contract verses employee

[Rochon]

I am considering two different positions and one is as an employee of a school system for full time and the other as a 3/4 time contractor. My husband has great health insurance so I don't need it. The pay is higher for contracting and I will have more free time but what happens at IEP time when there is a lot of extra work? As a contractor, do I bill for writing evals, parent meetings which may be after the school days or am I expected to toss that in? Can I bill for work at home? What is the protocol? Don't want to lower the hourly by inheriting all kinds of work that is unpaid for. I am a new grad and don't have experience in this area. Thank. Rochon

[judyra]

Rochon,
These are all good questions that you are thinking about. Are you going to do the contracting yourself or will you be working through a company or is the school system hring you at a flat rate that they determine? If you are the contractor yourself, then you write the contract the way that you want it to be written with things like IEP meetings, parent meetings, and writing of reports as part of the billable hours. You may want to write the contract so that it is "bell to bell" that you are paid for. I doubt that you can have work at home as billable hours. School SLPs almost always end up taking work home. You may not be able to include a lunch time in those hours. Most school systems are in dire need of qualified SLPs with a Masters and that would be in your favor. You mention that you are a new grad. Have you completed your CFY experience? The CCC, if you have it, will also work in your favor. See if you can talk with other SLPs in your area who may be contracting. It is also possible that the school system has a flat rate per hour for contract SLPs as we do in our district. If so, multiply that by the hours in a school day and ask the personnel department what they will pay and compare it to what you have calculated. One of the positives about being a full time employee is that you will most likely be paid for holidays and teacher work days. Check to see if there is a supplement for SLPs or those in critical shortage areas. Some districts are also offering sign on bonuses for critical shortage areas, which of course we are in. Good luck with your new position. I highly recommend working in a school setting. It is very rewarding and I can say this having been in one for over 30 years amd in a clinic that was part of a university medical school prior to that. The children are delightful.