Providers

For many of the gigs we offer, you’ll see a blast by email. With other requests, we’ll reach out directly to you. Keep in mind that all of our blasts are curated. This means that we’re reaching out to a specific group of people who fit the profile of interpreter the client is requesting. Please do not share this email without checking with us first. 

While there is no pressure to respond either way to blast inquiries, it helps us be more effective in supporting the client when you tell us you’re not available. We understand that sometimes you don’t have time to say “I’m not available.” If you just send us a ‘no’ back, it’s helpful and will never hurt our feelings. We want to be able to focus our resources in the best places possible and a seemingly curt response will not compromise your relationship with us.

If you are available and the job is still open, we will send you a confirmation via email. If you have any questions ahead of booking the gig, include them in your first response so that we don’t accidentally book you into something you’re still on the fence about.

From time to time you may see a gig posted to Usked. All posted jobs are either pre-screened and posted to select groups or open access jobs we feel would be appropriate for a wide range of providers. Feel free to respond in the platform directly to let us know that you're interested.

Access scheduled work via usked.

All the details to set you up for success should be in Usked. If you have any issues accessing the job, or see anything missing, please let us know. It's never our intention to make you search for things.

Special Settings

Some jobs have unique requirements or policies. Here's some that we regularly interface with.

Medical Work

• Some medical work (notably the hospital systems) requires specific vaccinations. If we ask for it, it's because it's their rule, not ours.

• Medical settings can be pretty gnarly. It's best practice to wear closed toed shoes to any medical facility.

• There may also be training required for some facilities. We will communicate this with you and compensate you for any required training.

Correctional Systems

• For any correctional work (DOC, DJJ, etc), the dress code goes beyond just professional. Knee-length skirts that might be appropriate in other settings are a no go here. Closed toe shoes are also required. Full dress code can be found here.

• Correctional facilities have different rules about what can/ can't be brought in. We keep the most accurate lists we can and will share before you head to any of these jobs.

K12

• The world can be bananas, and school systems want to make sure that kids are as safe as possible. That said, we are required to conduct background checks on our K12 contractors. We will cover the cost of this and happily share a copy if you'd like a record. This does not include a credit check.

DMV

• We absolutely trust you, and we prefer to minimize paperwork as much as possible. That said, the Virginia DMV has their own way of doing things. They require this form to be filled out for any DMV job. We know. We also hate this. We are sorry.

Prep

We do our best to find and pass along all the prep work we can. For post-secondary work, we strive to get the interpreting team access to Canvas courses. If classes are underway and you have not yet gotten in, please let us know.

Cancellations

In general, Mosaic considers any job that cancels less than 48 hours prior to its scheduled start time to be billable. Unless a job has a special travel arrangement, jobs that cancel on arrival are billable inclusive of travel charges.

If you as the independent contractor must cancel, please let us know as soon as possible. As an independent contractor, you are under no onus to complete every assignment you accept, but please be considerate and professional when you do need to cancel. Mosaic attempts to communicate changes in a timely manner and enjoys partners who do the same.

Force Majure

It’s important to keep in mind that some assignment may be canceled and unbillable due to force majeure. Common examples of events considered force majeure include natural disasters (including snow), acts of war, terrorism, government actions, strikes, or other unforeseen events.

In most instances, force majeure is non-billable. That said, if we’re able to negotiate payment, we will always pass this along to you.

Client No-Show/ Late Arrival

If a client hasn't arrived, we ask that you wait 20 minutes per hour of scheduled time (20 mins for 1 hour jobs, 40 mins for 2 hour jobs, etc).

If a representative of the hiring entity (doctor's office front desk, etc) tells you that a client would need to reschedule when they are more than 20 minutes late, we don't expect you to hang around.

Please send us a quick text or email if your client is a no-show.

Job Running Over

Sometimes a job last beyond the scheduled time. If this happens and you're able to stay, please do! Just let us know within 24 business hours so that we can adjust your time and pay you for that extra work.

