At some point in the process, hopefully the Chair (or someone) would have given you some indication as to how much they are prepared to invest for your startup, salary, etc. It’s good to know what they’re thinking as you don’t want to lowball your first offer but you also don’t want to ask for squillions of dollars if they’re only thinking in terms of hundreds or thousands.
Take your time to put together a concise itemized list of demands that, at the very least, should include the items listed below. Run the list by a trusted mentor before you send it to make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything and that you’re not asking for stupid things (they won’t give you the 100” flat screen tv and surround sound unit for your office, regardless of how well you phrase the request).
The Chair and the Dean (and whoever else might be involved) will then chat about your request, decide on what they will/won’t agree to and will come back with a counteroffer that may or may not be in writing. Again, take your time to think about their offer, talk it over with someone you trust who can guide you through and then either make a counteroffer of your own or accept the terms if you’re happy with all of them. If they are completely clueless and are offering far below anything that you consider to be reasonable for you to be able to do your work, reconsider whether this is a place that will support you as a new faculty member.
If you have another offer already in writing, don’t be afraid to use it as a bargaining tool. You can be as magnanimous as you like about your science but you also need to look after your best interests. After all, this isn’t a carebear’s fucking tea party.
Once everyone has settled on things, a formal letter of offer (ala contract) will be sent to you. Make sure you read it thoroughly, note if anything is incorrect (double check the decimal points and the zeros) and only sign it if you’re happy with everything. The most important thing is to get everything in writing. Don’t take the Chair’s or the Dean’s word for it that you’ll get a summer salary or that you won’t have to teach for the first two years. GET IT IN WRITING. Was that clear enough? No? I’ll say it again just to make sure. GET IT IN WRITING. Everything.
Ok, now to the nitty gritty stuff. These are the things that I had to negotiate and that were in my contract. They may differ between schools, fields and individuals so I’m sure that others will chip in with stuff I’ve missed.
1. Salary
Do you know the difference between hard money and soft money positions? [Edit: clearly I didn't write it very clearly so the delightful PP clarified this distinction for me:]
Hard-money versus soft-money only refers to whether the institution has an obligation to pay your salary regardless of whether you are successful at supporting your salary with grants. Some hard-money faculty are in Schools of Arts & Sciences where 9 months of their salary is paid by the university, ostensibly for their teaching. Other hard-money faculty are in medical schools, where they are paid a twelve-month salary, but where they may still be expected to support anywhere between 60% and 85% of their salary from their grants. However, if these hard-money medical school faculty fail to support the expected percentage of their salary, the institution is still obligated to pay their salary.Now how much do you think you’re worth? If your chromosomes are all of the X variety, which is clearly the more superior option, there’s a fair chance that you will underestimate how much a school is willing to pay you for your awesomeness. Not sure about the ballpark? Did the Chair give you an indication of the salary range when you were interviewing? If so, start at the top. If not, there are a few places you can look as the salary range for an assistant professor will vary between fields, institutions, location, etc; the AAUP website is a place to start but remember that the assistant professor category includes everyone from 1st year to about-to-be-tenured faculty. If the school is a public institution, the salaries will most likely be available either in hard copy in the library or online. Look at what the current assistant professors in the dept are making but, more importantly, look at what the most recently hired assistant prof is getting and what the associate profs earn. Why? It’s called salary compression. Schools will typically offer more money to prospective hires than existing assistant profs and tenured associate profs in order to get the best and the brightest new faculty. It will totally suck when you’re a 4th year assistant prof or tenured associate prof to know that new hires will earn more than you but that’s what happens.
Any future salary raises will be determined by your starting salary so you want that to be as high as possible. And if, after a couple of years, you decide to pursue a position elsewhere, they’ll usually want to know how much you’ve been earning so that they can lowball you.
Ask your postdoc mentor for advice. Ask any current faculty member for advice. Don’t shortchange yourself because you will only screw yourself over. You can always ask for a raise later on but it probably won’t happen. Above all else, when you’ve come to a mutual agreement about salary, make sure you GET IT IN WRITING.
