Take provided or Find your own housing?

Specialties Travel

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I'm looking at assignments and when getting the pay breakdown it seems that the companies are keeping anywhere from $2000 to $4,500 a month for providing my housing. I've been calling hostels, searching craigslist, and checking with exteneded stay hotels. I can always find places to stay, anywhere from rooms to rent to two bedroom condos with prices ranging from $350 to $1200 a month with the avererage being around $600. All these places are fully furnished with utilities included. At the very least I would be bringing home $3,000 per assignmment more than if I took their housing. How many of you go this route and find your own housing? Even if it means showing up a week earlier it would more than pay for itself. Any experiences would be appreciated. Thanks Brandon

Specializes in Stepdown/Tele/MS.

I do this sort of. I find my apartment that I want to live in, usually on rent.com, and then I tell my travel recruiter and they set it all up in their name.

I would never go with a company that I had to only pick from one place to live - "Theirs"

Jeremy

i have had recruiters tell me that I will take home much more if I find my own housing.. but this seems difficult (i'm looking in CA, Long Beach, Palo Alto, or San Francisco)

They say 1450/week if i find my own housing. I think it would only be ~ half that or ~3000/mo. if they get the housing..

I asked if there was a travel allowance, the guy said 1450/wk was including everything the most he could give me for San Francisco.. Now 3000/mo take home isn't bad, but i'm coming from Colorado, so its gonna cost me gas/hotel to get there, not to mention driving or flying to Sacramento to get license..

Is that okay?

I've never been to San Francisco but i've heard it is soo beautiful and think it might be a great experience!

Specializes in OR, and more recently PACU and SDC.

Palo Alto/San Francisco is pretty much the same area. Just an interstate connecting them. The distances are close in the "Bay" area. SF is an amazing city. I would recommend that for a first assignment you take their housing. It is expensive in the area. Most people want to re-sign, then you could be on the lookout for your own housing.

We went the Rv route. Take housing stipend in our minds we let them pay for motorhome . When we retire we have an investment . Which we could sell at a later time. Housing stipend is enough to cover RV loan and campground fees.

Just a thoguht

We get our own esp with all of the canceling going on. Its one thing to lose your job but quite another to be told you will also be homeless in 48 hours. Unecessary stress. Its also better to have a higher base rate because they base free housing on 40 hrs and if you do any OT they are REALLY getting over on you by giving you OT on a free housing base rate.

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