How to Choose a Travel Therapy Agency

Most experienced travelers work with 2-3 agencies simultaneously. This gives you more assignment options, the ability to compare packages, and leverage in negotiations. There's no exclusivity requirement — agencies expect you to shop around.

Pay Transparency

The #1 differentiator. A good agency will clearly break down every component of your pay package — taxable rate, housing stipend, M&IE, travel reimbursement, and any deductions. If a recruiter can't — or won't — break down your pay, that's a major red flag. The same assignment can vary $200-$400+/week between agencies. See how pay packages work.

Recruiter Quality

Your recruiter is your primary relationship. Evaluate: response time (within hours, not days), honesty (do they tell you when a package isn't great?), knowledge (do they understand therapy-specific issues like productivity requirements and documentation?), and advocacy (will they fight for better terms when you ask?).

Benefits

Health insurance quality varies enormously. Also compare: 401(k) match, CEU reimbursement, license reimbursement, referral bonuses, and loyalty bonuses. Some agencies offer day-one insurance; others have 30-90 day waits.

Assignment Volume

Larger agencies have more positions but may be less personal. Smaller agencies may offer better pay (lower overhead) and more attentive service but fewer options in niche locations or settings.

Can't clearly explain your pay package breakdown — if they can't show you every line item (taxable rate, stipends, deductions), that's a problem.

Pressure to accept quickly — "this position will be gone by tomorrow" is usually a sales tactic.

Vague pay breakdowns — you should know exactly what's taxable, what's stipend, and what's deducted.

Negative reviews from multiple travelers about the same issues — patterns in reviews at TravelTherapyReviews.com are more telling than individual complaints.

Contract terms that heavily favor the agency — 2-week cancellation clauses (you want 30 days), penalties for early termination, non-compete clauses.

Can you give me a complete written pay breakdown — taxable rate, housing stipend, M&IE, travel reimbursement, and any deductions? When does health insurance start and what does it cost? What happens if the facility cancels my contract? Do you reimburse licensing fees and CEUs? How many travelers do you currently have in my discipline? Can you provide references from current travelers?