Should I organize a short stay abroad during my PhD?
There is a lot of pressure on young scientists to go abroad, especially when pursuing an academic or industry career. Therefore, you might wonder whether you should go abroad already during your PhD to increase your market value for a career in science. Is this a good idea?
Advantages of going abroad during your PhD
Undoubtedly, any stay abroad adds a little bonus to your CV. There are many excellent reasons why you should work abroad – whether you will work in academia or the industry sector. However, there are also several unpleasant side effects of going abroad that you must consider.
Potential employers will always presume that you have broadened your horizons, obtained intercultural skills, and learned additional techniques.
One of the most convincing reasons may be that you learn a new technique or method, which can then be transferred to the home lab.
Unfortunately, most PhD supervisors are not in favor of sending their PhD students to another lab for several reasons:
Disadvantages of going abroad during your PhD
You might wonder, “If there are so many advantages, why shouldn’t I go abroad during my PhD studies?” Well, in my experience, there are strong reasons to consider it very carefully:
You do not produce publishable data
It is rather challenging to produce publishable data during a short PhD stay abroad. Thus, many supervisors are afraid that this time may be lost. However, theoretically, it may be a productive way to build relationships with other labs.
Your PhD period might be prolonged
You have to stop all experiments in the home lab, which might be unfavorable for finishing ongoing studies on time. It may even prolong the time needed to complete your PhD.
If you pursue a free or fully funded PhD program, you might even exceed the funding period.
You do not work in the home lab
The supervisor pays you – but you work for somebody else during your stay abroad. You are not available for the daily/weekly duties in the home lab, such as cleaning benches, checking cells, or taking care of experiments during the weekend.
Thus, other lab members must do this work, who often show only limited enthusiasm to increase their workload.
Conclusion
Thus, there must be compelling reasons for a short stay abroad during the PhD period, such as learning a new scientific method. There are also important reasons NOT to go abroad. These should always be considered and compared to the factors that increase your market value for a career in science.
One of the most convincing reasons may be that you learn a new technique or method, which can then be transferred to the home lab.
Acknowledgments
I have used AI systems, including Grammarly, Google Gemini, and ChatGPT, to enhance the English and comprehensiveness of this article.
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