Traveling RBT Jobs: Find High-Paying Gigs Across the U.S

Traveling RBT jobs let you work across the U.S., earning $18–$30+/hour with potential housing and travel stipends. Find high-paying gigs through staffing agencies, enjoy flexibility, and gain diverse ABA experience.

If you’re an RBT (or thinking about becoming one), this is honestly one of the few jobs where you can travel, live out of a suitcase, and still make decent money while actually helping people.

Becoming an RBT doesn’t require a college degree. You just need to be over 18, have a high school diploma, pass a background check, complete a 40-hour ABA training, and pass the RBT exam. That’s it.

What’s a Traveling RBT?

A traveling RBT is basically what it sounds like: you don’t stick to one clinic or school.

You’re hopping between homes, schools, clinics, or community programs.

Your job? Show up, run the BCBA’s plan, collect data, and deal with whatever chaos each place throws at you.

Basically, you’ve gotta be flexible, think on your feet, and keep your cool.

Schedules change, environments change, rules can feel like a maze, but that’s part of the gig. It’s challenging, but honestly, it keeps things interesting.

Where Are the Jobs?

Honestly? Everywhere.

There are gigs all over the U.S. Agencies like Epic Special Education Staffing, AMN Healthcare, and Orange Tree Staffing constantly post “traveling RBT” or “school-based RBT” contracts.

Some of the hottest spots I’ve seen? Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Michigan, you name it.

Pay’s not bad either.

Most of the time you’re looking at $18–$30+/hour, and in high-cost or rural areas, agencies often throw in untaxed stipends for housing, food, whatever, sometimes $500–$700 a week.

Seriously, there are weeks pulling $1,500–$2,000 without touching overtime. Not bad for literally traveling around, helping people and seeing the country a bit.

Working While Traveling

Yes, you can totally work as an RBT while traveling. Two main paths:

1. Travel contracts through an ABA staffing agency and this is the classic route. Agencies handle clients, schedules, and sometimes even housing. You just show up, do your sessions, and move on to the next assignment.
2. Telehealth / remote ABA. All you need is a solid internet connection. Run sessions over video, collect data digitally, and you can work from basically anywhere. This is Perfect if you’re hopping around a lot.

In both cases, you need to maintain your active RBT certification and supervision (5% of your hours), but most of that can be done via Zoom or other video platforms.

There’s no BACB rule saying you must stay in one place, just a few common-sense regulations about maintaining your certification and following ethics.

Rules, Licenses, and State Laws

RBT is a national credential, so for the most part, you can take it anywhere.

That said, a few states, such as Washington, Nevada, Oregon, and Louisiana, have their own local registration rules, so double-check before booking a gig there.

Also, if you’re doing telehealth across state lines, most states require you to be licensed or registered where your client is, not just where you’re sitting with your laptop.

Housing and Living Arrangements

Here’s where traveling gets fun.

Many agencies offer housing stipends or even set up your lodging. For example:

• One travel RBT reported $18/hr plus $500–$700/week untaxed for housing, food, and other necessities.
• AMN Healthcare can arrange housing for you, deducting a fixed weekly fee from your paycheck.
• Epic Special Ed Staffing doesn’t handle housing, so you’ll need to find your own temporary digs.

Telehealth?

Easy. Internet and a laptop, and you’re golden. No fixed address required (BACB rules just say keep your contact info updated).

What It’s Really Like as a Traveling RBT?

Traveling RBT work isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

You’re constantly switching environments, meeting new clients, learning the ropes of different schools or clinics, and juggling schedules.

Some days it’s all driving between homes or classrooms; other days it’s supervision calls, data entry, and figuring out where you’re supposed to be next.

But the upside? Huge.

Higher pay, variety, travel perks, untaxed stipends, and sometimes seriously cool destinations.

One RBT I know was making $1,800/week in Santa Fe, NM. Another pulled $50/hr in St. Croix, USVI.

But it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Success comes down to a few things, such as reliable transportation, solid time management, and strong communication skills.

You’ve got to think on your feet, build rapport fast, and be ready for whatever the day throws at you.

Some RBTs thrive on the adventure; others prefer sticking to one site, and that’s totally fine too.

Quick Cheat Sheet

Availability: Jobs are everywhere.

Seriously, you can find gigs all over the U.S., Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Michigan… these are usually hot spots. Keep an eye on staffing agencies as they post new contracts all the time.

Remote/Telehealth: If you’re not ready to live out of a suitcase, you can do fully remote sessions. All you need is solid internet.

You won’t get the in-person experience, but it’s super flexible and keeps your sanity intact.

Certification: Stay on top of your RBT credential and supervision hours (5%).

And always check the rules if your clients are in a different state, don’t get caught off guard.

Housing/Logistics: Some contracts throw in housing or stipends, some don’t.

Telehealth removes all that stress, but if you go the travel route, plan ahead so you’re not scrambling every week.

Work Difficulty: Traveling RBT work isn’t easy.

You’ll be hopping between clients, juggling locations, and driving a lot. But the pay, the experience, and the variety?

Totally worth it.

Be organized, stay flexible, and remember, your ability to adapt is your superpower. Some days are crazy, some are amazing, but you’ll grow so much faster than sitting in one clinic.

Do I Recommend Travelling as an RBT?

Honestly?

I do, but let me be real with you.

Being a traveling or remote RBT isn’t all sunshine and Instagram-worthy coffee shops.

Some days you’re rushing between homes or schools, juggling schedules, running sessions back-to-back, and trying not to forget a client’s data sheet in the chaos.

It’s exhausting, and there’s a learning curve, especially when you’re figuring out how to adapt to new environments, new kids, and new rules constantly.

That said, the perks are huge.

You get paid really well compared to a typical RBT gig, sometimes with untaxed stipends for housing or food. You see parts of the country (or world, if you go remote) you wouldn’t otherwise.

You meet amazing people, learn to think on your feet, and grow professionally faster than you would in a single-site role.

Some of my favorite RBT friends have had weeks making $1,500–$2,000, all while seeing new places and building skills no classroom could give them.

So, here’s my advice: go in knowing it’s demanding.

You’ll need patience, organization, and a thick skin for those crazy days when nothing goes as planned. But if you can handle that, it’s seriously rewarding.

You’ll come out stronger, smarter, and with stories you’ll never forget.

Just remember, take care of yourself, keep your RBT certification up to date, and always build in a little downtime to recharge. The adventure is amazing, but burnout is real if you don’t respect your limits.

If you love variety, flexibility, and a little bit of controlled chaos, traveling or remote RBT work can be life-changing.

Just be ready to work for it, and enjoy the ride.