifying tax home!

For insurance - make sure the company you go with offers "day one" insurance. It doesn't make any sense to have insurance that doesn't kick in until you are almost finished your contract. Some companies, such as the one I'm with will continue your insurance between assignments if you have another contract signed with them before you finish the current one, even if you are taking a few weeks off in between. If you are not continuing with them, you still have the option to COBRA your insurance until you pick up the next one. Some people do carry individual insurance instead - which is workable as long as you are young, healthy and have no pre-existing conditions. If it is a "preferred provider" type of plan be sure they have providers in every area of the country you may travel to or through.

As for #4 I'll let someone who has one of those (spouses) answer that one.

[kdblueey]

Interesting............I was going to go back to school last year. Matter of fact, I took two classes, but for personal reasons, I had to quit. And my goal was to become a nurse educator. I read in one of the nursing magazines, and also heard from other sources, that nurse educators/instructors get paid LESS than a charge nurse in a hospital. That sort of woke me up. I still might go on and get my BSN, but it won't be to become an educator.

Good for you for deciding to travel. And you have one up because you have someone to SHARE ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL ADVENTURES together. I wish I had, either another close friend (who is a nurse), or a friend. to travel with. No thanks on the husband part. I know another traveler where I am at, and her and her husband do it all together. I think it makes traveling THAT MUCH BETTER AND INTERESTING.

Good luck. Your husband can do whatever he wants to do while your at work, or wait on your days off and enjoy the sites.

Kathy