by Frank » Fri Nov 05, 2004 5:20 pm
Having gone through this experience myself, here are what I think are some important points to consider:
1) The first step is of course finding a postdoc position. At least in the life sciences, this appears to be surprisingly easy. Besides ads in scientific journals, a good way to go is contacting the PIs of your interest directly. They may even offer to pay all or part of the expenses for you to visit the lab for an interview. This is a practice that is much more common in the U.S. than it is in Europe.
2) Regarding J-1 visas: back when I came to the U.S., five years ago, those were extremely easy to obtain. After accepting the job offer, I went to the American embassy with the documents that the university\'s International Office sent me and an hour later, I walked out with my visa. Now, it seems a little harder for most people and a lot harder for some. The whole screening process seems kind of erratic, and if you happen to run into the wrong bureaucrat, it may take a long time. I would not let that discourage you from trying, though.
3) Regarding salaries: A good salary guideline is the list of NRSA stipends from the NIH. The salary scales are publicly available, just do an internet search for \"NRSA postdoc stipend\". Most institutions will pay exactly that, but they are under no obligation to do so. While these salaries won\'t make you rich, they are sufficient to live on in most places (even big cities like Chicago, where I live). If you are lucky, you may get more, especially in institutions in NYC, Bay Area etc. and definitely in the industry. I would be very suspicious of a PI who wants to pay you less than the NIH pay scales.
4) When you come from Europe, there is something else that is very important to consider, and you may not realize it to the full extent until you get to the U.S.: medical and dental insurance, and other benefits. As you probably know, healthcare is extremely expensive in the U.S., and employers have no obligation to provide health insurance. The good institutions (including mine) give their postdocs access to the exact same benefits as their other employees (technicians etc.), including a choice of health and dental insurance plans, retirement etc. After you receive an offer, be sure to ask about this in every detail. I would not accept a postdoc if health & dental is not provided, and I would be very suspicious if they try to put you into a student or \"visiting scholar\" plan, since those are usually much worse than the plans for regular employees.
And finally, one thing I learned here is: never be afraid to ask. While, in my experience, PIs usually have to stick to the institution\'s guidelines for salaries, they may be willing and able to help you out in other ways, such as paying for travel, buying you a new computer etc.
I hope this helps.