Where should we go now that the world is over?
November 9, 2016 5:06 AM Subscribe
My partner and I would like to move away from the U.S. & need help answering a few questions regarding location and job possibilities.
I am an assistant professor of psychology at a community college and want to know if there are equivalents to my type of school anywhere abroad. I do not want to and cannot teach at a university because of the research/publication requirements and need to focus on teaching.
We would also like to know where is the best area or location to go given the following criteria:
It gets no colder than a New York City winter.
There are teaching jobs available that are accomodating to my area of expertise.
An IT person can find clients for their own company in a somewhat urban area.
I am an assistant professor of psychology at a community college and want to know if there are equivalents to my type of school anywhere abroad. I do not want to and cannot teach at a university because of the research/publication requirements and need to focus on teaching.
We would also like to know where is the best area or location to go given the following criteria:
It gets no colder than a New York City winter.
There are teaching jobs available that are accomodating to my area of expertise.
An IT person can find clients for their own company in a somewhat urban area.
Puerto Rico? I live here.
The advantages: lots of Latinos, the feeling you are on a raft adrift and yet which is still attached to the large boat (the U.S.). Friendly, family-oriented.
Disadvantages: the economy is hurting, the future is uncertain. This doesn't effect you if you have a job, but it hurts those who don't. It is helpful to know Spanish but not required for living here (much less so than Romanian in Romania, I would think). If you don't know Spanish there are fewer job opportunities. I work at a School of Medicine that teaches in English and has a psychology (Psy D) program.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:39 AM on November 9, 2016
The advantages: lots of Latinos, the feeling you are on a raft adrift and yet which is still attached to the large boat (the U.S.). Friendly, family-oriented.
Disadvantages: the economy is hurting, the future is uncertain. This doesn't effect you if you have a job, but it hurts those who don't. It is helpful to know Spanish but not required for living here (much less so than Romanian in Romania, I would think). If you don't know Spanish there are fewer job opportunities. I work at a School of Medicine that teaches in English and has a psychology (Psy D) program.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:39 AM on November 9, 2016
well, chile (santiago in particular) currently has something of a boom in private universities where, typically, there is very little research. you can find IT jobs here, or work for companies abroad and the immigration process is pretty friendly.
however the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. immigrants are becoming a political issue, the gini coeff of inequality is higher than the usa, there are elections coming up which are probably going right, the church still dominates social politics (no abortion), and those private universities are pretty infamous for being machines that use teachers to take money from students without providing much in return.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:42 AM on November 9, 2016
however the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. immigrants are becoming a political issue, the gini coeff of inequality is higher than the usa, there are elections coming up which are probably going right, the church still dominates social politics (no abortion), and those private universities are pretty infamous for being machines that use teachers to take money from students without providing much in return.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:42 AM on November 9, 2016
It's very, very easy to move to The Netherlands using the Dutch American Friendship Treaty.
It requires that you are self-employed, but there's ways to get creative. In the end, if your real goal is to leave and reside somewhere legally, then you'll have to be less particular on your employment requirements, and instead focus on earning a living wage one way or another. At least if you want to consider this sure fire method
posted by humboldt32 at 6:41 AM on November 9, 2016 [12 favorites]
It requires that you are self-employed, but there's ways to get creative. In the end, if your real goal is to leave and reside somewhere legally, then you'll have to be less particular on your employment requirements, and instead focus on earning a living wage one way or another. At least if you want to consider this sure fire method
posted by humboldt32 at 6:41 AM on November 9, 2016 [12 favorites]
After the 2000 election I moved to NZ. I still regret returning to the US. I'm such a dummy.
posted by jbenben at 7:08 AM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by jbenben at 7:08 AM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sweden has liberal immigration policies, but they're easiest if you're romantically involved with a Swede. You can also be self-employed: you can find the rules here. There are moderately-sized cities with IT infrastructure, almost everybody speaks english well; you may be able to find a teaching job, but most undergrad/community-college-style courses are taught in swedish. If you can teach in an international master's program you may have better luck.
Let me say, however, that you cannot escape the consequences of American politics in Sweden. I moved there in 2006 and Sweden's politics (and indeed all of Europe's) have been directly affected by the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lybia and the stream of refugees in general. The politics have moved towards the more populist right, and in general the politics have moved from more social democratic to centrist-neoliberal. All of the "good things" about sweden are due to its history of social democracy, but these are bit by bit being dismantled in favor of american-style neoliberalism.
posted by beerbajay at 7:11 AM on November 9, 2016 [3 favorites]
Let me say, however, that you cannot escape the consequences of American politics in Sweden. I moved there in 2006 and Sweden's politics (and indeed all of Europe's) have been directly affected by the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lybia and the stream of refugees in general. The politics have moved towards the more populist right, and in general the politics have moved from more social democratic to centrist-neoliberal. All of the "good things" about sweden are due to its history of social democracy, but these are bit by bit being dismantled in favor of american-style neoliberalism.
posted by beerbajay at 7:11 AM on November 9, 2016 [3 favorites]
In Australia the community college equivalent is called TAFE.
