Negotiating Wages

Spiderella · Dec 18, 2008

I always ask for more. It can't help to ask. The recruiter pretty much needs you, you are making them money, they want you to sign on the dotted line...and so there is some room for negotiation. The facility pays a Fixed Rate to all the agencies that recruit for that position. They try to lowball you on everything because the less you agree to work for, the more their profit margin is. A nurse that doesn't negotiate will find herself at the facility on the same unit with travel nurses that are getting sometimes double what she is making for the same amount of work. Now if that happened to you...you'd be ****** right?

On my first ever contract, I didn't negotiate one iota...I just accepted what they said, smiled and signed on the dotted line. I found myself struggling every week to make my bills, and wondering why I was always broke. Even the regular staff nurses I found were making more than I was! That was with MSN Intellistaff...have never worked with them since.

Here is a random example. The hospital will pay out to the recruiting agency roughly $100-250 bucks for EVERY hour that you work. You will get offered probably less than a third of that, and that is after adding in your stipend, tax free moolah and stuff. I told my present recruiter...that I know his company has a overhead and stuff, but I wanted at least 60% of what he was getting from the hospital. He balked at that...and we whittled it down further...but I threatened to walk unless he gave me 45% (I really wanted 50, but I settled at 45). Turns out that the other nurse at the same agency, when we broke down her numbers was getting only 25% of the pie. She never asked!

A little research goes a long way. Look up the Cost of Living Index in the area you are going to on the IRS or state's website. That is the max tax free rate that the IRS allows daily for that area. They will tell you that you are only eligible for that on the 3 or 4 days a week that you are working..but the real deal is that they are supposed to pay that for the 7 days out of the week that you are out there. This is what is factored in for your living expenses stipend (food & accomodation). They try to low ball you on that too to keep a larger piece of the pie.

As for lodging...I never, ever take their housing. I did that once, and got stuck in an okay apartment that was 30 minutes from my job...the commute was atrocious, and the heat wasn't even working for the first 3 days. Now I just take the stipend, look on craigslist, and find me a room-mate that takes month/month and lives close to the hospital. Presently, my lodging is 1 block from the hospital, I wake up at 630, and walk to work. Other travellers have to commute further...and I have all the appliances, laundry, internet, tv, someone to talk to and show me the town for a small price tag.

Ask for a travel bonus, end of contract bonus, renewal bonus, overtime, extra for working holiday hours, insurance and pretty much anything else you can think of. The worst they can say is no but even then there is room for negotiating. Have him talk to his manager/supervisor etc. whatever it takes to get your way. You have all the negotiating power until you sign the contract, so take your time and make sure your needs are met.

On this present contract, they offered me $250 every 4 weeks as a travel bonus (62.5/week). I negotiated that all the way up to $115 EVERY single week...that's almost double what was offered. There was a bunch of other negotiations going on as well...but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say, out of all the travelers at my orientation this week...I'm coming out on top financially. And the reason is the others didn't negotiate.

Don't sign until you have read over the contract at least 3 times. They try to add things in there that screw you...like if you call out sick you have to pay them, or if ur contract is cancelled by the facility, you have to pay back some of your travel bonus. Get those clauses taken out...you can't control what happens at the facililty, but you can control what happens to you after.

You are the only one that can protect yourself. As much as your recruiter is buddy-buddy with you, he still is working for his company, and he's trying to make profits for his company. You are your own company, so maximize YOUR profit margin as well. It's not personal, it's just business.

And my favorite line in negotiating is "My other recruiter offered me more than that for the same job." Works like a charm everytime. :smokin:

Good luck, and happy negotiating!

OBRN1994 · Dec 22, 2008

I'm curious about the negotiations of these contracts. I just accepted (haven't signed the contract) a position in Maine. This assignment is 1500 miles from my home (live in Florida), but travel comp is $250 each way. IRS allows at least 55 cents per mile....much more than the comp they are offering. When I asked the recruiter about this...she said she could adjust the pay rate to give me more for travel...but of course, this is just taking from hourly rates. I took the housing stipend after interviewing with the manager. She let me know that there was a realtor that handled all of their housing...and at a cheaper rate than the stipend.

