The Complete Guide to Negotiating Locum Rates

May 22, 2017

1. Start high
2. Look for an agreeable outcome
3. Be aware of supply in the area
4. Rates are not permanent
5. Negotiate other aspects of your rates

Locum Jobs

An advantage of taking up locum jobs to boost your income is that you have some flexibility to work. You choose the schedule that you are available to fit into. Also, it can improve your CV for future job applications at other institutions by showing that you have a diverse set of employers.

For new nurses, doing locum allows you extra time and exposure to choose how you want to plan out your nursing career. Like selecting a specialization. You can read more on the advantages of doing locum to increase your income here.

People seem to be paralyzed into inaction when it comes to setting rates, simply accepting whatever the clinic offers to pay you. While this article focuses on nurses doing locum jobs at private practices, we hope that these points will still be able to help doctors, pharmacists, dentists, and other healthcare practitioners as well.

1. Start high

Start by negotiating high

source: @dan_carl5on

Start out by always proposing a rate higher than you would. It doesn’t have to be a lot.

Say your desired rate is RM20 an hour. Just mention RM25 as your starting rate. You can slowly reduce it to the price that you sought out initially when discussing with the clinic or institution.

You don’t want to be working with people who feel like they have to squeeze the most out of their budget to accommodate you. Such scenarios do not lead to healthy long-term relationships. It’s better to make them feel like they’ve got a good deal.

2. Look for an agreeable outcome

Agreeable outcome

source: pixabay

Remember, the owner of the clinic wants to fill some gaps in his workforce, and you want to get paid. Think of it as a bridge. Both of you are on either side. The best outcome is if you both meet in the middle.

Don’t rip people off. Good negotiation is about both parties walking away feeling like they both got a good deal. If you think that milking out money from people to the point where they are reluctantly agreeing to your prices, think again. That relationship isn’t going to last very long.

The best employer (whether they employ you full-time or otherwise) is one that continuously offers you work. They can’t do that if they don’t like you.

3. Be aware of supply in the area

Oversupply

source: pixabay

A lot of nurses doing locum jobs in the area? That might affect your locum fees. Try to look for clinics or institutions that have an under-supply of part-time nurses. The main reason why your locum employer is paying you below average is probably because a replacement for you is so easy to find.

Price is a reflection of the demand for the locum jobs and the supply of those capable of doing it in the area. This is commonly known as the law of supply and demand in economics. It applies here as well.

4. Rates are not permanent

Not set in stone

source: here

Rates are not set in stone. Even if you’ve negotiated quite a while ago, you can still make some changes if you approach the employer tactfully.

Explain that you’ve been here for a while, and that you haven’t let him/her down. So you’d like an increase in your rates.

The worst thing that can happen is they say no. Don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world. At least you tried.

5. Negotiate other aspects of your rates

emergency

source: pixabay

While there is a fixed rate for your schedule, try to consider other aspects as well. Things like emergency calls, or last-minute requests to come in for locum.

Make it clear to the employer that these are out-of-the-norm occurrences, and that you would like to be compensated accordingly.

6. Losing locum jobs is not necessarily a bad thing

why

source: blupics

When increasing your rates, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Doubling your rates but losing half of locum opportunities is great. You get the same amount at the end, but work half as much, which frees up your time.

Plus, sometimes someone who charges RM40 per hour looks more professional and qualified than someone who charges RM20 per hour.

Conclusion

Don’t just look at financial rates; benefits are important as well. Is the job good for your reputation? Are they likely to recommend you to others?

Is the work consistent and secure? Do you trust the employer?

Remember these 6 steps when negotiating your fees. If you don’t value your time, no one else will.

Browse through MIMS Career for an easy way to find locum or part-time jobs in your area. MIMS Career is a premier, healthcare-focused job portal site for Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. Our simple sign-up process allows you to easily apply for jobs you might be interested in with a single click. Job locations include hospitals, nursing homes, and private practices. It’s free, easy to use, and safe.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Set up a job alert and we’ll notify you by email whenever positions that suit your preferences are available. All of our pages are mobile-responsive, so you can take your applications with you on the go.

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It is hoped that this post can help you to spot these harmful acts and avoid costing you your precious time, money, and dignity. Scammers know that finding a job can be tough, and they trick people by advertising where real employers do. Scams are endlessly creative! This list might not encompass all of them, but it will help you in detecting these harmful job scams. 1. See If The Offer Is Too Good To Be True If it seems like you’ve landed yourself the best offer in the world, DON’T . The hiring managers will say something to you like: You can earn as much as you want, there is no upper limit on your salary. You decide what you earn. You can earn USD5,000 in one week by working at home! Run away as fast as you can. These scams like to prey on those desperate for a new job. They take advantage of your desperation by having you excited of their offer. Once they’ve gotten you on their hook, those “employers” can start to demand money, information, and time, just to get your application moving. Watch out for: Really high pay with low amount of working hours Ability to work anywhere, anytime Really shady phrases, like “ Drive the sports car you’ve ever wanted after only a few months’ work! ” or " Earn USD3000 by only working FOUR HOURS a week! " The person contacting you is the President or CEO or other executive level staff. Most of the time, the highest-ranking person contacting you for a job offer is some type of manager or human resources employee. 2. There is a fee to be paid to "process" your employment If the hiring manager contacts you again and informs you that you have to pay [insert amount here] to complete your application, forget it. You might see overseas job offers requiring you to pay a few hundred dollars to "process" your application. They'll claim it's to secure your employment. To sweeten the deal, some of them claim that you'll get back the money within days after you get in the company/institution. Here are the most common ways job scams use to cheat your money, like: Buying their software Paying a fee to complete your application Sign up for some insurance program that deducts money from your account every month Job scammers make all kinds of promises about your chances of employment, and an astounding amount of them require you to pay them for their services to employ you. It's important to note that the promise of a job is not the same thing as a job. If you have to pay for that promise, it's most definitely a scam. 3. You get the job right away You get the job, without much interviewing, or even applying through anything. The "offer" gets sent to your inbox. They often mention that they got your email from Jobstreet, CareerBuilder, or LinkedIn. Most of the time, these job offers are sent with emails that are similar to emails of legitimate employers. Be careful! Imagine if a David Chen from Ramsay Sime Darby emailed you about a sweet job offer. If he really worked at RSD, his email would be something like david.c@simedarby.com. Watch out for david.c.simedarby@gmail.com, david.c@gmail.com, david.chen.HR.simedarby@yahoo.com, etc. When in doubt, call up the company and ask for that employee! A real company would want to talk to a candidate before hiring him or her. 4. Unprofessional job interviews Look out for interviews online, such as over Facebook Messenger . Worse still, are interviews using a software that the scammer asks you to install on you computer. You will risk having your computer infected with harmful malware that can record what you type , activate your webcam without notifying you , and hold your personal information as ransom . Look out for interviewers with bad grammar or spelling. If it doesn't seem like what a real professional company would say, don't trust it. With some common sense, and a bit of suspicion, you can easily spot scam job offers. The rule of thumb is that if it looks too good to be true, sounds too good to be true, and seems to good to be true, then it's definitely not true. Also look out for shady characters and language. As mentioned above, there is no limit to the creativity of these scam artists and their job offers. The tips mentioned above might cover ALL the scam job methods out there, but at least you'll be better prepared, and more aware that these things can happen. As a healthcare-focused job portal site, MIMS Career takes the legitimacy of any employer and job posting very seriously . We screen employers thoroughly, contacting them at various levels, to determine authenticity of said employers. Our privacy policy also dictates that we never share your personal information to unrelated third parties, nor do we sell them. The next time you're in search of a job, apply through MIMS Career . Sign up, fill in your details, and apply for job vacancies from top healthcare institutions in Malaysia , Singapore , Indonesia , and the Philippines with one click. Browse through our extensive database of job postings, updated daily. Our pages are mobile-responsive, so you can save jobs you're interested in on your desktop, and continue reading about it and apply later on your phone. Can't find what you're looking for? Set a job alert, and we'll notify you once a job with your preferences is made available. Sign up now with MIMS Career . It's fast, convenient, and secure. We do the hard work of verifying scam jobs so you won't have to. Our Most Popular Articles Think About These 5 Things Before You Decide On A Specialization 5 Things Nurses Need To Know To Be Paid More 10 Ways Malaysian Nurses Can Increase Their Income

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It is hoped that this post can help you to spot these harmful acts and avoid costing you your precious time, money, and dignity. Scammers know that finding a job can be tough, and they trick people by advertising where real employers do. Scams are endlessly creative! This list might not encompass all of them, but it will help you in detecting these harmful job scams. 1. See If The Offer Is Too Good To Be True If it seems like you’ve landed yourself the best offer in the world, DON’T . The hiring managers will say something to you like: You can earn as much as you want, there is no upper limit on your salary. You decide what you earn. You can earn USD5,000 in one week by working at home! Run away as fast as you can. These scams like to prey on those desperate for a new job. They take advantage of your desperation by having you excited of their offer. Once they’ve gotten you on their hook, those “employers” can start to demand money, information, and time, just to get your application moving. Watch out for: Really high pay with low amount of working hours Ability to work anywhere, anytime Really shady phrases, like “ Drive the sports car you’ve ever wanted after only a few months’ work! ” or " Earn USD3000 by only working FOUR HOURS a week! " The person contacting you is the President or CEO or other executive level staff. Most of the time, the highest-ranking person contacting you for a job offer is some type of manager or human resources employee. 2. There is a fee to be paid to "process" your employment If the hiring manager contacts you again and informs you that you have to pay [insert amount here] to complete your application, forget it. You might see overseas job offers requiring you to pay a few hundred dollars to "process" your application. They'll claim it's to secure your employment. To sweeten the deal, some of them claim that you'll get back the money within days after you get in the company/institution. Here are the most common ways job scams use to cheat your money, like: Buying their software Paying a fee to complete your application Sign up for some insurance program that deducts money from your account every month Job scammers make all kinds of promises about your chances of employment, and an astounding amount of them require you to pay them for their services to employ you. It's important to note that the promise of a job is not the same thing as a job. If you have to pay for that promise, it's most definitely a scam. 3. You get the job right away You get the job, without much interviewing, or even applying through anything. The "offer" gets sent to your inbox. They often mention that they got your email from Jobstreet, CareerBuilder, or LinkedIn. Most of the time, these job offers are sent with emails that are similar to emails of legitimate employers. Be careful! Imagine if a David Chen from Ramsay Sime Darby emailed you about a sweet job offer. If he really worked at RSD, his email would be something like david.c@simedarby.com. Watch out for david.c.simedarby@gmail.com, david.c@gmail.com, david.chen.HR.simedarby@yahoo.com, etc. When in doubt, call up the company and ask for that employee! A real company would want to talk to a candidate before hiring him or her. 4. Unprofessional job interviews Look out for interviews online, such as over Facebook Messenger . Worse still, are interviews using a software that the scammer asks you to install on you computer. You will risk having your computer infected with harmful malware that can record what you type , activate your webcam without notifying you , and hold your personal information as ransom . Look out for interviewers with bad grammar or spelling. If it doesn't seem like what a real professional company would say, don't trust it. With some common sense, and a bit of suspicion, you can easily spot scam job offers. The rule of thumb is that if it looks too good to be true, sounds too good to be true, and seems to good to be true, then it's definitely not true. Also look out for shady characters and language. As mentioned above, there is no limit to the creativity of these scam artists and their job offers. The tips mentioned above might cover ALL the scam job methods out there, but at least you'll be better prepared, and more aware that these things can happen. As a healthcare-focused job portal site, MIMS Career takes the legitimacy of any employer and job posting very seriously . We screen employers thoroughly, contacting them at various levels, to determine authenticity of said employers. Our privacy policy also dictates that we never share your personal information to unrelated third parties, nor do we sell them. The next time you're in search of a job, apply through MIMS Career . Sign up, fill in your details, and apply for job vacancies from top healthcare institutions in Malaysia , Singapore , Indonesia , and the Philippines with one click. Browse through our extensive database of job postings, updated daily. Our pages are mobile-responsive, so you can save jobs you're interested in on your desktop, and continue reading about it and apply later on your phone. Can't find what you're looking for? Set a job alert, and we'll notify you once a job with your preferences is made available. Sign up now with MIMS Career . It's fast, convenient, and secure. We do the hard work of verifying scam jobs so you won't have to. Our Most Popular Articles Think About These 5 Things Before You Decide On A Specialization 5 Things Nurses Need To Know To Be Paid More 10 Ways Malaysian Nurses Can Increase Their Income

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