Science/engineering postdoc in London

[Star555]

Any postdocs here with a PhD in science/engineering working in London (at Imperial, UCL, etc?) What is your lifestyle like? With a postdoc salary of 30-40K, do you live in a shared flat near your university in Zone 1/2, or alone in a flat out in Zones 3+ ? What are your usual working hours? Do you often run experiments late in the evenings/night? If you are single with no children, how do you spend your weekends besides cooking/housework? Do you have to work/go to lab during weekends, or have time to enjoy going out to museums, theatres, meeting friends etc in London? How different is your life from being a PhD student?

Hi Starr

I don't think there is going to be one answer to any of these questions. I was a postdoc in London many years ago and now supervise postdocs & PhD students. Lifestyle etc seems to vary a lot - many of the postdocs lived with a partner somewhere further out while some PhD students were single & in flatshares. but other PhD students also have a family etc.

what motivated you to ask this question?

Thanks @parietal. What in your experience is the most common situation for single postdocs who work in central London? I'm not too keen on sharing a flat. I've been thinking about post-PhD options and whether I should move back to the UK (from US) or not, or stay in the US for higher $$$ jobs. I'd love to get some perspective on what life is like for a single postdoc living alone in London on 30-40K a year these days...it's been ages since my family moved to the US, and although we haven't got close family/acquaintances in London anymore, I still dream of moving back home.

I'm assuming you are a professor/research group leader yourself? If you also have any thoughts on academic culture, etc for postdocs in the UK vs US, please do share!

It should be possible to afford a studio or one bed flat in London on a postdoc salary. In the last year, rental prices have fallen (because COVID stopped all the airBnBs) but they may go up again.

UK v USA is a bigger question. I found USA has more flexibility at postdoc stage but can be brutal when you get a tenure-track job and have to teach + work long hours. UK is nicer at lectureship stage if you can get one.

for postdocs, the most important thing is the fit of your research interests to the lab you work in. you want to find a lab where you will learn new skills & get to do good science etc. if you are single & able to move anywhere in the world, you are in a great position to look for jobs everywhere and pick what works best for you.