which is better-housing or stipend?

[whoby6365]

some agencies offer free housing/utilities, but other opt to give a higher salary w/tax free money. if i have to have housing is it more affordable to get it myself or just take the free housing?

[frangi]

firstly, no housing is free. this is a myth spread by travel companies. you do not have to be a rocket scientist to work this out.

Q. why do you think the hourly is higher if you do not take the housing?
A. because it all comes out of the same fund the company pays you from.

It boils down to 2 things: do you have or can you be bothered finding & setting up your own housing for such a short time period. OR do you want to just walk into something set up for you?

If you live in or have a home or friend near the assignment you could stay at, then take the stipend. If you don't then it can be a real hassle to find, furnish, connect utilities etc - so take the housing.

Remember if your tax home is near the assignment, then you have the age old dilema of "am i eligible for the housing allowance" anyway?

You may save a few bucks doing it yourself and end up in some really unsafe area or noisy place. Or you lose a few bucks but live in the "fastaff" community.

Bottom line, it is YOUR decision and you have to live there. YOU are accountable at tax time, ask anyone you like but YOU also live with your decision.

good luck
frangi

[HeyFraydo]

Of course an many agencies will have a number of arguements for you taking the stipend but the real reason they push this because they don't want the hassle and the risks of setting up your housing and utilities and the risks of signing the lease and then your contract gets cancelled for whatever reason leaving them losing money.

They will tell you that they will pay you more if you take the stipend vs. the allocation costs they spend on housing but truthfully many times it is the other way around and you have to negotiate that.

What I usually do is do my own research on the internet using alot of useful tools to find those hidden deals and phone calls and such. I try to find something within their budget and have them put it in their name which alot of recruiters love because all they have to do is send one check and sign lease plus it's something you picked so you will be happy with it.

If I find through my thorough research that their budget is not even close to reality like $1000 for housing in San Francisco I renegotiate the budget.

A good recruiter and company will usualy scope out great housing for an area as soon as the get a job order they may even have a specialist to do this or subcontract with someone to do that.

Now here is where you can tell which companies to deal with for future reference. You see what their choices were and you can usually discover what their motivation is mostly, pleasing their travelers or saving money and giving you the bare minimum.

Even the recruiters that I like and deal with I will always do a good amount of research on housing to see what options there are because no one is motivated as me to find the best housing.

Now if have friends or family in the area you could stay with or you live an a RV I can see the housing stipend is the way to go.

Also Independent Contractors or Subcontractors do this because they receive one pay rate.

CJ website: Travel NurseToolbox :luck: