Nomad5150

79Tango is a bitter nurse. Life must suck for you...sorry :vlin:...really I am. Oh by the way....just signed first contract at $34/hour plus housing. BooooYahhh! No tax advantage BS. Good luck!

i know it's "old stuff" but it's still happening. recruiters are going to play the "it's the bad economy" card for as long as they can. i agree that wages are not going to be as high as they were due to the economy, however, there is a difference from market wage to getting completely screwed . if you're okay with that by all means - go for it, i'm not one to argue, i have 4 teenagers and get tired of defending common sense. lol. each person has to do their own dd. there are things that can effect your contract. some travelers may be better negotiators than others=better wages. different recruiters will have different needs which can also dictate=better wages. (how flexible are you) in our case personally we are completely flexible and do not have to have a "top dollar" rate (nor is it expected) as long as stipend/housing line half way decent. we're not doing it for the money as we have no bills. so if it was the right gig- then no problem. however, no need to work for peanuts and won't work for peanuts. as for the conference...not really interested in going to a conference full of sales people..

What does he do now? What is he good at or passionate about? Maybe start a blog? (travel, food, nurse travel) Affliate marketing (clickbank)? Web Design, Amazon/Ebay Sales? Online Poker ..haha, Customer Support/Virtual Call Center, etc. -or- Part-time Maintenance/Cleaning apartments (where you are staying), start a window washing biz, start a painting biz, handyman work, Home Depot, etc. Jut my

Sorry I meant naivety not nativity. haha. I love you spellcheck

Who are the best? That is entirely subjective based on your wants and needs as a nurse. Lots of variables. The reason for this post was just to let it be known that you should have a set game plan when dealing with recruiters. Also, talk to your accountant and don't accept any offers that you don't completely understand. If you can't explain your contract in detail to someone else then you don't fully understand it yourself. What works for one may not work for another. I am by no means providing any type of guidance or concrete advice, I just hate to see good people get yanked. I really fires me up. However when recruiters smell nativity or someone who's desperate or over anxious...look out. Just be prepared. Research, research and then research.

fraud: noun deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage. maybe not your definition?? this article below is not specific to the travel nursing industry but just know that the feds are on alert for this type of activity. i know the article refers to business owners. i promise, if the irs thinks that there is money left on the table they will eventually collect. if anything it would warrant a look into the books of some of the agencies playing with offerings of $10/hour with confusing stipends, which i've seen! mr. watson, who had a graduate degree in tax and 20 years' experience, received only $24,000 of salary for each of those years, far less than the $40,000 a year earned by recent graduates in accounting with no experience, according to one expert for the irs. the agency cried foul, saying his pay was far too low. why object? unlike profit distributions, all salary is subject to a 2.9% medicare tax and some is subject to a 12.4% social security, or fica, tax. (the fica income cap, $84,900 in 2002, is now $106,800.) by reporting low pay mr. watson didn't save any income taxes, but he did save nearly $20,000 in payroll taxes for the two years, the irs said, pegging mr. watson's true pay at $91,044 for each year. http://online.wsj.com/article/sb10001424052748703951704576092371207903438.html lower the gross pay the lower the employer's tax contribution: http://biztaxlaw.about.com/od/settingupapayrollsystem/a/employerduties.htm

congrats on speaking out amy0123! to publicly out these companies will be the best way to combat their greedy one sided strategy. remember these people are in sales!!! they have to produce revenue as part of their job description. you will find recruiter jobs under "sales" not social services. some may say you don't have to take what they offer, which is correct but the simple fact that they are even offering these ridiculous programs as a benefit to you makes me crazy...i mean crazier! i personally tie the word “tax advantage” to red flag. kudos to you..

Thanks for the PM info Cay. I replied but I received the message: your mailbox was full or something like that.

Nice Okie! That's what I'm talkin' about..

Thanks again Rod, I thought this warranted being pasted in this thread as well..However sorry for your situation. "I just posted a long reply in the topic regarding stop taking less per hour. Please read it and a lot of other information before accepting that contract. PM me if you like I am going through an IRS audit currently and I do not recommend it. Rod" Sorry recruiters! Time to step up and get real and stop taking advantage of hard working, loyal nurses for your $$$ gain! I will soon be starting a blog to "out" any agencies that continue to play fradulant games, as well as to document our travel nursing experience. Seems like everyone tip toes around naming names. Not me:) Bring it...tiger blood...winning! Kudos to the agencies that are above board in their dealings with nurses. Long term residual relationships are a much better business model than sticking it to a client once for quick $$$.

Amen Rod! :yelclap:

wow...sounds like a nice place. Unfortunatley, it seems that some nurses do attract some real low life losers. Might be their nurturing disposition? Maybe low self worth? (which makes me crazy because you have to be strong to finish nursing school!)

Meaning???

Nurses who are that desperate, need to go work staff, local agency, seek OT or PRN at another hospital. I can't believe that I'm hearing of nurses taking $10-15 per hour assignments and letting the agency manipulate the numbers with the stipend to look like $35-45/ hour. You should be getting at least mid thirties (for the most part) plus housing/stipend and allowances. It's economics 101. You are creating the demand or lack of. I've read where agencies are stating that they have seen an increase in contracts over the last few months, so go into these negotiations with a strategy. I PROMISE they have one. It's like a car deal. Have criteria going into the negotiations and stick to your numbers. Don't be afraid to JUST SAY NO! Also, these (some) recruiters need to be held to the fire with the BS tax manipulation. They have a responsiblity to pay wage appropriate employer tax based on the local market's average salary. It is fraud and you are a willing participant if you sign up. These greedy boneheads need to be held accountable to the IRS. I suggest any nurses getting a lowball contract forward it to the IRS Whistle Blowing Program and let's see if we can turn around this industry before it's too late! (vent complete...thank you...now exiting...whew)

These agencies are becoming more and more greedy. It's going to get to the point where you will be better off going local agency and finding your own accommodations. What is rolled into your "blended rate"? This housing stipend is separate from the $30/hr hopefully? I don't blame you for not wanting to live in the projects. PM me who you are with, if you don't mind, so I can scratch these goofs off the list as well... Good luck to you and stand your ground!