If you're not able to stay past your scheduled time, that's ok! If you have a hard stop and things are running long, please let both the clients and us know. It's possible we can send in reinforcements. Either way, we support you advocating for yourself should you need to leave.

Feedback

We value your insight as a professional and welcome any feedback you've got. Things not as expected? Language info on a client? Specific jargon that would be helpful? Give us the good, the bad, and the ugly here.

While we love feedback, we will never accept feedback that is predatory or attacking in any manner. We will not hesitate to terminate a relationship with an entity in the interest of interpreter health, wellbeing, and safety.

As a reminder, we do not maintain business relationships with clients who communicate grievances surrounding gender expression, sex, sexual orientation, sexual identity, transition status, race, color, creed, religion, political affiliation, status as a parent, marital status, pregnancy, age or anything we deem as discriminatory.

Liability Insurance

If you're working as a freelance interpreter/contractor, it's best practice to carry professional liability insurance. This insurance can protect you should things go awry on the job. We recommend connecting with Mary Viles and/or Proliability's policies for affordable and reputable coverage.

Supplemental Insurance

We recognize it can be rough out there. We offer all our contractors access to our pool of AFLAC coverage. While we hope you stick around, coverage is fully portable, meaning you don't need to maintain a connection to Mosaic in order to keep it. Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Cancer Care, Accident, Whole Life, and Term Life policies are available. 

Health Insurance Support

Navigating health insurance can be intimidating. While it's not a solution to *gestures broadly*, we trust Mary Viles to guide us through the options. Mary is a wizard at helping freelancers find obtainable coverage, and she specializes in navigating the Marketplace. We've worked with her since 2018 and trust her completely. There is no fee for her services.

Financial Planning Services

As interpreters, sometimes our knowledge is an inch deep and a mile wide. Though we try, we can't be experts in everything; sometimes outsourcing expertise is the best plan. Personally and professionally, we trust Ronnie Womack at Highland Path Financial Group to manage our dollars. Our founder has worked with Ronnie for well over a decade, and called him rather than her husband before purchasing a car (He talked her through it; it worked out great.). Ronnie works with more than a dozen sign language interpreters and gets our business. Collectively, he's navigated us through buying homes, childcare expenses, retirement planning, and honestly life. Though he's in high demand, Mosaic pays a small fee to hold his time for our folks. Let him know you're with us, and he'll figure it out. There is no cost to you for his services. 

On a side note, to better support his growing interpreter and Deaf client base, Ronnie is taking ASL classes via ASL Champs. Ronnie, we think you're champ. 

Use the assignment hourly rate to calculate the dollar value of your round-trip travel.

Input this amount in the “Expense” field.
Input the total round-trip miles traveled in the Expense “Notes” field.

Example: Interpreter JD’s assignment rate is $50/hour. She travels 18 miles round-trip (9 miles each way) for this assignment.

8 miles falls between 0 - 25 miles, equating to .5 hour of travel
$50/hour * ½ hour = $25
JD inputs $25 in the “Expense” field and 18 miles in the Expense “Notes” field.

Travel: Mileage Reimbursement

Mosaic honors the current federal rate. Input the round-trip mileage to the “Miles” field. That’s it! Easy peasy!
Mosaic reimburses portal time or mileage per assignment, not both.

Questions/Concerns

Please email any Usked questions rather than texting. We want to make sure things do not get buried or forgotten, and we may need time to research your query. Reach out to us at invoices@mosaicinterpretingservices.com

Payment via Check

If you would like to receive payment via paper check, please ensure we have a current W-9 on file with the accurate payee name and address.

Email W-9 to admin@mosaicinterpretingservices.com or upload to your Usked profile.

Payment via Electronic Deposit

If you prefer to receive payment via electronic deposit, please ensure we have a current W-9 on file and share your banking information:

account type, routing number, and account number.

This can be done in several ways, including

Link to info/voided check (example: Google Drive),
Upload to your Usked profile,
Another way that makes you comfortable (Let us know!).