Which job what you take?
Okay, this is a lot but hear me out.
I am a speech therapist who has been practicing since 2015. Last year I was working 4 jobs (1 full-time in schools, and the other 3 were Part-time/PRN). So basically doing around 50+ hours each week, but with 2 kids (3 and 2 years old) I was exhausted and needed a change. I just felt like I was spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere. This June I applied for hospital based SLP job based on the advice of the wife of an OT that I know. I did the interview, was offered the position, negotiated a salary $80,000 per year plus a $5,000 sign on bonus payable within the first month of employment. I do not have to work a certain amount of hours/years to receive or retain the bonus, and the position is “salaried,” and has great benefits.
I also did an extensive health physical for the position that included giving 3 vials of blood and getting another MMR vaccine (this was 3rd time I’ve gotten the MMR). I’ve been waiting to get orientation information and an official date to start the job. However they have been taking forever to to complete the background check for me. It’s been over a month now and they’ve pushed back my start date twice already.
I started getting antsy. Since I’ve been covering my current bills doing PRN speech therapy jobs, but with erratic hours. So I ended up applying to a school job so that I would at least have some options if the hospital job never actually materialized. I explained everything to the school recruiter over the phone. So I interviewed for the school SLP job and was offered the position. That same day, the hospital got back to me that I could start this Monday. I contacted the school recruiter and told her that I couldn’t accept the school job because the hospital job had finally come through. And she offered me $78 dollars per hour for the rest of the school year to accept the position instead of going to the hospital. I would be a contract worker and it’s for school hours. I think there are roughly around 875 hours of instructional hours left in the school year here. I haven’t gotten official word on how many exact hours there are. I would not have a job for the summer. Though the contract company did say they might be able to find me a temp SLP job during the summer months if I wanted/needed one, and there is no guarantee that the school would hire me again for the following school year. Though they told me during the interview that they anticipate still having a need. For me to go full-time with the district they would have to buy out my contract with the referring contract company. I have no idea how much exactly that is but I know it runs into the tens of thousands $$$.
The hospital job starts Monday and it’s full-time and I’d work directly for them and have amenities like PTO and paid holidays.
What should I do? $78 an hour is a lot of money for me, but it’s not permanent, and I don’t get sick days or holiday pay, and no guarantees that could stay on as an SLP there next year or beyond. #SLP #healthcare #schools #speechtherapy #speechlanguagepathology #jobsearch #hiringnews #resume #interview
I agree with @Ford Simpson! I may be a little confused as to how the school job would work payment-wise, but the hospital job sounds really solid and a lot more reliable! Trust your gut on this one @J B!! Deep down you know which one you want to do more! 💜💜
This is a great problem,but the hospital work sounds more solid. I trust you will make the best decision for you.Ford
Hello I need but live in Cuba I need work visa?
Take the hospital job. I worked in a school and didn’t get my contract renewed. I kick myself everyday bc I passed other high paying jobs. Are you per diem, subbing, leave replacement?
But this title is from a speech therapist Which job what you take? Really ... wow!🤔
As a former school teacher my opinion would be to take the hospital job- it is salary and you would have taxes taken out vs. working contract and you doing the taxes and no insurance unless you plan on buying yourself. Usually the choice is not near as good and deductible is more than sky high. If they cannot say you would be considered for the following year- that would be my red flag not to take it. I have worked in 5 different school districts and more schools. Schools are notorious for changing the schedule when Mr. XYZ came to give a pep talk for whatever reason. IF you had any of the last 5 principals I had all of their schedules had errors- it would changed 4 different times. With the hospital - it most likely would be more calm. Every school district I worked for divided my schedule by the 12 months. I was not given the choice. It was a done deal.
Also, in our contracts as an educator we had a clause in there that stated they could release me at any time for any reason. I have known people who were released. I never did. I followed rules and did my job.
You state how much they will pay per hour, and no holiday pay and no time off sick leave- this really sounds like a contract position- no perks. While it was nice they offered the job and all- in the long run you might be happier an an employee. Being part of a family vs. coming in for hours- you are treated differently.
Bottom line- what will make you happier? What will be easier for you and your kids? What will your hours be? You will need to select the position that will make you happy.
Good Luck! I am not sure what state you work in but, most of the public hospitals where I live have a retirement system to donate to ( actually , the retirement group takes out a certain percentage of your pay).
Take the hospital job - that's money in the bank - and see if you can squeeze in some moonlighting for the school system to keep your foot in the door. Congratulations!
Agree with above reply. Take what you need long term commitment and refresh your life by getting out of the rut.
Work at the hospital
First, congratulations on getting two (2), what sounds like, extremely great offers!! My ex-husband works for the school district and he does get summers off and still gets his regular salary every month because he chose to have his salary divided by 12 months. I’m not sure if they do that where you live, but you can either pick the 12 months or get more in your check for the school year but then nothing for the summer. I hope that makes sense. He has a stable job now, but in the beginning they were creating a position that was extremely needed, so it was brand new. In the beginning it was that worry if he would have work the next year, etc. At the time he decided to take the job because I was working and we didn’t have kids at the time, so the risk was much smaller. If we had our twins at the time, I believe the decision would have been different. His situation did turn into full-time and the program became extremely successful. But, that is not always the case. Especially these days, it’s hard to find a great job that you really want w/a great salary in normal circumstances, but with everything that’s gone on in the world lately, I will not mention any of it here, but we all know what I am referring to, I think stability would be the way to go. So, although the position w/the school district sounds very enticing with the $$ they are offering, BUT (there is always a BUT) it would be scary, at least for me, to not have the guarantee of continuing on next year, or the year after that. Especially with two little ones that, (of course they don’t understand this now, but will one day), that are relying on you literally for everything. With all of that jibber jabbering done, I would go with the hospital position. You have the security, a great salary, benefits, etc. The biggest and best part of going with the hospital is that it’s stable and hospitals aren’t going anywhere. The school district, however, who knows what will happen in the future. There would always be a nagging question in the back of my mind, “will the schools close again? Will they need me next year?” So, for me, those two questions alone would be enough for me to take the hospital position. At the end of the day, you know what you and your family needs, so I am sure that whichever position you decide to take will be the right choice for you!! And, at the end of the day, that is what really matters. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!! Let us know what you decide.