Episode 141: Jenny Yeh – Before You Say Yes: Choosing the Right Clinic to Work In

A clinic job can look attractive from a distance. The location is convenient. The hours are reliable. The income offers some security. You receive the offer and feel relieved that the interview is behind you.

Then you see the treatment room.

For remedial massage therapist Jenny Yeh, that sequence exposed a gap in how many therapists approach clinic interviews. The therapist is often so focused on being accepted that they forget to assess the workplace offering the role.

Jenny joined Jackie and David on the Folding Towels Podcast to discuss her experience of receiving two job offers on the same day, choosing the one that appeared more secure and then withdrawing when the clinic’s working practices conflicted with her professional standards.

Her experience offers a practical framework for any massage therapist considering employment or clinic-based work: inspect the physical environment, clarify responsibilities and decide whether the clinic’s values are compatible with your own before saying yes.

From childcare to massage

Before becoming a massage therapist, Jenny worked with children and families in childcare centres and kindergartens in Taiwan.

When she first came to Australia on a working holiday, she hoped to continue working in childcare. Visa conditions made that difficult because she could not remain with the same employer for more than six months. Jenny felt that the lack of continuity would not be appropriate for the children, and her English was not yet strong enough for the work she had previously done.

She began considering other possibilities.

Walking through Australian shopping centres and local streets, Jenny noticed the number of massage businesses. Massage appeared to be something Australians valued, and it was work she could imagine learning. Her childcare background had already introduced her to infant massage, giving her a point of connection with the profession.

What began as a practical career decision became a 15-year path.

Jenny later developed her work in pregnancy massage, fertility massage and infant massage. Those interests were not a sharp departure from her previous career. She saw them as a continuation of her experience supporting children and families.

“I look after children, and then I can look after family now,” she explained.

Her areas of practice developed gradually. Pregnancy massage led her to meet people experiencing difficulty becoming pregnant, which led to fertility massage. Infant massage returned her to skills she had first encountered through childcare.

Jenny describes the process as something that flowed naturally rather than following a rigid career plan. It also gave her a clearer answer to a question many therapists eventually face: what can I offer that reflects my background, interests and strengths?

Two offers and two different compromises

At the time of this interview, Jenny operated her own home studio and had previously worked casually within a physiotherapy clinic.

She enjoyed the flexibility, but casual work did not provide the income security she wanted as she worked towards buying a house. She began looking for a part-time clinic role that could provide a more dependable financial base alongside her own practice.

Two offers arrived on the same day.

The first clinic was closer to Jenny’s home. It offered more hours, although at a lower hourly rate. The number of hours meant she could rely less heavily on the changing appointment numbers in her home studio.

The second clinic was further away and offered roughly half the hours, but the hourly rate was higher. The schedule would allow Jenny to continue seeing her established private clients.

Neither option was perfect. One offered security and convenience. The other offered better pay per hour and room to retain the practice Jenny had already built.

Jenny initially accepted the first offer. More hours and a shorter commute appeared to support her immediate financial goal.

Only after accepting did she return to the clinic for a team meeting and see the room where she would be working.

The questions Jenny had not asked

Jenny is candid about finding job interviews difficult.

When an interviewer asked whether she had any questions, she would often say no. The pressure of the interview left her mind blank, and she had relatively little experience independently seeking clinic work. A previous position had come through a physiotherapist she already knew.

During the interview for the role she initially accepted, Jenny was asked to demonstrate her massage skills in front of several physiotherapists. The interview lasted around two hours and covered her background and practical abilities.

However, she was not shown the treatment room. The clinic did not explain what equipment would be available, who would supply the linen or who would manage the laundry.

Jenny did not recognise those omissions until the later staff meeting.

The massage table appeared old, and Jenny questioned whether it would be comfortable and suitable for her clients. More concerning was what she understood to be the clinic’s expectation that linen would not be changed for every client.

She went home distressed and began questioning her decision. She had already turned down the second offer and did not know how to tell the first clinic she had changed her mind.

Her husband suggested that she write to the clinic directly. Jenny raised the condition of the massage table and requested enough linen to change it between clients.

The response was that the clinic would reconsider additional linen after she completed her probationary period.

For Jenny, the table could potentially wait. Linen hygiene could not.

She withdrew from the role before starting.

When professional standards and financial security collide

Walking away was not a simple decision. Jenny had actively sought greater stability, and the clinic had offered the hours that could support her plans.

However, the response to her concerns told her more about the workplace than the original interview had.

Jenny did not see changing linen between clients as an optional preference or something to negotiate after probation. She viewed it as part of providing hygienic and respectful care. She also questioned whether the clinic would apply the same standard when treating its own family members.

Her experience illustrates how quickly financial considerations can dominate a job decision. Pay, hours, travel and security are legitimate factors. Therapists need sustainable income, and Jenny was open about stable work being part of her plan to buy a house.

But income could not compensate for working in a way that made her uncomfortable.

“If the only thing that you’re happy with is money,” Jenny said, “you probably have to think to leave.”

The issue was not that money was unimportant. Jenny repeatedly acknowledged that it supports everyday life and longer-term goals. Her conclusion was narrower and more practical: a therapist cannot remain comfortably in a workplace when the income is the only part of the job that fits.

