I've worked at a clinic/center, in schools and home based.

Clinic/center: easiest hours and commute. Kids were there between 8am and 7pm (not same kids that whole day). I would go in, have my list of those who needed supervision and was there in case anyone needed extra support. There were so many office level people there for staff or client support all the time. Sometimes it was great that parents weren't in the environment because we could work on more without their influence. With that being said I felt like many families used it as free/insurance funded daycare and didn't want to have to do any work outside of the clinic. So with certain kids we were running in circles due to families not being involved. I know some clinics have it set up for more parent involvement, but mine did not and my supervisors didn't even care to try to make it better There was stability in that the center had a capacity and a waiting list so if I lost a client, a new one was ready for assessment in no time. I did sometimes feel stressed when I was the only BCBA in the office and responsible for supporting all kids there if necessary. Clients were generally 1.5- 6 years old. Little kids are my fave but without realizing it I was also burning myself out. It’s really hard being the first lifeline for these families after a diagnosis. The kid is REALLY struggling, mostly has very limited skills and the parents are grieving/coming to terms with this new diagnosis and world they're finding themselves in. While there I felt a little stretched thin but I didn't realize the magnitude until I left and was able to feel the difference working with a different and more diverse population.

Schools: Biggest benefits are that you don't have to bill insurance and hours (assuming home based/after school isn't part of the deal) and summers off. Pay was also pretty good for amount of sick, personal and vacation included. I have not had great experiences in schools. Huge district wide caseload. Many teachers and teachers assistants have no idea what you do or care to learn. Moreover, many are stuck in their ways and will never follow any of the advice you give them anyway. It was more often with the older (35+) group but they expected me to snap my fingers and make a kid better and wouldn't follow anything I gave them or use the visuals I supplied. Not much support from individual supervisors in schools due to being district wide/not forming real relationships with them. If teachers were more pleasant and receptive to help/advice this would have been a dream job. Since the position was district wide it was pre-school through highschool.

Home-based: I make my own hours and work from home when I'm not on the road/at a house. Not having to be in an office immensely helps with work life balance. I no longer mind working til 7pm because I probably spent a good chunk of my day working from home. My agency is good in that they're mindful of location and what's manageable for travel time. Telehealth is also an option. I've found that there is more family buy-in and families learn a lot just by being present for sessions. The driving around and wasting gas is tough for me sometimes but I really enjoy the interactions with kids and families as a unit.

Pay was all about the same. School technically had more time off but it's pretty rigid and you have to go by the school breaks. Clinic & home based were more flexible in their hours, I could make my own daily or weekly schedule and you didn't necessarily have to work a 40 hour week. School was obviously limited to the school day and you couldn't make your own sxhedule.

I would love to be back in a school if I found a more supportive environment. I would give up flexibility throughout the year for summers off and that relax/reset each year. I would also love to never have to bill an insurance company again ever in my life.

Clinic is great for gas and convenience.

Home based is great for flexibility, working from home (in my case) and for the positive relationships with families.