finding jobs post phd
your journey is uniquely yours!
Your PhD journey — and the journey you take afterwards — will be full of many possibilities, no matter the direction you take. The resources and ideas below are meant to give you a taste of some of the options you have post-PhD, whether you decide to stay within academia and/or the university, or explore options elsewhere.
Check out these videos from The PhD Caring & Sharing Collective & CTLSA's 2023 What's Next? Exploring Academic & Non-Academic Career Pathways Event ...
Listen to PhD Sharing & Caring Collective founder, Lindsay Cavanaugh, ask OISE graduates Dr. Anjali Helferty and Dr. Dominique Riviere questions about their journey to industry jobs.
Dominique Riviere earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from OISE in 2006. She held positions in multiple sectors, including government, and technology / innovation, before creating Fictive Kin Equity Lab in 2020. Dominique is also an avid reader, an unabashed chocoholic, mother to the world’s most energetic 5-year-old, and wholly determined to someday live in a country where winter does not exist.
Anjali Helferty began her career in climate activism nearly 20 years ago with youth climate organising both in Canada and the United States. Her advanced education and environmental advocacy has focused on settler solidarity with Indigenous peoples and organisational management, knowledge which she now applies in leading The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. A few of Anjali’s favourite things are baking for friends and family, hosting singalong parties, and hanging out on the porch with her chatty baby.
Listen to PhD Sharing & Caring Collective speaker series organizer, Claudio Jaramillo-Yanquepe, ask Dr. Arlo Kempf questions about his journey to a tenure-track academic job at OISE.
Arlo Kempf is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. His research takes up issues of racial justice, white supremacy in education, teachers’ work, and anti-colonialism.
figuring out if you want to pursue an academic or non-academic career
Grounding yourself
What have you enjoyed most about doing your PhD? What have you enjoyed the least?
Based on your PhD, do you think you want to pursue an academic career or no?
If you work in academia, would you prefer to work at a research-intensive or teaching institution?
Are you willing to move for an academic job or do you need/want to stay in a particular place?
Are you able to afford getting a post-doc or job that pays 35,000-50,000 or do you need to make more to survive, or to support your family?
academic job options
Here are some academic jobs you might want to consider applying for ...
Post-doc: This is a common position PhD students get right after their PhD. You can either apply for post-docs at a university or you can apply for a PhD through a funding agency (like SSHRC or Banting). Doing a Post-Doc involves working with someone else and getting some time for your own research. The pay can range from 35,000-70,000 depending on the institution or funding body.
Sessional instructor: This is another common job PhD students get right after their PhD (or sometimes during their PhD at the end). This is when you teach courses at a university as a contract instructor. Pay for teaching a sessional course for one term can range from 6,000-9,000 depending on the institution.
Tenure-track job: This is a less common position for people to apply right for off the bat, but sometimes people have luck. Just note that most tenure-track positions would expect you to have a certain number of publications already.
What is the difference between an assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor? What does “tenure track” or “tenure stream” mean?
In essence, “tenure track” or “tenure stream” means that you will be working towards a full-time, secure faculty position at a university. Job ads might say “Assistant Professor--tenure stream” which means that, if hired as an assistant prof, you will spend the first few years of your position teaching, writing, and developing your publications and research portfolios. After review, you may be promoted to “Associate Professor,” with tenure granted, and then possibly to “Professor” as you continue to develop your teaching and research.
For more university-based jobs, here are a few links you might like to check out. These links include faculty positions, as well as university student service and administrative positions:
non-academic job options
Here are some non-academic jobs you might want to consider pursuing ...
University or College Staff/Administrator Position
Not-For-Profit Sector Positions
https://workinnonprofits.ca/ (Non-Profit Positions)
https://charityvillage.com/ (for Non-Profit and Grassroots positions--you also may be able to find volunteer positions listed here
Government Position
https://www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/Jobs.aspx (Ontario Public Service Careers)
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/opportunities/government.html (Government of Canada positions)
Consulting