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Academics West
New York, New York

Occupational Therapist (Contractor)

Occupational TherapistContract

Listed compensation

$130K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 2mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Benefits

  • Independent contractor
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Independent Contractor

We are seeking a licensed occupational therapist to provide consultant work for our K-12 population of students with a variety of therapeutic needs. Experience with special education students (LD/ADHD/ASD) required to be considered. We pride ourselves on cultivating a collaborative and supportive work environment. This is a great opportunity for someone to expand their business and collaborate with an outstanding academic and clinical team.

Start date: Fall 2026

Responsibilities

  • Provide evidence-based Occupational Therapy treatment to our students with occupational needs.
  • Write progress notes on each student with appropriate treatment goals.
  • Consult with a multi-disciplinary team to support students related to OT needs.
  • Clinician invoices Academics West monthly for services provided

Qualifications

  • Licensed Occupational Therapist
  • Experience treating children and adolescent
  • 3-5+ years experience preferred

Hours: Three days a week and flexible during school day

Located in the heart of Lincoln Center-NYC, Academics West is a therapeutic school that services up to 85 students from 1st grade through 12th grade who exhibit social-emotional challenges and/or learning differences.

Our small student to teacher ratio (5:2) allows us to work more intensively with students, achieving good outcomes. Clinically Informed Academics (CIA) is an approach infused throughout the curriculum that considers the whole student to formulate effective individualized learning strategies.

This approach combines clinical knowledge with academic interventions to help students improve beyondwhat traditional methods can achieve. The programs are both therapeutic, treating the social-emotional aspects, and academic, providing intense support and strategies for educational success.

  • To Apply
  • Email a cover letter of interest stating how you learned of the position opening,
  • The position will remain open until filled.
  • All applications will be kept confidential.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Treatment PlanningProgress Note WritingMultidisciplinary CollaborationPediatric CareClinical Consultation

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In New York, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$94k (400 salary observations; 865 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (6,588 salary observations; 25,229 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for New York is 107.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$130k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $120k in an average-cost state. 64.6% of New York clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 40 active Occupational Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 5% are remote, 48% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

Occupational Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Occupational Therapist (Contractor) at Academics West a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Occupational Therapy — ranked against 9,285 active Occupational Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top contract/1099 Occupational Therapist Jobs

22 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution22 jobs · 17 employers

9
<$105k
7
$105k-120k
2
$120k-135k
3
$135k-150k
1
$160k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks21 jobs · 17 employers

401k / retirement match
95%
Sign-on bonus
52%
CME allowance
48%
Loan repayment
24%
PSLF eligible
19%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist (Home Health)

21st Century Home Health Services · Galt, California

$130k-$160k
#2

Occupational Therapist

Sentara Health · Norfolk, Virginia

$96k-$141k
#3

Occupational Therapist Matawan NJ

$140k
#4

Occupational Therapist Marlboro NJ

$140k
+ 20 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 7.2
Among the best 10% of Occupational Therapy listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 9,285 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in New York

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$876k≈ 6.7× annual pay
Typical market rent
$4,154/mo≈ 38% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
40 min
State income tax
Up to 10.9%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

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About Academics West

Education
New York, NY
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Independent contractor
Flexible schedule
Collaborative work environment