Jenny reminded herself that receiving two offers on the same day meant she could find another opportunity. That gave her enough confidence to reject the arrangement rather than accept conditions she believed were wrong.

She then contacted the second clinic and asked whether its offer was still available.

It was.

When Jenny explained why she had reconsidered, the clinic reassured her that it did not operate in the same way. The response gave her greater confidence in the workplace and its values. Although the role offered fewer hours and required more travel, she could continue operating her home studio and caring for her established clients.

What to inspect before accepting a clinic role

Jenny’s experience changed how she would approach future interviews.

Her first recommendation is simple: ask to see the room.

A clinic tour should not be treated as an optional extra. The physical environment affects whether a therapist can work comfortably, safely and in a way that suits their client group.

Jenny suggests checking:

• The size and layout of the treatment room
• The type, condition and dimensions of the massage table
• Whether the table suits the therapist’s style of treatment
• What equipment the clinic supplies
• What the therapist is expected to provide
• How linen is supplied, changed and laundered
• Whether these responsibilities are clearly recorded in the agreement

The table itself may need to suit the therapist’s area of practice. Jenny works with pregnant clients and prefers a wider table than may be required for some other forms of massage. A room or table that works for one practitioner may not work for another.

Supplying some of your own equipment is not necessarily unreasonable. Problems arise when the expectations are unclear or only become apparent after the offer has been accepted. If the therapist must provide equipment, consumables or linen, both parties should understand and agree to that arrangement beforehand.

The same applies to laundry. Therapists need to know who supplies the linen, who washes it and whether there is enough to maintain appropriate changeover practices throughout the day.

These questions reveal more than operational detail. The way a clinic responds can show how it approaches practitioner concerns, client care and professional responsibility.

Values, clients and workplace fit

The physical room was not the only issue Jenny reconsidered.

After withdrawing from the role, she looked more carefully at the clinic’s website and realised it had a strong sports focus. That did not align particularly well with the clients she most wanted to see or the areas of practice she had developed.

Jenny’s work had grown around pregnancy, fertility, infant massage and supporting families. She recognised that the clinic’s usual client base might have left her doing work that did not suit her interests.

Her experience adds another question to the interview list: who is this clinic actually for?

A therapist might reasonably ask:

• What types of clients does the clinic usually see?
• Why is the clinic adding massage?
• What kind of work will the therapist be expected to provide?
• Does the clinic understand the therapist’s particular area of practice?
• Are the clinic’s direction and the therapist’s professional interests compatible?

No clinic will perfectly match every practitioner. Most jobs require some flexibility, and financial security may justify compromises around hours, travel or preferred work.

A mismatch becomes harder to manage when it affects several parts of the role at once: the treatment environment, hygiene expectations, client population, clinical interests and communication with management.

Jenny encourages therapists to understand the clinic’s values, mission and direction before applying, rather than selecting roles at random and trying to make them fit afterwards.

Interviews should work both ways

Massage therapists often enter interviews prepared to prove themselves.

They bring their qualifications, provider numbers and practical experience. They answer questions about their background and demonstrate their techniques. Their attention stays on whether the clinic approves of them.

Jenny’s story reverses that focus.

The practitioner is also deciding whether the clinic deserves their labour, judgement and professional reputation.

That assessment is particularly difficult for new graduates, quieter practitioners and people who do not perform confidently in formal interviews. David noted that traditional face-to-face interviews can favour extroversion and rehearsed answers rather than competence. A practitioner who freezes when asked an abstract interview question may still be thoughtful, reliable and highly skilled with clients.

Clinic owners can create better conversations by helping candidates feel comfortable and discussing the actual work in concrete terms. Show them the room. Explain the equipment and linen systems. Describe the clients. Clarify responsibilities. Introduce them to the team where appropriate.

A practical demonstration may also be useful when it allows a therapist to communicate through the work they know best. It should sit within a transparent process rather than replace clear information about the role.

For therapists, preparation can reduce the likelihood of going blank when the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions?”

Write the questions down. Take them into the interview. Ask to see the room before accepting an offer. If an answer is vague, ask for clarification. Pay attention not only to what the clinic says, but also to how it responds to a reasonable professional concern.

Jenny’s experience ended well. She found a clinic where she enjoys working while continuing her home practice. She also left the experience with a clearer understanding of what she needs from a workplace and what she will ask before accepting another role.

Her final advice to newer therapists extends beyond interviews: identify the clients you want to work with and the areas that sustain your interest.

“You can’t do everything. You can’t know everything,” she said. “You have to spend some time asking yourself: what is my specialty, and what is my passion?”

A job offer is not simply an invitation to be accepted. It is a proposal to enter a working relationship. Before saying yes, inspect the environment, clarify the arrangement and decide whether you can practise there with confidence.

Listen to Episode 141: Jenny Yeh – Before You Say Yes: Choosing the Right Clinic to Work In.

Share this episode with another therapist, particularly someone beginning their career or considering a new clinic role.

To learn more about Jenny, visit icarehealthmassage.com.au.

Have a professional story that could support other massage therapists? Visit foldingtowelspodcast.com.au and select Be Our Guest.