IRCSET Postdocs

zuutroy

What a joke....the total value of the fellowship is 33k, which is subject to tax. Presumably both the employers and employees contribution, leaving you with little over minimum wage...nice job attracting people to science there Ireland.

Red Alert

Interesting that the IRCSET wage is often used as a benchmark by institutions for their own funding schemes as well.

Esmereldina

zuutroy wrote: »

What a joke....the total value of the fellowship is 33k, which is subject to tax. Presumably both the employers and employees contribution, leaving you with little over minimum wage...nice job attracting people to science there Ireland.

Are you sure it's subject to tax? The IRCHSS ones (humanities equivalent) have a similar value, but it's after tax, so the actual value is something like 42k. And normally you science dudes get a much better deal than us

r3nu4l

SFI postdocs for the win
That said, the reason I left lab-based science for Medical Communications was because of the piss-poor salaries for post-docs, poor prognosis on the career track front and general lack of rights or onward development potential. :mad:

Last year I contribbuted to a Government think tank on the future of Irish Science and made my feelings on this very clear.

g'em

r3nu4l wrote: »

SFI postdocs for the win

They'll be rolling out a new scheme on this soon (or so they've promised). At the moment there's no dedicated PostDoc award from SFI but that looks to change soon enough and depending on which University you're in there's also the option of KAUST Fellowships?

r3nu4l

g'em wrote: »

They'll be rolling out a new scheme on this soon (or so they've promised). At the moment there's no dedicated PostDoc award from SFI but that looks to change soon enough...

True but SFI grant holders have some leeway in the salaries they pay and generally pay more, mind you, the competition is tougher!

The post-doc track has advantages in that it's much more relaxed than industry and there is potentially greater freedom for research, however I know post-docs in their 40's who despite their 15-20 years experience cannot demand salaries they deserve, simply because the grants don't allow for salaries that high and less experienced post-docs are cheaper.

zuutroy

Unfortunately I may have to to apply for the IRCSETs as a backup, as I didn't get the lectureship in DCU I interviewed for last week, and the semiconductor business is tightening up so I'm not sure if there'll be money to renew me here when my contract runs out in December.
Apparently the 33k is under review, but it'd want to be quite some review! I'm on a Marie Curie at the moment so it'll be a big step down in money and a big step up in cost of living if I move back to Ireland.

g'em

Any chance you could re-apply to Marie Curie under FP7? Semiconductors - so you're in engineering of some short? There's sure to be a Call underway in that area right now or soon in the future.

zuutroy

yeah but you have to undergo transnational mobility and I think my current position means I can't go to Ireland or Belgium, and at this stage I don't really wanna go to a new country!

GenericUser

Would just like to add my two cents on this issue.
As far as I know, and I have this on good authority, the 33k is after tax.
Basically it is the first point on the irish universities salary scale calculated after tax. IRCSET will also pay your social and pension contributions for the course of the fellowship.
My main beef with IRCSET with regards to postdocs is this: The length of time required to wait to hear whether you have been offered a position, and if not offered, the length of time it takes to get feedback.
I applied last year. Found out in June when the offers came out that I wasnt successfull. They dont tell you individually for whatever reason.
I asked repeatedly for feedback on my application, but recieved none.
Then, Suprise suprise, on wednesday I get a letter from IRCSET with my feedback. The letter was dated 10th/12/2007 but the postmark was 21/01/2008. So basically 11-12 months after i apply, and only 8 days before the deadline for this years funding , I get my feedback.
As it happens, I only just missed out, and will apply again, but seriously 11 months for feedback????? What a joke!

In my own opinion, the IRCSET Postdoc scheme is quite badly administered. Im sure no doubt those who received the grants were well looked after, but in terms of encouraging early stage postdocs in Ireland, They really have to get the finger out and start replying to applicants a lot quicker.
This year, IRCSET for me will be only a fallback, as I have applied elsewhere, but in terms of encouraging post doc research in ireland, as the thread starter has said, it is a very bad way to go about doing business.
Dealing with funding bodies like this, certainly makes me think long and hard about continuing my career in academic research.

All that said, it would seem that IRCSET are on the ball for the administration of postGRAD research funding, so I cant fault them there.

zuutroy

I can't guarantee I'm correct here, but I have memories of sending them an email in 2005 on the subject of tax, and being told that it was subject to deductions. 33k after tax would be ok imo...

GenericUser

zuutroy wrote: »

I can't guarantee I'm correct here, but I have memories of sending them an email in 2005 on the subject of tax, and being told that it was subject to deductions. 33k after tax would be ok imo...

Neither can I guarantee Im correct!!
It is very confusing, Im sure a lot of potential applicants would see the 33k and think,feck that, thats joke money for even a postdoc!
My source is a postdoc in TCD physics and reckons its 33 after tax, but then again, Ive heard from others that its before tax.
Either way, its very very confusing.
I see from your other threads that you applied for a physics lecturing position , was that the one in DCU?
Would you be tempted into physics / elec eng industry, or into a different industry after having done a few years post doc already? I mean do you see your career progressing anywhere permanent?
Just wondering myself, as Ive been finished phd a while now and am contemplating postdoc.

H2G2

I have a contrary view – I asked around my university and I am told its like this… The 33k is the gross salary (which will be subject to tax), in addition the host university gets a top-up (for PRSI, etc) and also 5k pa for lab costs and travel. See clause 19 of the terms & conditions… Compliance with relevant taxation legislation is a matter for the Fellow.
IRCSET postgrad’s on the other hand are not subject to tax.
Any IRCSET holders from last year reading this, what was the story with you?

Its all silly, no research career track in this country :mad:

zuutroy

lol...so its 33K subject to tax....equivalent to what a BSc would get in a multinational. Also remember thats fixed for 2 years. so whatever use 33k is these days it'll be even less then. @Generic: It was the lecturing job in DCU I went for, having done my undergrad and PhD there. I'm happy enough to have been shortlisted tbh. There's a slim possibility of being made permanent here in the research centre I'm currently in, and there was also talk today of at least a 2 year extension, so hopefully the IRCSET McSalary won't concern me!

welshdragon

http://www.ircset.ie/grant_schemes/postdoctoral/empower/empower_description_of_scheme.pdf

Sorry to disappoint but it seems to be before tax see second page half way down, it's even in italics!!