benbraxley wrote:
> Any crazy travelling stories? Also, I'm curious how far in advance you
> know where you are going next. Is there a range? Last one, I heard
> recently that getting a couple travelling companies to compete against each
> other for your next assignment can get you more benefits/pay. How do you
> pull that off?
>
> ben
Ben -
Our whole life is a crazy traveling story. Ha! Let me tell you about snowstorms in Colorado, rainbows in Hawaii, and layovers in Minneapolis. Life's rough.
James and I know where we are going next anywhere from 1 month to a year, depending on our circumstances...I know others who know less than a month in advance, and yet others who rotate between the same locations from year to year. Sometimes the best jobs pop up a week before you end an assignment! As a traveler, you definitely need to have some flexibility and an adventurous side.
As far as competing companies, it can work in your favor, but maybe not in the manner that you're suggesting. We typically work with 3-4 companies for each assignment, if you have more than that it becomes complicated. I always make it clear that I do not want to be submitted without my permission, just in case one company finds a job, I decline, and then another submits me, that is just not fair. I always go with the company that told me about the job first. With several companies looking for jobs, you're bound to have all of the openings covered. Some clients (PT clinics/hospitals) will only work with one company because they are comfortable with them from past contracts. I have found jobs through traveling companies by searching the APTA job listings, as I did for our jobs in Hawaii. We worked with a new travel company because they listed their jobs on that website, good for them! Anyways, working with several companies is more for increasing the odds of finding a job, not the pay. The pay is negotiable anyways, ask me more about that in another thread!