Are you a PhD student looking for a postdoc position outside India?

A large number of PhD researchers in India opt for postdoctoral training abroad. A typical postdoctoral stint involves at least 2-3 years of additional research experience, working with a supervisor, and is often the bridge towards establishing an independent scientific career. PhD researchers expect postdoctoral training to further their career goals. There are several important considerations for this to happen, including the research focus, work culture of the laboratory, and expectations and nature of supervision.

While many systemic and individual factors contribute to the preference for international postdoctoral training, PhD researchers in India typically start looking for postdoctoral positions as they complete their PhD. Most often, this involves applying for postdoctoral positions while being physically present in India, and applicants go through process of interviews and communication online. This can include meeting their future postdoc supervisor and laboratory colleagues, negotiations with human resource staff, as well as signing employment and lease agreements. Interestingly, for many PhD researchers this is likely their first experience with employment contracts, understanding job-related deliverables, and experiencing sociocultural differences.

What should a PhD researcher in India know? What should they plan to ask? What do they need to lookout for or be wary of, when seeking and choosing postdoctoral positions abroad? Here are the top 10 questions to ask:

1. Can we have an online meeting?

Your initial communication with a potential postdoctoral laboratory is very likely to be via email. Once this preliminary interest is established, a virtual one-on-one meeting with the faculty member is a good next step. In the absence of the opportunity to meet in-person, use this meeting to broadly understand aspects such as the area of research, timelines for hiring, period of the expected contract, and support for the visa process. This meeting is also an opportunity to gauge the communication style of your prospective supervisor, their interest in your current work and for you to indicate your future goals.

2. Can I meet other lab members?

If the initial meeting with the supervisor sparks mutual interest, your next step should be to interact with other laboratory members. This could be via an online group meeting. You can use this opportunity to understand other projects in the laboratory, experimental techniques and equipment available for use. This is also a chance to get an insight into team composition, practices adopted for research documentation, laboratory meetings, presentations and publications, as well as to get a sense of the overall work culture of the laboratory.

3. What would success look like in this postdoctoral position?

Following a meeting with laboratory members, you could circle back for another virtual meeting with your potential supervisor. This would be the opportunity to discuss work deliverables, number of publications expected, duration of committed funding, and ability or need to apply for external funding. It could also be important to have these expectations included in your offer letter, which would serve as an individual plan for your postdoctoral stint.

4. Can the university or institute support my relocation?

Relocation abroad is not only expensive but will also require access to useful information. Putting forth this question early to your potential postdoctoral supervisor could help in your decision making, especially if you have more than one offer. Relocation support can include actual costs such air tickets, family relocation, initial accommodation, as well as connections to house rental services, childcare facilities and health clinics. While the actual support varies across institutes, do keep in mind – what the university or institute may not be able to provide, your postdoctoral supervisor might be able to extend with funding that supports your position.

5. Could the human resource department walk me through my offer letter and employment contract?

Yes, you read that right. Outside India, a postdoctoral position is typically an employment contract between you and the university or institute. With the HR staff at your university, you may want to discuss salary, tax guidelines, personal time off, visa renewal processes (they may direct you to the international office), campus childcare facilities, and employment termination clauses.

6. What are my medical insurance and short-term disability benefits?

Another important discussion with HR would be the details of medical insurance, coverage for family insurance, and short-term disability leave, which includes parental leave. Health insurance benefits and coverage, including facilities at the university health centre, could depend on your designation and visa status.

7. Could we discuss the visa and immigration process in detail?

This conversation should be separately had with your supervisor, the HR section of the university and the international office. As an international employee, you will need support for a visa to work and live in the foreign country. While visa processes and guidelines are governmental regulations, you should ask about the kind of documentation the university will provide, timelines for the process at their end, as well as possibilities of visa extensions and transfers if needed. Finally, depending on your future career prospects in mind, you could enquire about support for permanent residency applications or long-term visas in the country.

8. Would I be involved in teaching and supervision of students?

Most postdoctoral positions will involve supervising PhD researchers and/or undergraduate researchers in the laboratory. This is an opportunity to hone your mentorship skills, and potentially contribute to a larger number of projects and publications. In addition, some universities offer postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to teach. This is especially valuable if you are looking for a teaching-focused career. On the other hand, your supervisor may require you to teach courses to cover part of your salary, or assist with the courses they are teaching.

9. Any guidelines on postdocs starting independent research groups with projects from the lab?

If you have decided on an academic career, this is a ‘must-have’ conversation. Starting your own research group will likely mean extending projects or extending leads from projects from your postdoctoral work. In addition, you may want to apply for funding for your independent research with projects from your postdoc. An open conversation on the ‘ownership’ of the projects you will work on – what you may be able to carry with you and what you will leave behind – is important to ensure this clarity.

10. What kind of support will you be able to provide for my future professional aspirations?

Assuming things shape up well so far, this discussion could be the final confirmation of whether the laboratory is the right fit for your future career goals. Check with your potential supervisor on the nature of support they are willing to provide when you apply for jobs. For example, how do they support tenure-track faculty applications, can they assist with industry transitions, and so on.

Interestingly, while postdoctoral interviews can seem like you are the one answering a lot of questions on skills, motivations and career plans, it is equally about you evaluating the opportunity. So when that potential postdoctoral interview ends with ‘Do you have any questions for us?’ you might want to keep this ready-reckoner in hand.