Most travel nurse agencies offer a housing stipend to pay for your housing while on assignment. The stipend usually works one of two ways. The first way is when the agency finds housing for you, contacts the landlord and sets up the terms of the housing rental directly with the landlord. The second is when the agency pays you directly a set amount for housing and you find your own housing. I was talking to two travel nurses the other day who both live in the same housing complex. One of the nurses had taken the paid stipend ($2,200/month) and the other had requested the agency to find housing for her. As it turns out the housing only cost the agency $1,400 per month.
An interesting conversation ensued when both nurses realized that taking the stipend meant an additional $800.00 in non-taxed funds to the nurse who found her own housing. It has been my experience that unless your assignment is in So. Cal or New York taking the stipend is always the way to go. Just thought I'd mention it to my prospective readers who are thinking about travel nursing.
My name is Amy (my husband calls me Aim; ergo the title of my blog) and this blog details my life as a travel nurse, wife and mom. I have two sons and two daughters and we love to travel. I hope you enjoy the stories and find the information, ideas, and tips helpful.