would you apply for such a postdoc?

[curious]

I'm curious to know if people would apply for a half-time postdoc that paid about $25K for the year. Half-time means that the person would be required to work 20 hrs/week on the PI's project. This work would mainly consist of writing academic papers on which the postdoc would of course be a co-author (tasks would include researching & writing lit review, some data analysis on data already collected, and writing up results). I'm curious to know if this is something people currently on the job market would consider if (a) the position did not require relocation; (b) the position required relocation. (There are, of course, other important factors to consider, such as whether the topic of the research is related to one's interests. Let's assume that it is. The school is a well-regarded R1. If you're finding it hard to respond based on the info provided, what other info would you want to have about the opportunity?)

[nope]

(a) If it did not require relocation and I had another source of income then "yes, definitely." I would even do this if it did not fully match my research interests.

(b) If relocation is required then there is no way in hell I would consider this kind of post-doc.

[well]

Whether I would accept the position if offered - well, relocation would definitely be a factor but it's better than most grad student or adjunct salaries (or no salary), so there is that. And since it is basically a part time position there is the option to pursue other sources of income. So I don't see why not.

[anonomouse]

I would do it if it did not require relocation and/or I had the local contacts to supplement that with adjunct teaching a couple of classes ...if I had those particular classes already prepped, so I would have time to apply to jobs. But if I was working that schedule I would not expect to have any time to work on my own research.

[nowayjose]

If you have no other options, of course; but if you can stick around another year in grad school, I'd do that. (The money is hardly better-assuming you're in a decent department)

[anni]

Really, only you can answer this question, but you should be thinking long-term. Can you conceptualize this post-doc as part of a trajectory that is going to get you where you want to be in, say, five years? If yes, then do it no matter where it is and what they pay. If it is not taking you anywhere, I'd say don't.

Then just balance that with financial constraints and family issues. Cause really, the economists are right here. The money from a postdoc can be nice, but it is more "rational" to think about it as an investment in future income (or lack thereof).