by Paul » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:22 am
Hi Cory,
Good question and, once again, one of the great "unwrittens" of being a post-doc. The long and short of the matter seems to be that 1) there is no obligation to give you a raise and 2) that a raise should be given.
As a result: its actually a good indicator of your performance and your mentors opinion.
My advice is to ask for an annual appraisal, as you would have in any other job. As a post-doc, you are actually in a fairly advanced position and it is important to you, on many levels, that you are sure that you are progressing in a forward manner. On a different front, its important that you ensure this is documented. Suppose you and your mentor fall out or bad feeling develops...having documentation that you were performing well in the previous year will help you support any claim for poor treatment etc.
The annual appraisal is something that everyone, post-docs included, should demand as a part of their employment. It provides a chance for grievances to aired, promotions and raises to be discussed and esteem to be boosted or egos to be destroyed. Even if it is negative, nothing destructive usually emerges from it.
Good luck
Paul