Me mail me if you have any questions.
posted by jrobin276 at 7:22 AM on November 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
Me mail me if you have any questions.
posted by jrobin276 at 7:22 AM on November 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
jbenben: After the 2000 election I moved to NZ. I still regret returning to the US. I'm such a dummy.
I appreciate your constant boosterism of my country (and city) :)
NZ would be good for Four-Eyed Girl's partner - there's a shortage of IT workers here. They'd probably have to work for someone else for a while to get a visa, though.
Our equivalent of community colleges is probably technical institutes, formerly known as polytechnics. But they don't generally teach social sciences - there's only a couple in NZ that teach psychology, it's normally taught at universities. So that would be the major sticking point. It certainly doesn't get as cold as NYC anywhere in NZ.
posted by Pink Frost at 4:10 PM on November 9, 2016
I appreciate your constant boosterism of my country (and city) :)
NZ would be good for Four-Eyed Girl's partner - there's a shortage of IT workers here. They'd probably have to work for someone else for a while to get a visa, though.
Our equivalent of community colleges is probably technical institutes, formerly known as polytechnics. But they don't generally teach social sciences - there's only a couple in NZ that teach psychology, it's normally taught at universities. So that would be the major sticking point. It certainly doesn't get as cold as NYC anywhere in NZ.
posted by Pink Frost at 4:10 PM on November 9, 2016
Australia tends to prioritise people with local qualifications - I'm facing issues trying to find work here because my MFA is from the US (even though I have a Bachelors from Brisbane).
posted by divabat at 6:55 PM on November 9, 2016
posted by divabat at 6:55 PM on November 9, 2016
Pink Frost's statement is also true in Australia. Psychology tends to be taught at universities, not TAFEs (the closest equivalent to Community Colleges).
HOWEVER universities here often now advertise what are called TFR positions ("Teaching focused roles"). At my university, and many others, these come with no research and publication requirements at all. Hiring and promotion is entirely judged on teaching record (plus some admin and outreach expectations). They tend to be very competitive though, because they are just about the only new academic jobs being advertised nowadays, so they often attract new PhDs who would prefer a research-focused role but are hoping to get in sideways through a TFR. And the unions pushed them initially as ways for the universities to hire people who had been working as casuals (adjuncts) for years onto permanent contracts. (That's often not how they are being used though.)
True TFRs without any research expectations are more common at non-"Group of Eight" universities. I.e. the ones that used to be technical institutes once upon a time and have grown into universities, rather than the highest ranking ones.
Divabat's statement is no doubt true outside of academia, but I think universities still often see an US PhD to be worth more than an Australian one when doing academic hiring.
posted by lollusc at 8:09 PM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
HOWEVER universities here often now advertise what are called TFR positions ("Teaching focused roles"). At my university, and many others, these come with no research and publication requirements at all. Hiring and promotion is entirely judged on teaching record (plus some admin and outreach expectations). They tend to be very competitive though, because they are just about the only new academic jobs being advertised nowadays, so they often attract new PhDs who would prefer a research-focused role but are hoping to get in sideways through a TFR. And the unions pushed them initially as ways for the universities to hire people who had been working as casuals (adjuncts) for years onto permanent contracts. (That's often not how they are being used though.)
True TFRs without any research expectations are more common at non-"Group of Eight" universities. I.e. the ones that used to be technical institutes once upon a time and have grown into universities, rather than the highest ranking ones.
Divabat's statement is no doubt true outside of academia, but I think universities still often see an US PhD to be worth more than an Australian one when doing academic hiring.
posted by lollusc at 8:09 PM on November 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, if you do want to look in Australia, the jobs that would be similar to what you are as an assistant prof are "level B" or maybe "level A" ("lecturer") positions. We don't have "assistant professor" as a rank here. So search for "TFR positions in psychology" and "lecturer" and ignore anything at mid level C or higher (you probably wouldn't find new TFRs being advertised above level B, though, anyway.).
posted by lollusc at 8:12 PM on November 9, 2016
posted by lollusc at 8:12 PM on November 9, 2016
« Older Have you applied before? How to answer. | I need to feel like I can do something. Please... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by parmanparman at 5:10 AM on November 9, 2016