Any academics out there? I have a postdoc fellowship and part-time work question.

[highsidedown]

Hello! I am in a dilemma and would really welcome any advice from more experienced people. I have an interview for a postdoc fellowship in a couple of weeks. I'm really excited about it although I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

Anyway, although it is advertised full-time, I would hope to do it part-time. In an ideal world, I would do three days but recognise that this might not be practicable so would settle (quite happily) for four. However, I wondered at what point I should bring this up? I think almost certainly not at the interview? If I am offered it, should I ask at that point, or wait until I'm in the position? This should be straightforward as I would be setting my own research agenda and timetable, but there have already been a few "don't mention the baby" type intimations when discussing my proposal so I'm not sure how sympathetic they might be to this type of request!

I realise I may be being a bit premature as I haven't actually got it yet but this is preoccupying me somewhat. Thanks!

Hi.
I had one of these fellowships a few years back when ds1 was born. I started it full-time and then went part-time (3 days) once he was born. I had no problem getting the funding body (or the uni that I was based at) to agree to this.
Personally I would not mention it at the interview stage - to me this is when you want to be wowing them with your intellectual brilliance . Competition is likely to be fierce so I wouldn't give them a reason to prefer an otherwise similar candidate. I know this is not supposed to happen, but in the real world...
I would discuss it when/if you are offered the job. In my experience these things are usually pretty flexible but it does depend on your field and on where the money is coming from. Once a firm offer has been made then you are in a position to negotiate, before then i think it would just distract them from the main issue which is whether you are the best candidate from an academic point of view.

Thanks Muddleduck, that sounds sensible and is what I thought. Can I just ask an extra couple of questions?

When I did my Phd I was lucky enough to have a very relaxed supervisor who let me manage my own time, so it was full-time but incredibly flexible (and I comfortably finished within three years). I am assuming that a Postdoc will be a bit more like a 'normal' job in that I will be expected to be in the office on more of a 9 - 5 basis. Is that your experience?

Also, did you add the additional time on to the end of the postdoc, having gone to three days?

Thanks again!

My experience in this area was that it depended on where the funding was coming from as to how flexible the employer could be. Some grant funding is liked to specific outcomes and timetables.

Hi notsoclever. It's funded by the university and I am setting the timetable essentially, so I'm hoping that might help!

I don't have any specific experience in this area (none of the postdocs in my lab had children while I was there) but wanted to say good luck for the interview! What sort of area is your research in?

Hello Trillian! Thanks so much - it's social sciences. Glad to hear that a postdoc you know had a baby while there as that's the next thing (after asking to go part-time)! I'm not pregnant now but being in my 30's would like to have another baby before too long. So if I do get it, I would probably try for another and could be taking maternity leave as well! I don't know how popular that might make me. Oh well, cross that particular bridge if and when I come to it I guess!

I was in biological sciences and there were always at least two postdocs with bumps around the building.

That's encouraging! Thanks Trillian!

hi hsd.
Sorry I didn't get back to you - have been trying to stay off mn for a while. It was eating up far too much of my time!
Let us know how it went.
xxx

I'm really sorry to resurrect this thread again, but just wondered if Muddleduck (or anyone!) is still out there as I have another question?!

I got the Fellowship and I'm so delighted. I raised the issue of doing less days per week and although it was not rejected out of hand, it wasn't exactly welcomed. So I agreed to start it full-time on the basis that it will be flexible! Feel a bit nervous but hopefully it will be OK.

But what I wanted to ask now (to Muddleduck in particular as you have direct experience!) is whether the time you took off on maternity leave was added to the end of your contract, if that makes sense?

I am trying to work this all out as I know that funding bodies are usually reasonably enlightened about this kind of thing but the Uni awarding the Fellowship seems somewhat the opposite, so I'm just trying to establish the precedents before I turn down another opportunity!

Thanks in advance!

hi HSD

Congratulations! Great News.
Hope you are still lurking for a reply

My situation was a bit different in that my fellowship was funded by an external body not by the uni. The funders offered a rubbish maternity deal so when I went on leave my fellowhsip was suspended and I was covered by the uni's standard maternity deal. Then when I came back to work I used up the remaining part of the fellowship. Does that make sense? Overall because of part-time working and maternity leave I made a 2 year fellowship last nearly 4 years!
Your situation is slightly different but I would hope that they would do something similar for you but I really don't know.
My advice would be to email your department HR contact and ask what their policy is for situations like this. I think this would be a much better plan than asking your line manager who probably wouldn't know but might think he/she does! When I was in the early stages of pregnancy I asked HR several "hypothetical" questions as I wanted to know how it would all work out. They took a very long time to reply but did give very clear answers to my questions. They should have a clear policy on your situation and you have the right to know what it is. It is also worth finding out about the length of service that you need to qualify for the full ML package. In my case this was quite complicated - in general academic staff were entitled from day 1 whereas other staff had to be in post for 6 months (I think).

Good luck.

Hi Highsidedown. I'm a social science researcher and have been for a long time. I managed 3 fully paid maternity leaves all on short term contracts - but that will depend on when you get pregnant, if it's towards the end of a contract and your contract terminates while you are on maternity leave you might end up without a job, or without maternity leave funding. it happens to rather a lot of women in contract research jobs.

In my case I have always worked on externally funded research projects and the extra time hasn't been added onto the end of my contracts, but the money was used for replacements for my job while I was on leave. That would probably be different if you have a uni fellowship which is only about your own research.

I always managed to negotiate part time work and or/ lots of working from home flexibly, I would hold out for this as most social science academics do work flexible hours and locations, so there often isn't any reason for you to be in an office 9-5. Science lab work is different on that.

I do recommend joining the union (UCU) which has a group for contract researchers, and it'll really help if you do run into problems with contracts and maternity leaves.

Hello Muddleduck and Fennel, thanks so much for your responses, really helpful and it's just great to hear from people who have been in a similar situation.

I feel bizarrely stressed about this, even though I haven't even started and don't know when I do whether I'll even get preg and how long it will take! Particularly bizarre, because my research actually focuses on precisely these kinds of issue. But I feel like I'm somehow potentially letting the side down, having got one of these really sought after awards and then wanting to take maternity leave/go part-time etc.

Anyway, thanks so much again!

Highsidedown I'm interested now, a lot of my research has also been on these issues - work-life balance, flexible working, gender, parenthood, temporary contracts etc. Where are you working?

Hi Fennel! Yes, I look at very similar things really. Would you mind if I didn't say where? I would just be concerned if I was too identifiable, although hate to be so mysterious!