Labor Day weekend

You would think that most school districts would have their staffs totally in place by now. However, especially in Special Education Departments the task seems to never end. Caseloads increase, an Occupational Therapist's spouse gets transferred, the baby decides to arrive 21 days early; the reasons for the gaps are endless.

We also find that there are a few (and let me emphasis a few) folks out there who are still checking out open positions for various reasons. There are several universities with August graduating classes, some therapists/special ed professionals have taken a position that isn't what they thought it might be, others are making an unexpected move to another part of the country.

Staffing services are set up to be that "go between" to assist the schools in finding a perfect candidate and finding a Special Ed professional that perfect job. If you are one of those and would like some assistance in getting some interviews set up, please give me a call (770-325-0234) or send over a resume via email to millie.simpson@soliant.com. I would be humbled to serve as your recruiter!

Here's a sampling of some of our recent school openings:

Bilingual SLP/CFY Houston, TX area

SLP-ccc Shelby, NC area

PT Wisconsin Rapids, WI

SLP Baraboo, WI

SLP-ccc Phoenix and Tucson, AZ

SLP/CFY & OT Santa Fe, NM (will also interview tele-therapists)

OT Albuquerque, NM

School Psychologists Chicago, IL suburbs

You KNOW who you are!

If you are a Speech Language Pathologist, you have chosen an excellent profession, and you probably already know that! The levels of your "value" increase every year you are working in the field and every time you add another skill (vital stim, assistive technology, autism, etc.) You also know that if you are bilingual, you might as well just sprout a horn and call yourself a unicorn or grow a halo and wings because you are rare and beautiful! lol... In addition to your 6 years in school and a 9 month Clinical Fellowship Year, sometimes they just pile on more! Ha!

Having stroked your ego and buttered you up, I'm now going to ask you to call me (770) 325-0234 or send me a resume (millie.simpson@soliant.com) if you have any of the aforementioned attributes. Below are some of our open jobs that we call "unicorn" or "angel" searches:


Bilingual (Spanish/English) - Houston, TX, Chicago suburbs, IL

Experience with AAC devices - Burbank, CA

Experience with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Olympia, WA

Knows American Sign Language - Seattle, WA

Has Early Intervention Experience AND is bilingual - Austin, TX


Thanks, Angels!!!

Recruiter calls blowing up your phone?

I'm sure that most of you reading this blog have had your phone absolutely blown up by recruiters for the last......three...or make that three hundred months! Your options are vast for jobs, and you just might be considering being a bit more selective as to which calls you choose to answer. As a recruiter myself, I understand and realize that we sometimes are considered little more than tele-marketers. :-{ Most of us hope that we are bringing something to you that is useful, interesting and financially helpful to you and your situation. But, if you decide to use a recruiter, below is some information that might help you in your decision process. And...if you think I might "be your gal", give me a call at 770-325-0234!

Deciding whether to use a recruiter in your search for employment can be a confusing process at best. There are as many choices in recruiter personalities, styles, offered opportunities, etc. as there are professions out there. The most important aspect is to find someone who has a compatible personality, work ethic and delivers what he/she promises.

First, you might want to understand what drives a recruiter. It may be only money; it may be a desire to help people, it may be pressure from a manager or a combination of any or all of those, which is more likely the case. Staffing firms have a variety of structures to pay their recruiters; some may be straight salary, some may have commission only and others may have a combination of the two. My company falls into the later category, and is very fair; I might say, even brilliant in their pay structure. No one here asks for a raise; they simply help more people find work, and their commission increases.

You will also want to do some investigating of the company itself. Ask the recruiter who owns their company or the name under which they are publicly traded (if they are public) and do a search for their financial stability and years in business. You can also check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any "dings" or something more serious against the organization.

A really good way to test your recruiter is to ask him/her to call you back on a specific day and see if they follow up. I'm not going to say that I've never made a mistake and forgotten, but a good recruiter will find a way to make good on promises. Once again, finding a good match for your personality is key. You may be someone who doesn't like a lot of "checking in" phone calls, or you may enjoy a weekly conversation to touch base with your recruiter. alk to a few and get a feel for the one that makes you the most comfortable!

Rerun of a post from earlier with an update for the '16-'17 school year

We found this district an OT for the '15-'16 school year, but the OT was offered a position nearer her home and isn't returning this year. But the post below caught her attention, she loved the district and they loved her!

There is a school district in Northwest Colorado who would love to hear your rendition of this most famous song from the Sound of Music! When you're not being one with the mountains, they hope you'll also use your Occupational Therapy skills to serve their school children. This school district west of Vail, CO is seeking an OT to join their district for the 2016-2017 (updated to be current) school year.

