Mobility in Academia

Mobility in Academia

anon (guest) 08 Sep 2015 14:48

I've been having a conversation on another forum about mobility and academia. It's coming up because I am contemplating leaving a US TT position for an overseas position. In talking with colleagues/mentors at R1s they have essentially told me it is the kiss of death in terms of ever being able to return to a US institution for research. Others (in non-psych fields) are telling me that academia is one of the most versatile/mobile careers there is. And then I think about the US job market. We grab a TT position like it is a life raft and hold on tightly until tenure and then never leave. Is it like this in any other career? I don't see a lot of folks in psych moving institutions throughout their careers…usually big names at top universities, and even then it is rare.

anon2 (guest) 08 Sep 2015 15:21

I personally have seen a number of people move between TT job within the US. Usually at the Asst level, I think it gets harder after tenure. My PhD advisor was on her second TT job when we worked together, others in that dept (R1) moved in from other jobs and out to other jobs while I was there. My current dept (R2) also sees a fair amount of this. It may be more common in research-oriented depts, where you can become more visible/marketable based on research productivity. I imagine the more you teach the more difficult it is to keep yourself competitive on the market. It may also depend on geography, with some people wanting to leave flyover state college towns and others seeing flagship state universities (often in such towns) as super desirable, career-wise.

I can't speak to your international issue, which is probably what would be most helpful. Is it similar to TT or a completely different kind of work? Best of luck!

anon (guest) 08 Sep 2015 20:02

Thanks anon2. The position is TT and is quite a dream position in terms of the research I do. I'm quite an island at my current institution and this would be a place surrounded by those who conduct similar research. I would be maintaining my research productivity (teaching responsibilities are lighter than what I have now, only 1 course per year) and get to expand to an intervention/applied focus.

I've heard of people dabbling in the market pre- and post-tenure, but haven't seen many moves, at least in my circles.