Preparing for an Academic Career Path

Academic Job Search - Negotiating the Offer

It often comes as a bit of a shock to new faculty that they have some leverage with which to negotiate a job offer. Since many new Ph.D.s are moving from a living below the poverty line, to a respectable salary (in the case of tenure track positions) there is a tendency to be so grateful that they hesitate to 'rock the boat'. However, the starting salary is a strong determiner of lifetime earnings, so it is worth becoming educated about the options so the negotiations are equitable and not a source of future discontentment.

The fact is, once the final candidate has been identified, the university will do everything it can to ensure that person does not reject the offer. It can be useful to contact the university's faculty liaison officer for information about what is normal within the context of that institution before signing the final papers. Points of negotiation include salary, teaching time, start up costs, expense account, administrative duties, etc.