When you sign up for a travel assignment, you’re going to need a place to stay while on contract and there are two options.
The decision between taking the housing stipend or the company provided housing is a major question a lot of travel nurses have and it really doesn’t have to be all that complicated. Here is the break down and a list of pros and cons between the 2 options.
- Its convenient and less work for you the travel nurse.
- You can be rest assured that the company will put you in a safe part of town (if it’s a good company).
- All of your housewares and furniture is provided.
- You don’t have to worry about bills.
- If there is a problem, you have someone to talk to who can proactively come up with a solutions.
- No down payments or deposits.
- Its less money on your paycheck since you don’t get the housing stipend.
- You don’t have control on what type of place you live in.
- You don’t have control on where you live in a particular area or city.
- You could owe money back to the company if an assignment ends early.
- You get more money each week on your paycheck and you get to keep the extra money (the reason why most nurses take the housing stipend. You can refer to the GSA.gov for housing stipend daily rates based on location).
- You get to choose your own place.
- You get to choose the area of town you live in.
- You get to bring pets or have friends/family visit or live with you without getting permission.
- Some recruiters (like me) will help and give you suggestions on places to live and still let you take advantage of the stipend money. At the end of the day, you just decide where to live.
- You will need to put in extra research time looking for a place
- You are responsible for setting up utilities
- Sometimes you are responsible for housewares and furnishings (unless you rent a furnished place or stay at a hotel or extended stay hotel)
At the end of the day, it really comes down to how much control you would like in the situation. When I was recruiting, about 90% of my travel nurses took the housing stipend and that’s what I would (and still do) always recommend. There are several reasons, but it basically comes down to two things. 1. You will make more money and 2. you have the control, not some housing person half way across the country. This process will be a little more time consuming, but it should be fun and exciting for you! Here are a couple more tips if you decide to take the stipend.
In order, I would recommend checking out these options.