I just don't think that I got anything additional other than what they were offering. Company claims they pay double overtime....but not at the facility I'm working at...how convenient~ This is my first contract....and although I'm making a great salary....I'm gonna be as close to the North Pole as humanly possible during the winter (with the exception of Alaska!) Gotta buy some really "Warm" clothing for this assignment....otherwise really looking forward to my first assignment.

Also, not to change the subject...but has anyone ever "caught" their recruiter in a somewhat "white lie"? I really bonded with the Nurse Manager and she gave me some contact numbers for her to call if I had any additional questions.....got a call from the recruiter as I was trying to get in touch with the "realtor" & nurse manager for housing arrangements before committing to the job. Recruiter told me that she wasn't trying to pressure me, but that the manager was lined up to interview another applicant from a different travel agency and that they REALLY needed me to let them know if I was going to accept the position. Told her I would let her know as soon as I figured everything out.

Spoke with the Manager....in conversation I mentioned that I really wanted the job, but wanted all the loose ends tied before committing....SHE said I was the only qualified applicant for the position and that she would give me time to make a decision!!!!!!!! How do I handle this kind of BS in the future? Didn't call her out on it. Don't know that I will take another assignment with them. If I didn't feel really comfortable with the manager....I wouldn't have taken this job....the recruiter doesn't leave me with any warm & fuzzy feeling.

may2kd · Dec 22, 2008

Spiderella,

What do you mean about the cost of living index? For example, I'm moving to Raleigh, NC where the composite index is 104.8...

Thanks!

Spiderella · Dec 22, 2008

Yep..this recruiter sounds like the others. She promises the moon and then doesn't deliver. Some companies give a flat rate for travel...are you with American Mobile---they tend to do that alot. One of my coworkers didn't take a travel stipend, but she asked them to purchase her a roundtrip ticket...which they did. That ended up more than 250 roundtrip they offered. Just a thought.

As with the white lies...that's like the status quo. She wants to get you signed and confirmed so she can get her bonus in the next check. You should stick to your guns and do your research. My recruiter wanted me to sign in 12 hours...I told him that I don't sign anything without thinking about it for 24 hours minimum. I ended up not signing until I had gone over everything with a fine tooth comb a bunch of times.

If you don't want to stick with the recruiter, you can ask for another one. She'll probably be ******, but you have to look over your own interests. Or ask the manager which companies the other travelers work with and transfer your contract to one of those other companies...it's not a commonly known practice, but it's doable. I presently work at Cottage in SB, and one of my coworkers switched from AMN to mine the first week of the contract. The facility has to agree to it, and they did, she just stated that her current company wasn' t living up to their side of the bargain.

OBRN1994 · Dec 23, 2008

The agency is RNNetwork. Told me during first conversation with her that they were the "only" agency that paid double for overtime. Got the contract and although I am contracted with work 36hrs a week, the overtime is not in place until >40hrs. And it's at time & one half....not double. Still haven't signed the dotted line as I believe the wording isn't correct. The housing stipend states the amount she quoted for monthly, but no where in the contract does it say this is monthly....so looks like I will only get one months worth. Also, no where in the contract does it say that they will pay me weekly, and everything in the contract refers to 2 weeks (ie: 72 hour pay periods?????) The recruiter told me this is a new contract form and that they are still "tweeking" it....thanks for the input, and the contract dept. will fix the issues I have. We'll see.

Appreciate the input. I will definitely keep my eyes & ears open for the next contract. Any advise on how to effectively negotiate without sounding pushy would greatly be appreciated.

FLAlleycat · Dec 31, 2008

. . . SHE said I was the only qualified applicant for the position and that she would give me time to make a decision . . .
Thanks for starting the thread. I've been kicking around the idea of traveling for a few years and am ready to take the leap; however, it's rather distressing to read all the posts re difficulty in obtaining an assignment. I also work L&D (as well as antepartum, postpartum, and well baby) and was rather surprised but pleased to read that there's been only one RN (you) qualified for the L&D position you're considering. May I ask how long you've been working with agencies for a position?
I'm from FL, too, and can understand your need for warmer wardrobe! Good luck to you!
Allie

OBRN1994 · Jan 1, 2009

. . . SHE said I was the only qualified applicant for the position and that she would give me time to make a decision . . .
Thanks for starting the thread. I've been kicking around the idea of traveling for a few years and am ready to take the leap; however, it's rather distressing to read all the posts re difficulty in obtaining an assignment. I also work L&D (as well as antepartum, postpartum, and well baby) and was rather surprised but pleased to read that there's been only one RN (you) qualified for the L&D position you're considering. May I ask how long you've been working with agencies for a position?
I'm from FL, too, and can understand your need for warmer wardrobe! Good luck to you!
Allie
I hope I really didn't sound that full of myself! I don't think for a minute she would have waited TOO very long for an answer! I think my recruiter was trying to put some pressure on getting me to sign as soon as possible. She told me that the person the manager was going to interview wasn't anyone from their company. They had originally lined up another nurse for this assignment, but according to both the recruiter and the manager, the RN had a change of heart and decided to extend the contract that she was currently on, but it somewhat sounded like a last minute change. The manager has some newer night staff, and she's been "covering" for them at night and add that with full time days....I believe she was burning out and needed someone with several years experience to help mentor the newer nurses.
What part of Florida are you from? I am in the central west coast, and have my LLBean & Cabelas orders enroute (suppose to be here on Monday before I leave on Tuesday)!
I have over 14 years experience...all at my current hospital in Florida. We have grown from a 3 room LDRP/ 2 bed postpartum unit, to an 18 bed LDR/ 8 bed postpartum unit with a 10 bed NICU in those 14 years. So I had the opportunity to learn many positions. BBBUUUTTT this is my very first assignment. I absolutely love the adventure of traveling and have considered this for years. Thought about trying my first assignment in Florida (just in case I didn't care for it), but soon found that I would be taking too much of a pay cut. (Still have to pay my bills). I'm still very much a novice at the traveling part. I did some internet research, spoke with some fellow nurses that "used" to travel and have settled into fulltime work, and looked at this wonderful site before I began the process of applying to any agencies.
I began the application process about the 3rd week of November in hopes of finding something toward late January. In the very beginning, I limited my job search through these agencies in Florida. There were several positions available from Orlando down to Homestead/ Coral Springs/ Miami. BUT the pay was really too low. The recruiters kept saying "but, we can provide housing that's tax free....but I still have a fulltime house that needs to be maintained....After speaking with several recruiters about how poorly Florida pays, I expanded my areas to include Maine, Texas, Arizona, & New Mexico. Within less than a week of adding Maine, I got a call about this job. I was a little reluctant to interview because she also was needing me earlier than I had planned.
It sounds to me that the jobs are there (but it sounds like they aren't as plentiful as they were in the past- I wouldn't know first hand) but that you need to be flexible. You also need to be in a financial position to put some money upfront before taking any "plunges". The agencies I have dealt with will pay for your licensing, some full, some up to $xxx, some pay for the cost associated with obtaining the license ie: fingerprinting. But these are reimbursements...you won't see that money until you get your first paycheck. With the agency I am currently contracted with, they pay $250 for travel to the assignment, then $250 to travel back home or to a new assignment. This is not reimbursed until you get TO your assignment, then the home imbursement when assignment is completed. In my case, this does not come close to my actual cost in driving up to Maine. The recruiter said she could pay me more, but that it would come out of my hourly salary. I'd love some knowledgeble insight as to how to keep my salary and increase my travel reimbursement.
I hope I'm not sounding like it's all about the money, but as I mentioned earlier, I still have bills that need to be paid....I just want to have the fun and adventure to be included!

happyjumpy · Jan 1, 2009

i've been traveling for quite some time. the easiest way i have found to negotiate my pay is to get competing offers on the same job from more than one company. i have become the center of a lovely bidding war which has increased my overall pay dramatically, and i did not have to twist any arms to get it, just have proof of the other companies offer and say 'can you beat this?'.

OBRN1994 · Jan 1, 2009

i've been traveling for quite some time. the easiest way i have found to negotiate my pay is to get competing offers on the same job from more than one company. i have become the center of a lovely bidding war which has increased my overall pay dramatically, and i did not have to twist any arms to get it, just have proof of the other companies offer and say 'can you beat this?'.

So, do you just ask the manager during your interview which agencies they've contacted about the position?

Thanks so much for the input!