There is no doubt that professionals who choose to work in a school environment have a special kind of compassion and empathy for their students. But when it comes to getting stuck in a non-compete, that same kind of compassion may not be returned, and may in fact lead you to difficult career repercussions in regards to position, salary and growth.
So, What Is a Non-Compete?
A non-compete agreement is a contract that exists between a school and an in-school employee or an agency and an employee. Many time this contract is established to make sure the in-school employee does not leave the school before their contract end date, isn’t re-employed until the contract’s stipulated date, or will limit which schools within the district or surrounding districts an employee can work with in the future. Not only that, but a non-compete also prohibits an employee from working at particular schools that could be considered in “competition” with the school they’re currently working in.
While a school or agency can’t legally mandate you to sign a non-compete, they may terminate, or choose not to hire you, if you refuse to sign one.
How Does a Non-Compete Affect In-School Professionals?
If you plan to sign a non-compete in a school environment, your following future choices can be affected:
- Ability to stay at your current school or re-sign in the future.
- Ability to work at certain other schools in the future.
- Ability to negotiate pay or hours.
- Ability to share knowledge and lessons learned in your current role.
Overall, your career’s – and future career’s – freedoms can be severely hindered by the non-compete agreement a school asks you to sign.
Do Any Agencies Not Use a Non-Compete?
Spotter Staffing never asks our employees to sign a non-compete. We offer full freedoms for future employment, and never dictate future placements or opportunities. Instead of asking our employees to sign a non-compete, we support them through perks like:
- competitive weekly compensation;
- health benefits through Bennie;
- continuing education and professional development;
- connections with clinical experts;
- paid time off;
- and more!
Ready to Find a Career That Works for You?
A better SLP, OT, PT, Social Work or Special Education career is waiting for you – no strings attached! Click here to view our current open positions or contact the team at Spotter Staffing today.