Happy in the UK (guest) 19 Aug 2015 23:57
Since this is the beginning of another round of applications for many of you, I thought I should bring up the possibility of applying outside the US. As someone that is just starting a new job in a mid-sized school in the UK I want to encourage everyone to look for jobs outside the US.
I understand that for many of you the thought of living outside the US is frightening, mostly because of wanting to be close to your family or because it's much harder for your spouse to find a job. Yes, it can be challenging to move to another country, especially with a spouse and kids. However, you might miss on an adventure and experiences that very few have.
Just by reading the posts here one can feel the despair of many. American universities and colleges seem to be consumed with all the metrics of publications/grants/teaching etc (I am not even getting into the academic atmosphere that is less free than what is used to and found in other places). Even the worse schools can be very selective in their hires because so many good people apply. My feeling, based on my experience and also of some other people that made a similar move, is that schools in the UK and Australia are less consumed by those metric. They are much more open to researchers with unusual trajectories, even ones that obtained a PhD from a different field (as I did).
In the US I stood no chance of getting a job (as evident by my zero interviews for TT positions). In contrast, I got several interview invites from really good schools in the UK and Australia (you can also apply for some other places in Europe where English is the predominant language). I have an average publication and grant record but I my research is a bit unusual and truly interdisciplinary, which is much more appreciated in other places (in the US people say they want such research but eventually tend to hire based on traditional disciplines).
There are many wonderful schools, that in my view, are as good if not better than a typical R2 or SLAC in the US. You can easily search for such jobs in specific websites. Salary is competitive and in many places there is less pressure than in a TT job in the US. In fact, most positions do not hold a tenure track path but in contrast, your job is secured unless you really screw it up. Many schools have a true balance between research and teaching while in the US most universities tend to prefer one over the other.
Another advantage for applying to the UK/Australia jobs is that there is much more transparency in the application process. Usually it's much faster than in the US, around one month in total, and on campus interviews are conducted for everyone on the same day and offered is made the same day or shortly after and everyone is notified about the decision.
So again, I know that it might not apply to some, and you need to adapt to a different system and terminology, but you would be surprised how easily one adjust to living in another country, and especially in Europe you get to meet students from all over and travel to very nice places (and your loved ones can have a great time visiting you in a foreign country!).
