Part-Time & Per-Diem BCBA Jobs Near Me: Flexible Schedules Without Chaos
- Jamie P
- Oct 17
- 8 min read
Part-time and per-diem BCBA roles can be freedom engines—or burnout traps—depending on how you set expectations, structure your calendar, and protect documentation time. If you’re searching “BCBA job near me” and hoping to keep school pickups, grad classes, or consulting projects in the mix, this guide gives you the whole playbook: where to find high-quality local roles, how to compare W-2 vs. 1099 offers, how to price your time (without leaving money on the table), compliance do’s and don’ts, schedule templates that actually work, and red flags to avoid.
What Part-Time and Per-Diem Really Mean for BCBAs
Part-time typically means a fixed weekly cap (e.g., 10–30 hours/week) with W-2 employment, some benefits, and a stable caseload. Per-diem (or PRN) usually means as-needed, often 1099 contractor status, variable hours, and higher hourly rates—but you provide your own health/retirement benefits and carry more responsibility for taxes and tools.
Reality check: In both cases you’re still accountable for BCBA-level duties—assessment and analysis, treatment design, competency-based supervision, documentation, and ethics. The difference is how and when you deliver them.
The Case for Flexible BCBA Work and When It’s Not a Fit
Why it can be great
Control: Protect family time, coursework, or a secondary role.
Focus: Choose cases that match your strengths (early learners, severe behavior, school systems).
Income mix: Stack school-year roles with clinic per-diem to smooth seasonality.
Variety: Rotate settings (home, school, clinic, telehealth) to sharpen skills and stay engaged.
When it’s not ideal
Chaotic intake plumbing: If a clinic’s intake and scheduling are messy, part-time staff absorb the chaos.
No documentation time: If the promise is “just see clients,” you’ll do unpaid admin after hours.
Unclear supervision: If you’ll be the only BCBA or the supervision model is vague, quality and compliance suffer.
Where to Find High-Quality Local Roles That Respect Your Time
District & Co-op lists: School districts post part-time/itinerant roles seasonally (spring hiring waves; mid-year backfills).
Hospital systems: Per-diem consults for short-term projects (feeding teams, developmental clinics).
Mid-sized clinics with satellite sites: Often need part-time leads to stabilize new locations.
University centers: Project-based BCBA work tied to grants or training clinics.
Telehealth-first providers: Offer multi-state, part-time windows with clear consent/telehealth SOPs.
How to sort the pile: In the posting or first call, ask for caseload size, average weekly contact, supervision ratios, and protected documentation blocks. If you get fuzziness, proceed carefully.
W-2 vs. 1099 for BCBAs
W-2 (employee): Lower hourly rate, but taxes withheld; potential benefits (health, PTO, CEU budget); malpractice coverage often included; mileage/drive-time policies may apply; tools provided or reimbursed.
1099 (contractor): Higher hourly rate to offset self-employment tax, no employer benefits, you buy tools/CEUs, and you should carry your own professional liability coverage. You also control your own schedule more tightly—but you must price non-billable time.
Pricing sanity check (for 1099)
Set an effective hourly target that includes:
Direct time (sessions, observations)
Indirect time (documentation, plan edits, graphing)
Supervision time (BST, integrity checks)
Travel & admin (intakes, coordination calls)
If a clinic pays $80/hr for direct and $40/hr for indirect, estimate real ratios (e.g., 3 hours direct + 1 hour indirect per case segment). Your blended rate is ~$70/hr before taxes; add travel, cancellations, and unpaid meetings to decide whether it meets your target.
Rule of thumb: For 1099 work, aim for a blended rate that is ~1.3–1.6× comparable W-2 hourly to cover taxes, benefits, and overhead.
Local Job Mix: Home, School, Clinic, Telehealth
Home & Community (common for per-diem): Great for evening blocks and caregiver coaching. Watch travel radius and paid drive time. School-based (part-time): Anchored to calendars; fewer summer hours but strong schedule predictability. Ask about stipends for ESY or bilingual services.
Clinic: Efficient for stacked observations, integrity sampling, and clip-based supervision libraries.
Telehealth: Highest schedule control; ensure consent/assent, camera angles, and privacy are in place.
Scheduling Templates That Keep You Sane
10–12 Hours/Week
Tu/Th 9:00–12:00: School observations + teacher BST micro-loops
Wed 1:00–3:00: Documentation & plan updates (protected block)
Fri 9:00–11:00: Family consults or telehealth follow-ups
15–20 Hours/Week
Mon/Wed 2:00–6:00: Clinic blocks (observations + supervision)
Tue 10:00–12:00: Fieldwork/trainee calibration (clip review)
Thu 9:00–11:00: Documentation, graphs, and integrity QA
Per-Diem Nights & Weekends
Tue/Thu 6:30–8:30 pm: Home coaching with caregiver practice
Sat 9:00–12:00: Telehealth BST + plan edits
Pro tip: Put documentation blocks on the calendar like sessions. “I can see you at 5:00, or we move to next week—I have paperwork obligations after 6:00.” If you don’t defend that time, it disappears.
Compliance & Quality: Non-Negotiables Even When You’re Per-Diem
Consent/assent and privacy: Know what’s covered (telehealth, recording, data storage). If the sibling wanders into frame, pause, reposition, and confirm consent before resuming.
Scope and competence: If a requested target is outside your wheelhouse, consult, co-treat, or refer.
Supervision: If you supervise RBTs or trainees, use BST and integrity checklists; document modality, duration, integrity %, and action items.
Documentation: Keep audit-ready notes—your name, credentials, date/time, what you observed, decisions, next steps.
Telehealth specifics: Waiting rooms/locks, role-based access, camera angles that capture critical steps, and retention rules for any recordings.
How to Vet Employers and Protect Your Schedule
Ask for these in writing:
Caseload cap and average intensity (hours/week per case)
Supervision ratio and whether there’s a stipend
Documentation time policy (paid? billed? how tracked?)
Cancellation rules (paid partials? same-day cancellations?)
Travel radius and reimbursement; telehealth policy
Who owns intake triage and consent (you shouldn’t chase paperwork at midnight)
Red flags:
“We don’t really do supervision, just check-ins.”
“You can squeeze notes in later.”
“We’ll figure out consent as we go.”
“Mileage isn’t paid; it’s just part of the job.”
A Clean Offer Math So You Don’t Regret Saying Yes
When comparing offers, build a quick value table:
Base/Hourly (W-2 vs. 1099)
Differentials (evenings/weekends; bilingual; high acuity)
Supervision stipend ($/month or $/supervisee)
Paid admin/doc time (hours/week)
Mileage/drive (rate + paid drive time policy)
CEUs (amount + paid CEU days)
Licensure fees (state LBA + renewals)
Tech stipend (telehealth equipment/software)
Two-path close: If base won’t move, ask for admin blocks + supervision stipend + CEU fund. Often cheaper for employers, better for you.
Email Scripts You Can Use
Clarify scope (pre-offer):
Hi [Name], thanks for the call. To confirm fit, could you share the expected weekly hours, supervision ratio, documentation policy, and travel radius for the role? If you have a sample week or caseload example, that would help me assess availability.
Counter with structure (post-offer):
I appreciate the offer at $X/hr for direct and $Y/hr for indirect. To deliver the quality you’re targeting, I need 1 hour of paid admin per 3 hours of direct, plus a $___ supervision stipend for [#] supervisees. If we can include those, I’m thrilled to accept.
A 30-Day Ramp Plan
Week 1:
Confirm consent templates, telehealth policies, and documentation format.
Calibrate with another supervisor via clip review (5–10 minutes).
Shadow 1–2 cases; write your first one-page supervision note.
Week 2:
Set case-level decision rules (when to thin prompts; integrity thresholds).
Schedule standing family/teacher updates (10–15 minutes weekly).
Week 3:
Run a BST micro-loop with each supervisee; set a single integrity goal.
Start a de-identified model clip library (secure storage).
Week 4:
Review integrity trends; add a quick dashboard (even a spreadsheet).
Debrief with leadership; adjust caseload and documentation blocks if needed.
Protecting Your Time: Boundary Phrases
“I reserve 30 minutes after each observation for documentation; let’s schedule the next session at :45.”
“We can add that target, but we’ll trade off another this week to keep feasibility and integrity high.”
“Telehealth is fine if we have consent and camera angles for the key steps; let me send a quick setup guide.”
“I can travel within 15 miles; beyond that I can offer telehealth or a travel differential.”
Building a Small, Mighty Toolkit
Templates: Monthly supervision log, 10–15 step integrity checklist for your top procedures (FCT, error correction, prompting), and a one-page supervision note.
Scheduling: One shared calendar label for admin/QA—treat it like a client.
Secure storage: HIPAA-friendly platform or BAA-backed drive; clear retention rules.
Mini-portfolio: De-identified graphs and 2–3 procedure one-pagers you can share with families/teachers.
School-Year vs. Calendar-Year Roles: How to Blend
School (part-time), Clinic (per-diem): Use school days for observations, evenings/weekends for clinic telehealth coaching.
Clinic (part-time), Home (per-diem): Cluster clinic days for supervision and integrity sampling; reserve one evening for home coaching.
Telehealth overlay: Keep one fixed telehealth office hour for families who can’t meet during workdays.
Guardrails: Don’t mix data systems without a plan; keep documentation formats consistent across settings to reduce error.
Telehealth Guardrails for Flexible Schedules
Consent scope: Spell out when remote observation is used and whether recording is permitted.
Camera angles: Provide a one-page guide (face + hands for prompting, room layout for transitions).
Privacy: Locks/waiting rooms; role-based access; pause when another child appears unexpectedly.
Documentation: Label modality (telehealth vs. in-person) in every note.
Red Flags in Part-Time & Per-Diem Listings
“Unlimited caseload potential”—sounds good, often means no triage.
“Be your own boss!”—fine for 1099, but ask about intake filters, cancellations, and documentation pay.
“We’re flexible on consent”—hard pass.
“Supervision as needed”—translate: little structure, high risk.
Quick-Reference Checklists
Interview Checklist:
Weekly hour cap & average case intensity
Supervision ratio & stipend
Paid admin/documentation time (policy + typical hours)
Travel radius, mileage, and drive-time pay
Telehealth SOPs + consent/assent language
Cancellation policy (paid partials? same-day rules?)
Data/EHR tools and secure storage
Who handles intake triage and document collection
Offer Checklist:
Written rates for direct vs. indirect time
Supervision stipend and max supervisees
CEU budget + paid CEU days
Licensure (LBA) fee coverage
Admin blocks on calendar (standing)
First 90-day review with metrics (integrity %, on-time notes)
Weekly Rhythm (10–20 hrs):
2–3 live observations/coaching blocks
1–2 supervision touchpoints (BST; integrity sampling)
1 documentation/QA block
1 family/teacher update block
Myths vs. Reality
Myth: Part-time means “light responsibility.” Reality: You’re still accountable for outcomes, supervision, and ethics—just with fewer total hours.
Myth: Per-diem is always better paid. Reality: It depends on blended time and policies (cancellations, unpaid meetings, travel). Run the math.
Myth: Telehealth is lower quality. Reality: With consent, good angles, and BST, telehealth coaching can accelerate learning and reduce travel fatigue.
Myth: Documentation can wait. Reality: Notes are part of care. Bake them into your schedule or your “flexible” job becomes after-hours unpaid labor.
14-Day Sprint to Land a Flexible Role Near You
Day 1–2: Update resume with outcome bullets (integrity %, generalization wins, supervision lifts).
Day 3–4: Shortlist 10 employers within 15 miles; check their Google Business Profiles and websites for intake maturity.
Day 5: Send five targeted emails with a two-line value pitch (supervision systems; telehealth SOPs).
Day 6–7: Prep interview answers and bring a de-identified supervision note + checklist.
Day 8–9: First-round calls; ask the offer math questions above.
Day 10: Shadow one case (paid) to test fit.
Day 11–12: Negotiate structure (admin blocks, supervision stipend, telehealth block).
Day 13–14: Sign and schedule your 30-day ramp plan.
About OpsArmy
OpsArmy is a global operations partner that helps businesses scale by providing expert remote talent and managed support across HR, finance, marketing, and operations. We specialize in streamlining processes, reducing overhead, and giving companies access to trained professionals who can manage everything from recruiting and bookkeeping to outreach and customer support. By combining human expertise with technology, OpsArmy delivers cost-effective, reliable, and flexible solutions that free up leaders to focus on growth while ensuring their back-office and operational needs run smoothly.
Learn more at: https://operationsarmy.com
Comments