Hi,

 

I'm just finishing my PhD in Biochemistry at an english university and I've thinking of applying for post doc positions in the states. I'm just wondering how the work ethic/pay differs on different sides of the atlantic.

 

Postdocs in my group are expected to work Mon - fri 9 - 5/6 obviously working later or working the odd weekend when the experiment requires. BBSRC post doc salary starts at approx £27, 000 ($50,000) but i've heard horror stories of people working 10 hour days 6 days a week in the states and the amount of holiday you get being minimal.

 

any ideas?

Well, I am doing another postdoc in the US, but I was postdoc in Germany (not UK) before. In any case, 55-70 h a week is actually normal for postdocs, at least in the biology section. However, this is the case anywhere in the US, as well as in Europe (from what I gathered from French, British and Russian colleagues). On the other hand, hours were not really regulated, it was just expected that you spent that time there (and chances are, if you don't you won't keep up with the work). You have to keep in mind that your schedule can be much tighter as a postdoc than as a grad student.

 

I do not know how many holidays there are in the UK but in the US there are only a dozen or so. And you get around 10-15 days per year additionally.

Regarding pay, it really depends where you end up but according NIH guidelines it was between 33-35 k for a first year postdoc. It can be higher or lower, however. On the plus side taxes are lower and if you do not stay longer than two years and your country has a tax exemption treaty you may be tax exempted. And the cost of living is lower, of course.

 

Regarding work ethics: I do not want to be appear biased or anything, but I can say that after 9 pm the common lab language tends to become Chinese (and sometimes Indian)...

In my lab, it tends to be Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, Russian or French during the day. Mainly Spanish at night.

To be honest, I am kind of surprised that there is not that much Spanish around here in the south (in the labs, that is).

To be honest, I am kind of surprised that there is not that much Spanish around here in the south (in the labs, that is).

 

We seem to have a lot of Argentinians at my school.