San Jose, California
One of the nice parts of travel nursing is the travel nursing housing situation.
In it’s most basic form, a travel nursing job assignment is what you might call a “turn-key” deal. Some travel nursing agencies have a housing department whose job it is to secure furnished housing for the job orders they get from the facilities. A lot of new travel nurses avail themselves of this option. You simply go to the new location where you will be working and there is a nice, fully furnished apartment (usually) for you to move into. The problem is (IMHO) this option is likely to cause you losing out on putting some after-tax dollars in your pocket.
The housing stipend is one of the best benefits of travel nursing. It is a negotiable number that will be part of your pay package. You need to have a recruiter or advocate who is on your side in maximizing the value of this benefit. In some incarnations, travelers are within a few hours of home and only need housing for 3-4 days each week. A good extended stay hotel fits this scenario perfectly. the excess money you get goes into your pocket tax-free. Other nurses stay with friends and family, rent out rooms on Craigslist, take their motorhome or split their living situation with a partner or friend. The point is, this can be a source of a lot of extra money to you and should be negotiated carefully.
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