2. Summer salary
If you’re negotiating for a 9 month hard money position and research is expected,
3. Teaching duties
Ask to postpone your teaching for at least a year or two or, at the very least, insist that you need a reduced teaching load for the first couple of years. If you’re expected to establish an independent research program, loading you up with a buttload of teaching from day one is counterproductive. Whatever you negotiate, GET IT IN WRITING, including the maximum number of credits you are expected to teach per semester and when that is to begin.
Another thing to consider is in which program you will be teaching. Where is your startup money coming from? I found out well into my first year that another program had contributed to my startup funds and they were demanding that I begin teaching for them asap. My response? It’s not in my contract. That seems to have averted the argument for the time being.
4. Salaries for lab peeps
If you’re a basic scientist, you should definitely ask for money to pay for technicians and/or postdocs in your lab. Look at the department and see how many labs currently employ full time people. If there are none, there’s a very good chance Dept Chair and Dean are going to chortle when they see your request for salaries for 10 full time personnel for 5 years. What is the grad program situation in the department? Maybe one or two postdocs in addition to stipends for a few grad students would be more appropriate.
Make sure you include benefits for the lab peeps in your list of demands. The school’s HR or grants and contracts office should have an online list somewhere of the percent you need to factor in for benefits. Also look on their website for a list of salary ranges for research assistants, technicians, postdocs, etc. If in doubt with the postdoc salaries, use the NRSA guidelines as this will often be higher than what a school recommends.
Whatever you agree to, make sure you GET IT IN WRITING. All of it. Including the benefits.
5. Lab and office space
Are you getting your own lab or will you be forced to share with someone else? What is the norm in the department? What is the research space like? Do all of the PIs share one big common lab? Do each have their own lab with doors that can be locked to keep everyone else out? How big are the labs? How much space do you need? Ask for as much as possible. Again, as the new shining star, they are looking to give you as much as possible in order to get you to sign on the dotted line but it’s also in the school’s best interest to ensure that you have the tools you need to rocket into the sciencey stratosphere.
Do you plan to purchase Big Fancy Machine that needs its own room? Ask for an extra room. Do you need cell culture hoods in your lab but none of the labs have them? Put it on your list of demands and ask that they be installed prior to your start date. These will be essential to your work and without them you won’t succeed. Are there vacuum and gas lines where you need them? They are always on the opposite side of the room when you go to use them. How much desk space is in the lab? If there is none, request a separate office for your tech and postdoc. If the lab peeps don’t have a non-bench space in which to do their non-benchy duties, then that will impact on their ability to make you look like a rock star.
Do all the faculty get their own office? They typically do but GET IT IN WRITING. You don’t want to find yourself sharing the grad students’ office or the closet where the adjuncts are
GET IT IN WRITING. All of it. If space has been identified, make sure the room number and square footage appears on your contract. Seem like a trivial issue? Sure it does now, but wait until you arrive only to find that a senior prof decided to take your allocated lab and generously left you the one with no natural light, no space and no existing infrastructure. This shit happens. Trust nobody. GET IT IN WRITING.
6. Equipment
What will you absolutely need to do your work? Now what would you really, really like but don’t think you could possibly afford? Is there a core facility or common-use equipment that would suffice? Where is it? How much does it cost to use? How old is it? As a regular user, will you expected to contribute to ongoing service contract costs? List all of your needs in detail on your list of demands. Be specific about what you need, why you need it, how much it will cost and the benefit it will bring to the department. Hint at future collaborations with existing faculty to maximize your chances of success. If you purchase equipment from your startup funds, will you automatically have to make it available to everyone? I’ve heard of new PIs buying stuff only to have it monopolized by senior faculty. If it will fit in your lab, plan to put it in there and lock the door. Make it clear that YOU need this stuff for YOUR work.
Is there any equipment already in the lab? Will it stay? You’d be surprised at how quickly things disappear once you’ve signed on the dotted line. GET IT IN WRITING.
What about standard things like fridges, freezers, -80 freezers, water purifiers? Don’t assume that they will be in the lab. Ask for them and insist that their costs are included in your startup funds or that the contract specifically states that they will be provided at no additional cost. Why would I suggest this? Yes, that’s right ... someone tried to screw me over this very issue. But, AHAAA!! My contract very clearly stated that my lab was to include a fridge/freezer and a -80 freezer. Lo and behold, these items appeared a couple of days after I waved my contract in the air and stamped my foot. My advice? GET IT IN WRITING.
