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[spyzowin]

What's the current trend out there? Are people being reimbursed for travel and hotels for interviews? I'm on a SC right now, and I don't think we're going to offer any reimbursement at all.

[normative_]

Yes, if the university is serious and wants to be seen as such.

Otherwise you may find yourself discussed on the Really Cheap Universities Thread.

[profxfiles]

Even when I was at my most desperate in my job search, I turned down interviews at schools that required me to pay my own way.  As a candidate,  I interpreted an unwillingness to pay interviewee travel as a major red flag regarding  the financial stability of an institution.

[normative_]

The desperately poor university interviews candidates in a hotel room at the annual conference, which is unattractive and in some cases controversial. Indeed, there's a whole thread on that too.

Your university is reaching even lower.

Talk to your dean if you can and get the university to pay the costs.

[spyzowin]

The desperately poor university interviews candidates in a hotel room at the annual conference, which is unattractive and in some cases controversial. Indeed, there's a whole thread on that too.

Your university is reaching even lower.

Talk to your dean if you can and get the university to pay the costs.

The threads mentioned have been dead for two to three years.

The job and financial climate, in case you haven't noticed, has changed dramatically. Or are you merely way out of touch with reality?

[profxfiles]

The desperately poor university interviews candidates in a hotel room at the annual conference, which is unattractive and in some cases controversial. Indeed, there's a whole thread on that too.

Your university is reaching even lower.

Talk to your dean if you can and get the university to pay the costs.

The threads mentioned have been dead for two to three years.

The job and financial climate, in case you haven't noticed, has changed dramatically. Or are you merely way out of touch with reality?

If you only want people to provide your desired response, then don't post here, just talk to yourself and then everyone will be in agreement.

As far as current evidence is concerned, my branch of the state university system, along with every other branch in the state, is still providing travel reimbursement for ALL interviews despite large budget cuts and furloughs for faculty to trim back costs. We see this as a necessary part of the interview process. My dean has made it very clear that if our financial position is ever so precarious that we could not afford to pay for travel, we simply would not hire that line for that year.

[bosola]

Amnirov, let's sidestep the fight brewing here and return to your original question.  Among eight advanced graduate students (or newly minted PhDs) in my department who have thus far been offered campus visits after MLA interviews, not one has been told there will be no travel reimbursement.  The schools in question range from state R1s through much more modest state institutions and SLACs.  If a jobseeker I was advising told me that a search committee could promise no reimbursement of travel costs, I would not necessarily say "don't take the interview" ----if the applicant could actually afford to go to the campus---but I would advise them to keep their eyes and ears open while on the visit, in case the cheapness here was just a sign of general unpleasant dysfunctionality.  (I know we're all in tight times---but a new hire is a big investment, right?  Why create ill feeling from the get-go?)

[spyzowin]

The desperately poor university interviews candidates in a hotel room at the annual conference, which is unattractive and in some cases controversial. Indeed, there's a whole thread on that too.

Your university is reaching even lower.

Talk to your dean if you can and get the university to pay the costs.

The threads mentioned have been dead for two to three years.

The job and financial climate, in case you haven't noticed, has changed dramatically. Or are you merely way out of touch with reality?

If you only want people to provide your desired response, then don't post here, just talk to yourself and then everyone will be in agreement.

No. I want to know what's going on NOW, not what went on two to three years ago.

My desired answer is *gasp* an answer.

To your credit, you do actually answer the question.

Yes, your institution is still paying for candidates to travel for interviews. Thank you.

[normative_]

As far as current evidence is concerned, my branch of the state university system, along with every other branch in the state, is still providing travel reimbursement for ALL interviews despite large budget cuts and furloughs for faculty to trim back costs. We see this as a necessary part of the interview process. My dean has made it very clear that if our financial position is ever so precarious that we could not afford to pay for travel, we simply would not hire that line for that year.

Same here. It's also not the threads, but prevailing practice, which hasn't changed. And there are reasons for that.

[donstefano]

- If your institution is that poor that it cannot even afford a couple of 1000$ to pay for flights and hotels, then you definitely cannot afford to hire new faculty.
- Not reimbursing would be a definite red flag - "don't go there"
- Without reimbursement, you will only get desperate candidates.

Sorry, but I can't even imagine that you are even considering to save on this.

[spyzowin]

- If your institution is that poor that it cannot even afford a couple of 1000$ to pay for flights and hotels, then you definitely cannot afford to hire new faculty.
- Not reimbursing would be a definite red flag - "don't go there"
- Without reimbursement, you will only get desperate candidates.

Sorry, but I can't even imagine that you are even considering to save on this.

those sorts of expenses are from totally different budget lines. The money to pay for a TT line has nothing to do with a travel budget or travel policy.

[the_honey_badger]

I'm on a major professional organization committee related to early career  issues (including job market/interview categories).  I have not yet heard of one school that ever pre-paid or reimbursed candidates whose policy has changed in the last year.  Postition postings are way down, many moved to phone interviews over conference interviews but not one complaint (or even rumor) about changes in how campus visit expenses are handled.  This would be a dramatic shift and one that would be talked about.

In relation to our own searches and those of job seekers I know?  No changes, except (again) fewer conference-based pre-interviews and more phone/video/skype use at that stage.

[janewales]

Of course we're paying-- flights, taxis, food-- if we were desperate, we would perhaps cut back our campus visit list, but we would NEVER expect a candidate to pay for the trip. We also try to avoid having them front any substantial costs, by doing the bookings and billings for flights and hotels through the university travel agent, so the bills never go to the candidates. They do have to pick up the petty cash stuff-- taxis, maybe a breakfast-- and then submit those for reimbursement.

It might help you to know who actually pays here-- the dean covers the cost for up to 3 candidates for each job. A department can add further candidates at its own expense.

And typical expense: airfare will run us about 1200.00 or so (we're an expensive destination); we do 2 nights at a hotel (3 if someone is coming from the UK), at a very nice hotel that the university has an arrangement with, so it's about 140.00 a night; taxi to or from airport would be about 25.00 each way. The "big dinner out" budget is a bit stingy-- about 250.00, intended to pay for 4 people, which is fine unless you want to drink more than a single modest bottle of wine. So, let's say it's about 2000.00 per candidate.

[hikingprof]

My institution, a very poor SLAC, does reimburse.

I am also on the market this year, and had two campus interviews. Both (one a R1, the other a tier2 SLAC) reimbursed. Of my friends on the market this year and last, none mentioned having unreimbursed interviews. And believe me, they would have mentioned that.

Speaking from the candidate's perspective, I don't think I would take a job at a college/university that doesn't reimburse for a campus visit. It is too big of a red flag. Speaking from the other side of the equation, I would be embarrassed to not reimburse a candidate. It seems at best to limit our ability to recruit, and at worst unprofessional.

My advise: scrounge up the money to reimburse your candidates, or risk losing all but the most desperate.

[helpful]

We are still paying for travel and other interview costs. We just can't have cookies and coffee at the interview.
I would recommend anyone getting an interview who is asked to pay costs to really seriously consider declining the interview. A university that can't come up with 1,000 dollars for an interview will be strapped for funds in the future for support for research, office equipment, etc.

Secondly, why would a university restrict its potential pool of applicants to people who live near enough to the place to be able to afford to drive, bus, or take the train to an interview? That doesn't make sense at all.

OP, what kind of university are you at? (SLAC, R1, R2, etc.)