This area of Colorado has attractions such as Rifle Mountain Park, popular with rock climbers; Rifle Falls State Park, Rifle Falls Fish Hatchery, Rifle Gap State Park, and Harvey Gap State Park. The city also has a golf course, a theater, and hosts a yearly fair that includes professional rodeos, bull riding, live music and a demolition derby.

If you think you might like to "get away from it all" and relax next to the fire and read a great book, yet have access to numerous outdoor activities and small town functions, this school district is ready to greet you with open arms....ala Julie Andrews' famous stance in the Sound of Music!

If you'd like more information about this open position, give me a call at 770-325-0234 or drop me a note at millie.simpson@soliant.com.

PS I'm an alto; that song never worked for me......

Now we can all relax; school's out!

Not so fast, bunkie. A recruiter who works with school districts is far from relaxing this time of year! The open positions started coming into the office early this year, and it seems that they've only piled on day by day.

Just three months ago, we might have had a page and a half of open jobs for the upcoming school year, but now there are at least ten pages of SLP, OT, PT, Sign Language Interpreter, Special Ed Teacher, School Psychology and both Teachers for the Deaf and for the Visually Impaired job openings throughout the country.

Some of the more popular areas are: Santa Fe, NM; Phoenix, AZ; Chicago, IL; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Baltimore, MD; Ft. Myers, FL and Hilton Head, SC.

If you would like a run-down of our open school jobs, just give me a call at (770) 325-0234, or drop me a note at millie.simpson@soliant.com. I'd be glad to set up an interview for you or make some calls on your behalf to see what might be available in your preferred area. But, first, take some time to relax and enjoy the summer!

Early requests for Special Ed Professionals for 2016-2017

This has been a highly unusual year for our schools division. In the past, the majority of our requests for therapists, psychologists, sign language interpreters, etc. have come in after Memorial Day. Here we are over a month away from that "intro into summer" holiday, and our spreadsheets are full of open jobs for the 2016-2017 school year!

If you are looking for a contract position in a school system anywhere in the USA, give me a call, and there's a decent chance that we'll be able to assist you. In full disclosure, though, there are some areas that just aren't good markets for us. Locations that are very popular and much desired places to live (Nashville, Austin, Miami, etc.) just don't need our help finding people. Also, states that have several universities with programs of your specialty might also have new grads "knocking down their doors", and wouldn't need to call us to help them recruit. For example, Kentucky has at least 6 colleges/universities with Occupational Therapy programs; Wisconsin, too.

So below, I've listed a few of the open positions for therapists for which Special Ed Directors are beginning the interview process. Some of these same areas are requesting School Psychologists, Special Ed, Deaf Ed and Visually Impaired Teachers, etc. Here's my number, so call me, maybe??? (770) 325-0234

Physical Therapist

Jesup, GA

South Atlanta

Easton, MD

Speech Pathologist

Athens, GA

South Atlanta, GA

Easton, MD

Indianapolis, IN

Chicago suburbs, IL

Bradford, VT

Santa Fe, NM

Occupational Therapists

Columbia, SC

Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, WA

Chicago suburbs, IL

Kankakee, IN

Most large cities in Alaska!

School Psychologists!! Join the world of travel therapy for the 2016-2017 school year

This afternoon I took a peek at our roster for open jobs in schools. I was shocked to see that there were 45 openings for School Psychologists! It seems that there is an acute shortage across the country. Now, granted, this is the time of year that evaluations pile up and schools are seeking help to finish out the current school year, however, many of these districts are asking us to help them find candidates for the 2016-2017 year.

My company has been placing Occupational, Speech and Physical therapist "travelers" in schools for several years now, but it seems that other disciplines are just as eligible for the benefits afforded to those working as a contractor/traveler. Check out the January, 2011 post on this blog for a FAQ sheet to help with questions about these nomadic opportunities. If you are a School Psychologist, you are the latest "hot" commodity!

Here are just a few of the locations on our list, though know that it changes on a weekly basis as we fill some of the positions and add others as they arrive in the office:

Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage, AK - Sacramento, San Jose and Napa, CA - Denver and Ft. Morgan, CO - Athens, GA - You Name the town, WA - Suburbs of Chicago, IL -

Charlotte and Fayetteville, NC - Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, SC - SW, Wyoming - Portland, OR - Indianapolis, Bloomington, IN

Feel free to call me at 770-325-0234 if I can clarify anything for you or send your resume to me at millie.simpson@soliant.com.

Ask some of your friends who have enjoyed the experience of working travel jobs about the pros and cons...or you can ask me; I'll be up-front and honest!