7. Start date
Make sure everyone is in agreement about the date you will start work and GET IT IN WRITING. If you’re from another country and are on a work visa, this is absolutely essential as you typically can’t change the dates once the paperwork has been started. If they want you to start the week before the Fall semester begins (this is typical for 9 month appointments) but you would prefer to delay your start for whatever reason, be very specific about when you want to start and why. If they want you and only you for this position, they’ll bend to your request.
8. Reviews, tenure clock, and timeline for use of startup funds
Make sure the schedule for your official reviews is on your contract IN WRITING. The semester and year in which you will be considered for tenure should also be outlined in addition to when you can expect to be granted tenure. If you’re not already aware, regular reviews are fairly standard - for example, annual reviews, a big review at the end of the 3rd year and application for tenure at the end of the 5th or 6th year. This can vary between institutions though and also whether you are already in a TT position at another school.
The one thing that will probably not appear on your contract is the explicit list of expectations for tenure. Good luck trying to find it. You’ll probably see a generic statement saying that tenure is contingent upon establishment of an independent research program. I’m not sure there’s much you can do about this in terms of negotiating the terms of the position because the line in the sand always seems to be moving and what’s considered necessary for tenure today might be different to what you are measured against 6 years down the track.
Also make sure that any deadlines for expiry of unused startup funds is IN WRITING. If you have 3 years to use up the money, make sure it’s spelled out clearly. If this is a school policy, ask what happens if you haven’t used all the cash by that time. They probably won’t put it in writing, but unofficially they’ll probably say it’s ok ... at least that’s the case for me.
9. Moving expenses
Unless the school is in the same town/city in which you currently reside, it is reasonable to expect that they will pay to move you, your family and your worldly possessions. I was given a choice between moving myself ala U-Haul and being reimbursed, or having a full service move in which I did nothing myself. Being the lazy person that I am and the fact that I didn't have anybody to help me unload at the other end, I chose the latter and didn’t pay a single cent. I was moving from one corner of the US to the diagonally opposite one and chose to drive my car myself so I was reimbursed for mileage but not hotels; this actually worked out well because the tiny car I had at the time ran on air, I usually stay at fleabag hotels anyway and I got to have a fantastic road trip. Also ask them to pay for a short trip to the area to organize accommodation prior to moving. Asking for ten round trip flights in first class will get you nowhere but it’s reasonable to request at least one round trip journey plus hotels, rental car and per diems in order to find somewhere to live. If you have a significant other, ask to have their trip covered too. The school will usually have a standard policy about moving so be sure to ask what it is and make sure you GET IT IN WRITING.
That’s about all I can think of right now and I’m sure I missed something important. Make sure you consult with someone who can mentor you through this process - someone who isn’t connected to the school that wants you (eg postdoc advisor, grad advisor, etc). You need to make sure that you don’t get screwed but that you also get what you need in order to succeed. Ask for more than you think they’re willing to give but have a line below which you absolutely cannot go. Don’t be afraid to stand your ground but remember to be reasonable. Asking for a salary that is higher than the Dean’s won’t get you anywhere.
If you have a competing offer from another school, USE IT. This is probably your biggest ace in negotiating. Just don’t overplay your hand. Again, remember to be firm and reasonable.
It’s tempting to take the first offer but remember that this is a long-term commitment for both you and the school. If they’re not even coming close to providing a decent salary and/or a reasonable startup package based on your particular needs, think long and hard about whether you will be able to succeed in such an environment and whether they are really interested in investing in you. In this rough economic climate, you may not have a choice but if you do be sure to make the most of it.
The take home messages for negotiating:
1. If you don’t ask for what you need/want, you won’t get it.
2. Get everything in writing. EVERYTHING.
So......verbal contracts, yes?
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. Seriously, PiT, you are amazing. Also seriously, I'm printing this post out in duplicate on the off chance that the internet spontaneously implodes on itself tomorrow.
That is a wonderful post! Thanks so much for putting it together.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing I wanted to throw out there was to also get in writing the amount of animal space you will be given if working with animal models. Nothing will kill a research program faster than running out of room to expand your {insert animal model of choice} colony. That is just as important as your wet lab and office space.
