Academic honorarium norms?
October 26, 2017 5:09 AM Subscribe
I've been invited to give three days of five-hour workshops at an overseas academic organisation. On top of reimbursing my international travel expenses, accommodation, meals, etc they have asked how much I 'normally' get as an honorarium. Unfortunately, this is my first time and I have no idea. What sort of ask might be reasonable here?
The travel is to Malaysia. (I am a researcher at a university in Australia). Anything similar I've done in the past has only had expenses reimbursed. But my dean is super keen on us all doing 'consulting' work, and so bringing in a little money for this will keep him happy for a while. On the other hand, we are talking academic honoraria, not commercial consulting rates. I want to name a number that they won't think is laughably low, but also not off-puttingly high. And I have literally no idea what that number might be. Has anyone here got relevant experience?
Potentially relevant: the organisation in question is an 'educational consultancy', not a university. They specialise in developing training packages for use by universities and schools. The most info I've been able to find about their finances is that when they run courses directly themselves they charge students of these approximately AUD $80 (USD $60) to attend a three-day workshop like the one I'm running. (But in the case of the one I'm running, I think they are probably just hoping to break even rather than profit directly - it's aimed at upskilling teachers and university lecturers in an area that Malaysia would like to develop more broadly. In the future, I expect the consultancy will produce training materials related to this that they will profit from, so that's their interest.)
The travel is to Malaysia. (I am a researcher at a university in Australia). Anything similar I've done in the past has only had expenses reimbursed. But my dean is super keen on us all doing 'consulting' work, and so bringing in a little money for this will keep him happy for a while. On the other hand, we are talking academic honoraria, not commercial consulting rates. I want to name a number that they won't think is laughably low, but also not off-puttingly high. And I have literally no idea what that number might be. Has anyone here got relevant experience?
Potentially relevant: the organisation in question is an 'educational consultancy', not a university. They specialise in developing training packages for use by universities and schools. The most info I've been able to find about their finances is that when they run courses directly themselves they charge students of these approximately AUD $80 (USD $60) to attend a three-day workshop like the one I'm running. (But in the case of the one I'm running, I think they are probably just hoping to break even rather than profit directly - it's aimed at upskilling teachers and university lecturers in an area that Malaysia would like to develop more broadly. In the future, I expect the consultancy will produce training materials related to this that they will profit from, so that's their interest.)
Can you give us some sense of your academic field? The norms vary widely depending on discipline. The norms for science are generally somewhere between zero and small (we give $150 for a standard "talk" and that is thought to be surprisingly generous by many of our speakers; our "big fancy" talk is still just $1K). By comparison, my colleagues in art can get $3K for a one-day visit to another institution (a talk + maybe working with students for a couple hours).
posted by Betelgeuse at 6:11 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by Betelgeuse at 6:11 AM on October 26, 2017
Response by poster: I'm in linguistics. I don't know if we have field-specific norms. The organisation I'll be visiting is more STEM-oriented than humanities/social sciences.
posted by lollusc at 6:20 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by lollusc at 6:20 AM on October 26, 2017
Many academic folks I know in the social sciences and humanities in the US charge $100/hr for this sort of thing. So, $100/hr x 15 hours = $1500.
posted by Pineapplicious at 6:52 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by Pineapplicious at 6:52 AM on October 26, 2017
Not sure from your question if the honorarium goes to you or your institution? If it goes to the institution they can calculate what your ansence will cost them (eg cover substitute) plus your salary for the number of days you are absent (assuming you use two days for travel 5 days)
posted by 15L06 at 7:05 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by 15L06 at 7:05 AM on October 26, 2017
Response by poster: It goes to the institution. Our institution has a formula like what you describe but it is based on assumptions that we are consulting within Australia to industry. The lowest end is around $1000 per day. But I thought "honorarium" and consulting rates are two very different things. Nor does it take into account that Malaysia is a different context. The Dean has said we have leeway to ignore this formula when 'working' with smaller organisations that can't afford it.
posted by lollusc at 7:29 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by lollusc at 7:29 AM on October 26, 2017
Best answer: Given your followups, I would write to them something along the lines of:
My institution typically expects an honorarium of $1000/day. However, I understand if this proves to be a financial hardship for you and am eager to work with you to find a amount that makes sense for all.
Particularly, since you're not actually getting the money directly, I would then be very generous about how low you go.
posted by Betelgeuse at 11:31 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
My institution typically expects an honorarium of $1000/day. However, I understand if this proves to be a financial hardship for you and am eager to work with you to find a amount that makes sense for all.
Particularly, since you're not actually getting the money directly, I would then be very generous about how low you go.
posted by Betelgeuse at 11:31 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by damayanti at 6:09 AM on October 26, 2017