Upon graduating from a massage therapy college, a new therapist often has a variety of options available when it comes to getting started in his or her chosen career. Options for massage therapy jobs will vary from the massage therapist being an employee, to the therapist being a contractor.
There does appear to be some confusion as to what constitutes an employee, and what constitutes a contractor, and sometimes there appears to be a very fine line that is easily crossed. Before you commit to anything, read your contract very carefully, and perhaps get a lawyer who deals with contract law to peruse it for you BEFORE you sign it - it could save you lots of time, money and frustration, and yes, legal troubles.
Which are you - employee or contractor?
Employee
Contractor
Who's the boss?
The clinic or business - the therapist
works on behalf of the business.
A contractor works for him or herself, even though they are hired by the
company to carry out his or her duties.
Control
Must adhere to clinic guidelines
concerning hours – no flexibility
or control concerning hours,
vacation or other time off.
Has complete control
over his or her schedule.
Pay Structure
The therapist gets paid an hourly
wage or salary. In some instances, the therapist may be paid commision,
but taxes should still be deducted.
The therapist charges his or her standard fees for services. If the clinic collects the
payment on behalf of the therapist, then
the therapist will invoice the clinic for the
full amount on an agreed upon schedule.
Therapist is paid the NET
amount by the clinic (taxes
are taken off the total pay (taxes taken off the total pay).
The clinic should pay the therapist
the full amount that it is invoiced by
the therapist. The therapist will then
in turn pay the clinic the agreed
upon amount, whether it is a
percentage or a flat fee.
The therapist is responsible
for paying his or her taxes.
Who provides the equipment and
supplies (including
office supplies)
The clinic
The contractor
Replacment cost
for supplies and
equipment
The clinic
The contractor
This table is only a guideline, please use due diligence and consult your provincial
or state laws concerning your rights and obligations in any employment situation.