Thanks again PiT! You rock!
Great post.
ReplyDeleteAnother key point, get as many higher ups to sign it up as possible. I am at a very large academic medical center, and my chair got 'very important dean' to sign off on it...which helped us deal with some issues when 'not-so important dean' was trying to fuck us.
Professor in Training appears to be writing the experience of someone working at a very large and well-established research institution. Not all institutions are going to be the same.
ReplyDelete1. Some administrators will refuse to put things in writing. This is a scary prospect, particularly when your only other offer is unemployment.
2. Institutions vary tremendously in what they're willing to put on the table. In particular, don't expect these at every place:
- Moving expenses
- Summer salary
- No teaching load for a couple of years (you might get a reduced teaching load for a semester)
3. But good departments will have some clear, quantifiable minimum standards for tenure (i.e., you won't get tenure until you have at least this). Tenure guidelines are always written to give power to the tenured faculty and not to tenure-track faculty, but not having quantifiable minimum standards at all is a sign of a dysfunctional department.
When I was making my wish list for startup, I worked with the lab manager of my current lab. She was really organized and had quotes/order #s/catalog #s/contacts for everything my postdoc lab used, and she put this all together in a huge Excel spreadsheet for me. I used that to streamline into a comprehensive startup inventory of everything I would need, from big instruments down to what brand of microcentrifuge tube.
ReplyDeleteI then used a small amount of my startup money (a few thousand bucks) to hire her as a lab setup consultant, so she then managed all the quoting/ordering/unpacking/organization of my new lab once I started. I tell ya, this saved my sanity and saved us thousands of dollars. Since she had all these vendor contacts, she knew how to work them and get us good deals, and I didn't have to spend my first 4 months in the lab ordering shit and putting it away. We had everything in place in the lab when I arrived and got it all up and running to full functionality (from absolute zero empty rooms) within about... 2 months or so I think.
Anyone with a good postdoctoral lab manager should consider this: you get all that help, and they get some extra money doing what they do (and usually enjoy) anyway.
Oooh, here's another cool thing, that might go better on a post about actual lab setup logistics... but a big chunk of my startup money came from a big Center grant from the NIH. That meant any capital equipment (i.e. big machines that cost more than $5000) bought with that money would not be charged for indirect costs--and what that meant for me was I got to keep all that extra money the NIH gave them for the IDC that would have been going to the institution. I ended up getting an extra ~$40,000 that way by ordering a bunch of big machines on that account. It was like "Buy 3 get one free."
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, Arlenna. I forgot to mention that I did the same thing and that the lab manager of my postdoc lab is continuing to help me even now.
ReplyDeleteSometimes even windows can be installed... don't be afraid to ask.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome set of posts, PiT – thanks!
ReplyDeleteOne question re: salary compression. If an incoming asst. prof is offered more money than a tenured assoc. prof, and raises are a percent of one’s salary, does the tenured prof ever catch up to the new asst prof? Do tenured profs get bigger raises than new-hires? If not, how do tenured profs avoid falling ridiculously behind in terms of market worth vs. their current salaries? Can this be remedied only by obtaining an outside offer?
Hope: Institutions sometimes do have mechanisms in place to compensate for salary compression. The kind of mechanism varies from place to place.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it is still the case that sometimes the surest way to beat salary compression is to try finding a job at another institution.
I'm probably opening up a bag of worms, but what "negotiating" advice would you give to postdocs that are (or will be) offered TT positions at their current institution (often said to have less leverage in this situation)?
ReplyDeletewhat "negotiating" advice would you give to postdocs that are (or will be) offered TT positions at their current institution (often said to have less leverage in this situation)?
ReplyDeleteI've never been in that position before but I would guess that almost all of it would still be the same (except the bit about asking for moving expenses). If you're in the sciences and don't have funding, it's going to be even harder for you to prove your independence to funding agencies because of the close proximity of your former mentor(s) so having a good startup package and your own lab space will be crucial.
You are like my snarky academic Moses. *Prints out new commandments and commits them to memory*
ReplyDeleteDo you know the difference between hard money and soft money positions? If you’re expected to teach as well as do research, you’ll most likely be in a hard money 9 month position where you are guaranteed a 9 month salary each year. If the expectation is that you bring in a shitload of grant funding to cover a substantial portion of your own salary, that’s soft money and you will most likely be on a 12 month appointment.
