1. The Academic Job Search
Some (hopefully) useful tidbits on your way to landing a good position.
PFTP Panel
20/October/2009

2. Questions about job searching
What are the options for jobs? Which one is right for me?
The job finding process and questions:
Can I negotiate salaries?
How important are benefits?
Will teaching load make a difference?
What if I need a position for my partner?
Disclaimer: Can only speak from my own experience…
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

3. What kind of place do I want?
Smaller school vs. bigger school?
Pros and cons in each.
Bigger/competitive school:
Pros: Larger pool of very good students for your group.
Cons: Higher pressure on faculty. Harder to get tenure.
Smaller school:
Pros: If you’re hired, the school has an incentive to see you succeed.
Cons: Less visibility, less students to choose from.
University vs. National Lab (for example)
Teaching+Research
Research only
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

4. Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez
Interviewing
Department visit
Academic job interviews:
You won’t have a “supervisor”
You are not joining a company, rather a community of equals.
One on one chats with many faculty.
Questions you should have:
What is the environment in this department like? Is it collegial?
Questions they will have:
Is this a person I would like to be working with until for the next years?
Have fun discussing the research of the faculty
You will learn a lot
Always good to know what each faculty you’ll meet is up to.
Read their profiles, papers.
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

5. Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez
Negotiating salaries
Should you negotiate? Absolutely!
Should you be careful how you do it? Absolutely!
My take: get as much information as you can.
What is the average starting salary for assistant professors?
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

6. Example: UC Asst. Professors
Range of 9-mo Salaries (2007)
53K – 69K
UC has a lower salary rate than other universities.
“Offscale” salary in UC
Need to pay more than official scale to stay competitive.
My case (Assoc I):
9-mo: 66,100+12,068
Different salaries for each of 6 steps.
All UC salaries are public.
Records are kept at the library.
9-mo salary comes from UC… but the year has 12 months…
Grant (e.g. NSF) 2-mo summer
Can add 0.5 mo from startup
My 11.5 mo salary: 99,881
Get as much information as you can!
Oct 2008
Annual Monthly
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

7. Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez
Benefits
Standard:
Health plans
Medical, Dental, Optical
Insurance
Life, Disability, Accidental Death
Retirement (401(a), 403(b), 457(b)…)
Employer matching?
Not so standard… some examples from UC
Pension.
Example: If I stay at my earning level until age 65: $5262/mo (for life)
Housing allowance.
UC can give up to 52K (taxable) towards your primary residence.
Mortgage assistance
UC can provide a mortgage below market rates.
Market rate today: 5.2%
UC rate today: 3.9%
Difference for a $400K 30-year morgtage: $111K
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

8. Teaching load: variations by field
Physics:
Teach every quarter.
Neuroscience:
Teach one quarter for each Academic Year
As a starting faculty: teaching release is common for the first year.
Find out about sabbatical accrual.
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

9. Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez
Two-body problem
What if we need two jobs?
Bring this up early on in the process!
Some universities have specific programs
UC Davis: Partner Opportunities Program
Key: Apply to places where both partners have good chances.
Departments have their own plans, do you and your partner fit in those plans?
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez

10. High Energy Nuclear Physics Group
Best of luck!
High Energy Nuclear Physics Group
2/18/2019
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez