sketchy contract?

Specialties Travel

Published

Hi everyone,

I am an OB nurse w 3 years experience and will be starting my first travel contract next week. I received the initial pay rate via email and it was very unofficial (just a sentence with no other information, pretty casual/unprofessional). I gave verbal acceptance based on that number. I was told the official contract was late in coming in because they were rewriting it so they could increase the per diem rate. When I received the actual contract, it didn't seem to add up to the rate she quoted me. I called her to ask for clarification and she essentially told me the contract wouldn't add up because I didn't understand "effective rate" and "what I feel like I'm making" .. and the rate that she originally quoted me was "like Jesus" and I wouldn't see it until I get my check .. and that she's been doing this forever and if she wasn't being truthful she would't continue to have nurses work with her.. I haven't actually signed the contract and I told her it was because I didn't feel comfortable signing an official document if it didn't match the rate she quoted me.. then she said the one I received was the original one, not the updated one. She told me she would send the correct one a couple of days ago but I haven't seen it. What would you do in this situation? On one hand I don't think she is trying to scam me but on the other hand I feel like I am entitled to a clear contract that is explained to me that reflects the original quoted rate? What would you do? What do you all usually ask for in terms of clarification or breakdown of wages? It is getting down to the wire as my contract is starting in a week and I quit my staff job. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.Thanks !

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Specializes in Peri-Op.

The "effective rate" is what you would have to make hourly, fully taxed as staff to equal the takehome pay as a traveler.. I have never been quoted this by a recruiter, what company?

She is right, it will look impressive and probably 30% higher than you will see on your contract.

"Blended rate" is what you will make gross, including all compensations, divided by actual hours worked.....

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it is cross country .. i guess the thing that is confusing is that she originally quoted "bi weekly take-home pay" that included $1400 biweekly per diems. the contract she is showing me doesn't show the same number for per diem I don't think -- but i'm not sure because she won't explain it! there are a lot of categories and it doesn't specify if it is weekly or biweekly etc. she did also say that the contract is reflecting the old rate but i should still sign it, that is where I am getting hung up. thanks for your reply :)

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Specializes in ICU, and IR.

I had this problem before but only with cross country, is your recruiter named ****? I always ask them to break it down for me even in the verbal and I always give my verbal agrement with the words "Pending review of the contract". Never leave that out. Sorry about this. Did you get multiple recruiters giving you pay rates for different jobs. This is the only way to know if you are being given fair rates. Cross country uses the "effective rate which is the hourly rate and the per diem broken down into hours so if you are getting

$18/hr x 36 hours

and $400/week for per diem break that down to $400 divided by 36 hours=$11.11/hour

so 18+11.11= effective rate of $29.11

It really should be broken down weekly not bi-weekly though.

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You may find it helpful to use PanTravelers calculator to make sense of agency offers. Honestly, what matters is how much you can put in the bank after expenses (net pay less housing and travel costs and food). So putting more money into tax-free stipends is better than getting the same gross pay with a higher hourly (disregarding the overtime issue) so your recruiter is right about that generally. Get her to quote both ways and plug them into the calculator to learn which way is better for you.

Cross Country has paid biweekly since they started. That does make it confusing versus weekly quotes that almost every other agency does if a CC recruiter foolishly quotes biweekly.

Don't stress out about the pay too much though if you have what appears to be a good first assignment within your current skill set. A successful first assignment is far more important that the pay, even if you believe it to be unfair. If you continue to not trust your recruiter (I would have bailed before I got to this point as a good relationship with your recruiter is more important than the agency brand by far), either ask to change recruiters, and/or sign up with more agencies: you always need a plan B and having several agencies on board means you can always check the fair market rate for your specialty, experience, and assignment location.

Here is a story for you: I started traveling in 1995 with Cross Country. However, I hated my recruiter so much that I started exploring other agencies (it was less common back then to work with multiple agencies). But I had already interviewed in person with a hospital I really wanted to work for and they had told me that they used Cross Country. So I asked for a manager and switched recruiters. I kept it professional and simply said we did not communicate well (which was certainly true) and it wasn't personal (not quite as true). With a good recruiter, I then stayed exclusive to Cross Country for almost four years.

Whether you stick to one agency or not, you will find your pay will automatically start to go up (depending on the locations you pick). The reason is that after your first assignment, you are a proven, if not seasoned, traveler and represent less risk. The same agency will start steering you to higher paying assignments and the new travelers to the less important lower paying ones, and your work history will impact other agencies in much the same way. If there are any red flags from your manager interview, I might recommend bailing and starting over. You really need a good first assignment.

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Specializes in new hire on L&D.

Yeah that sounds really confusingí ½í¸• I would ask for another recruiter ASAP. I'm L&D going to start my second travel assignment in November. What state are you going too?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Great advice, Ned. I'm finishing my first assignment with Medical Solutions and I love my recruiter. However, it just seems like the pay is lacking a little. My first assignment has been successful and I've learned a lot. Pay at this Minneapolis facility has certainly been far better than when I was on staff at a TX hospital. As I prepare for my next assignment, I'm looking for another great learning experience, but also an increase in PAY. My recruiter may or may not have said something along the lines of experience doesn't commensurate with pay in traveling, which I call BS. I had said that my next assignment should pay better and she eluded to this aforementioned point about pay/experience. She's wonderful. She's intelligent. I like her as a person, so I'm afraid to admit that this comment was spoken to me, but I'm also peeved. I have my other agencies to tap and I've been given a sick pay package for a hospital in DE. It's a level 1 trauma center. I'll be in the PICU. I grew up in the area, so I know that the hospital's reputation is awesome. I am just a bit nervous about moving forward with it because it's with CrossCountry. Their pay package was insane, bi-weekly, but insane. I find it hard to believe in DE of all states. I wonder if I'm in the same situation that's been mentioned earlier in this thread - a great pay package that doesn't seem to add up when the offer letter comes through.

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