Postdoc work in another country

[NuclearFlea]

I was wondering, say I finish my PhD and I want to continue on to a postdoc.  If I want to travel and see the world while still advancing my career, how would american universities view a postdoc from another country if I come back to apply for tenure track, or research positions in labs?

[cafe_lungo]

I think it would depend where you go. I got offered an Assistant Prof. position in Dubai and a tenure Prof. at my current University strongly suggested me NOT to go because it would make it almost impossible for me to get a position here in the States.

However, I do think it depends on where you go. Probably if you get a postdoc somewhere big in your area would be a big boost for you. 

[Cookie]

I think it would depend where you go. I got offered an Assistant Prof. position in Dubai and a tenure Prof. at my current University strongly suggested me NOT to go because it would make it almost impossible for me to get a position here in the States.

However, I do think it depends on where you go. Probably if you get a postdoc somewhere big in your area would be a big boost for you. 

 

I second this. I expressed my desire to do postdoc in Europe, or elsewhere outside the states, and my advisor advised me the same thing. He even told me how many friends of his (in the same PhD batch) hadn't gotten a job in the US after very good postdoc work abroad. Ugghh

[TakeruK]

I have also got similar advice, even at the PhD level. However, I know many profs who did postdoc(s) in Europe and are now profs in North America. One of them even got hired through a special Canadian research program designed to "acquire" high level researchers from abroad. 

 

I think the main thing to do is to make sure you keep your ties to North America while post-docing abroad. Fly back home for the e.g. American Astronomical Society meetings (replace with whatever your field is, of course) every year. Keep collaborators at your PhD institutions perhaps. Work with big name European people that are also well known in North America. And you might end up doing 1 postdoc abroad and then another post-doc in North America before getting a job, but it's not that uncommon to do multiple post-docs now. 

 

I think it's still possible to maintain your North America connections, but keep in mind this is a lot of cross-ocean traveling, which is costly in terms of money and time!