ReplyDeleteThis is incorrect. The distinction between soft money and hard money has nothing to do with whether you are expected to teach and whether you are on a twleve-month or nine-month salary, nor with whether you are expected to bring in a substantial proportion of you salary through grants.
Hard-money versus soft-money only refers to whether the institution has an obligation to pay your salary regardless of whether you are successful at supporting your salary with grants. Some hard-money faculty are in Schools of Arts & Sciences where 9 months of their salary is paid by the university, ostensibly for their teaching. Other hard-money faculty are in medical schools, where they are paid a twelve-month salary, but where they may still be expected to support anywhere between 60% and 85% of their salary from their grants. However, if these hard-money medical school faculty fail to support the expected percentage of their salary, the institution is still obligated to pay their salary.
Thanks, dude. I wasn't very clear in my original text so I've edited the post.
ReplyDelete2. Get everything in writing. EVERYTHING.
ReplyDeleteYes, sure, get it in writing and then get even more upset then they tell you that they cannot deliver due to "unforeseen and unforeseeable financial circumstances" (happened to me -- twice). Of course the person who breaks the news to you is never the one with whom you negotiated with.
Try and find a single attorney who will take a university to court over something like this.
PIT -- they can do whatever the hell they want. Having it in writing means squat. My experience ? If you want something from them, get yourself an offer from another place.
Especially good point about lab and office space. My PI in grade school got totally dicked over on that very issue. Was it in writing? NOPE!
ReplyDeleteWow. It's a totally different world! But no wonder people seem to hit the ground running sometimes...
ReplyDeleteMy start-up (at a very respectable regional university in the UK with high research ambitions in a well-rated department) consisted of less than 10k US$ worth of equipment, a promise that I would 'get priority' on the standard refurbishment rounds (which happened 4 years later) and the assumption that I would just cope with my predecessor's lab set up (which DID have the two major fixtures that I absolutely need... old-fashioned versions, but they were there) adjusting as necessary as time went on (in competition for funds with all my colleagues).
BUT outside of a medical school, all these summer salary issues just don't come up in the UK - you're a full time employee (whether 'hard' or 'soft' funded) so you get paid a full time salary (downside: no scope for freelancing, contracting, or keeping your hand in with other work skills in the summer months).
With massimo on the 'getting it in writing still doesn't mean it will happen' issue. And good luck getting other offers, other MORE ATTRACTIVE offers, in the current economic climate... (or maybe I'm just not vey marketable! :-) )
Massimoose/JaneB: agree that in some instances, having the terms/conditions of your appointment in writing doesn't help but it's the most protection you can give yourself, apart from having another job offer in hand.
ReplyDeleteVery true
ReplyDeleteit's the most protection you can give yourself
ReplyDeleteNo, it is an illusion of protection, and if in order to obtain what in the end amounts to a worthless piece of paper you find yourself stressing over it, going back and forth many times and possibly getting into altercations with your future dean or chair, it is not worth it (in my opinion).
Lolz! Here is something from your last post...
ReplyDelete"Its only about 50% more than my postdoc wage. Its not really that much for completing 13 years of higher education plus a 4 year postdoc as well as having the added responsibility of..."
What are the chances that this same person was also recently mad at arrogant PhDs who feel they deserve more than a lab tech because they are more qualified and do more work?
What are the chances that this same person also gloated about former high school peers from her old country ... that they were stuck in middle class monotony while she was a professor, had a PhD and had travelled all over the world?
What is my point? Academia is a hierarchy. Scientists are told they belong to an exclusive club and they must settle for low pay and long hours and little job security just for the privilege of belonging. Often, new PhDs (and those "arrogant" phd candidates!) are expected to use their membership as a substitute for having food on the table. If they behave in a certain arrogant manner towards a non Phd, guess where they are taking their cue from? In a hierarchy, the low ones take their cue from the ones higher up (also I know that an early TT professor is hardly the highest thing there is...so I am not blaming YOU)
So before you go shooting at those PhD lab peeps and worse...the PhD candidates (gosh...you didnt spare even them!) maybe you should take a moment to decide whether it is ok to blame the culture of a tall and imposing hierarchy on the lowest and most powerless people in the structure.
Anon 3:39: Seriously? Did you actually read this post? Or the other one you quoted? Really? You need a lesson in basic comprehension. If you're not going to add anything to the conversation, fuck off and annoy someone else.
ReplyDelete"No, it is an illusion of protection, and if in order to obtain what in the end amounts to a worthless piece of paper you find yourself stressing over it, going back and forth many times and possibly getting into altercations with your future dean or chair, it is not worth it (in my opinion)."
ReplyDeleteI think that there is a very clear nuance here that I give PiT credit for. A signed letter in writing can be reneged upon for funding reasons. But it cannot be passed off as a "misunderstanding" or an "aspiration, not a commitment". This gives much better grounds when talking to the Dean about why this has to happen and trying to salvage as much as possible.
Obviously, in the modern tenure world, even tenure itself is at risk if an entire department is closed. But, unless there is significant political cost, a signed letter is an easy thing for them to provide and makes things simpler later.
if they won't provide one, I'd ask "can I succeed without some or all of the items in the start-up package". Odds are that, absent another offer, I would try anyway. But that's just me.
Lolz! I suppose you mean Anon @ 3:19 instead of Anon @ 3:39 (so much for reading comprehension). Your response is the precise one I expected... it had all the 3 essential features of what every blogger says when out of ideas.
ReplyDelete1. A claim that your adversary's point is too dumb to deserve a response
2. The technical issue that this is somewhat beside the point of this specific post.
3. A curse word.
Don't bother to answer this comment. I know you will next say: "You are making me laugh". Again thats what every blogger does on the second reply.
Anon: as you clearly aren't finding anything that interests you on my blog, perhaps you might find something more to your tastes here.
ReplyDeleteHa Ha... you know I was right. You were trying to get all preachy speaking up for the "little guy" against the "big bully arrogant PhD..."
ReplyDeleteLook PiT, I love your blog. I think its awesome. And the advice you gave to TT faculty is probably useful to TT faculty. I don't know coz I am not there yet.
But humiltity is not your strong point. If you ask me, humility is rather overrated as a virtue anyway. Whats so wrong about being arrogant if you are right? I am sure most of your readers enjoy this blog because of your kickass...devil may care tone. You are not a humble person and you know that. You are no pussy.
So when you put up a post preaching in favour of modesty, I pointed a finger right back at you. I dont understand why this upsets you so much.
Thanks
... humiltity is not your strong point ... You are not a humble person and you know that.
ReplyDeleteWow, that crossed the line. You don't know me and you clearly aren't that familiar with my blog. I don't care if you disagree with my views and I enjoy debating the issues but you're now attacking my character and that's something I certainly don't appreciate.
Humility/modesty and respect for others (the point of the other post being referred to) are totally different things, anyway, regardless of whether a given blogger is or is not a humble person on-blog OR in real life.
ReplyDeleteAnon also seems to be equating "we should respect people who don't have PhDs" with "people with PhDs suck and the whole degree is therefore pointless." I read the previous post as "people who have made different career decisions and fill different niches in the lab should have equal rights to respect and a professional attitude from their colleagues".
"... humiltity is not your strong point ..."
ReplyDeleteThat's bullshit and you're being a bit of a bastard.
-antipodean
Thanks for the awesome posts PiT.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, I had the wrong impression that people who do simulation/theory need not worry about money at all (i.e., can get by with a little). The fact that salary for people is a significant fraction of the costs really seems to mean the field is more even.
Ofcourse, not that one would switch to theory just because it may be cheaper. :)
A little late to the party, but I wanted to agree with Massimo here. I don't think it is worth fighting to get stuff in writing.
ReplyDeleteWhere I am now, it is absolutely the culture to not get everything in writing. The offer letter spells out salary and startup $$$, but everything else (lab space, teaching load, etc) is done via handshake.
The best advice I got from a future colleague when I was considering my offers was to NOT insist on getting everything in writing here. He did, and found that some people thought he was a total jerk even before he got to campus. This wasn't the first impression he was hoping for, and made his first few years a little more unpleasant than necessary. Even with the offer in writing, some stuff wasn't honored anyway, so it wasn't like it helped much in the end.