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[bluejeannie]

I know this is a highly debated topic.  My husband and I still can't decide what's the proper way to do things.  He's been applying to academia jobs.  He has a few potential interviews and he has decided that it would be best to mention me in an email at the time he is arranging interview dates.  He usually just says something like "I have a wife too who will need to find a job in the area.  Do you know if there is an office at your institution that assists with spousal hires?"  FYI, I'm also in academia, ABD.

Is this the wrong time to bring this up?  I was planning on flying out with him while he's interviewing, so I could look at my own potential job prospects and look at the area.  We thought it would be weird not to bring it up, because what if they see me in his hotel room or out to dinner at night and wonder who I am?

It's best to bring it out in the open right away, right?  My husband's thought is that if someone is offended by the fact that he has a spouse then he probably doesn't want to work for that person anyway.

But maybe it's too presumptious for him to mention me at this point; does it sound like he assumes he will be offered the job already?

[madhatter]

I would call this premature, at best. Are you planning to spend your own money to fly out to every single interview he gets? And what are you going to do when you're out there? Knock on doors at various colleges and say "Hey! My husband is interviewing out here, so I'm wondering if you'd like to talk to me, too?"

I see your cart, but I think you lost your horse several miles back.

Your husband should go on the interviews by himself. If he even gets any interviews. You said he has "potential interviews," which to me sounds like wishful thinking. Based on the interviews, if they happen, he'll either get offers or not. He can raise the possibility of a spousal situation during the interviews, if the timing and rapport feel right, or afterwards, or during negotiations. There really is no rule that applies equally to all situations. In many cases, it doesn't matter when he asks for a spousal accommodation because nothing is available, regardless.

[august_leo]

Bluejeannie, you started a thread that implied you knew you were going to the UK when he took a post-doc in Cambridge. But, you also said you wouldn't be able to move to the UK until about January because both of you are writing up your PhD dissertations.

Do you mean you plan to fly to the UK and see if there are spousal jobs/jobs available for you while he is being interviewed? I just don't see that working in the UK system because, as mentioned on the other thread, hiring is much quicker after interviews are held and the whole process is a bit different. For example, because academic jobs don't always start at the beginning of the academic year, it's not like people are going to necessarily know of openings.

Also, on the other thread you mentioned that your husband is doing a post-doc. I'm not sure how much effort people would put into finding a job for the spouse of someone who is likely to leave in 3 years (typical for post-docs). That seems different than finding a job for the spouse of someone who is TT and potentially will be there forever.

I'm not trying to burst your bubble.

To answer your question, in this case I would wait until he has an offer to mention you.

[bluejeannie]

Ok well he has interviews at other places too.  This is more of a general question for how things should be done.  It doesn't seem like there is a really good answer for it though.

I have been to numerous career seminars at my school and it seems like the people there always said you should bring up the two-body problem before the interview so the schools could be more accomodating.  In fact, I distinctly remember numerous speakers saying it would be too late if you waited until after the interview.  I didn't know there was a different protocol for applying to postdoc fellowships.  The career seminars never mentioned that.  I thought the speakers were referring to the protocol for academia in general.

[spectacle]

Ok well he has interviews at other places too.  This is more of a general question for how things should be done.  It doesn't seem like there is a really good answer for it though.

I have been to numerous career seminars at my school and it seems like the people there always said you should bring up the two-body problem before the interview so the schools could be more accomodating.  In fact, I distinctly remember numerous speakers saying it would be too late if you waited until after the interview.  I didn't know there was a different protocol for applying to postdoc fellowships.  The career seminars never mentioned that.  I thought the speakers were referring to the protocol for academia in general.

bluejeannie, you're going to get conflicting advice on this, usually right down the prof/admin line.  Administrators are going to recommend that you bring up the two-body problem sooner, because they're sick of applicants and potential hires bringing it up at the last possible minute. 

Others are going to suggest that you wait as long as possible - possibly as late as when he gets an offer, because we've all heard tales of people feeling that their application was tanked because they were up front about their Problem. 

My advice is, It Depends.  Is the trailing position a deal-breaker for you?  If it's not, don't bring it up.  If it is, sooner is probably better. 

There is no "general answer for how things should be done" - there are a LOT of conflicting opinions on this issue on the fora - I recommend searching through the archives.  It's been addressed a lot in the past. 

[scampster]

I didn't know there was a different protocol for applying to postdoc fellowships.  The career seminars never mentioned that.  I thought the speakers were referring to the protocol for academia in general.

I have never ever heard of a spousal hire for a postdoc. If you are in the sciences, get a postdoc in the area on your own. I'm not going to say it is easy, but find people working on stuff that is interesting to you and talk to them about working in their lab. If you can't get a postdoc on your own merits, your spouse isn't going to be able to get you one either.

[greyscale]

I didn't know there was a different protocol for applying to postdoc fellowships.  The career seminars never mentioned that.  I thought the speakers were referring to the protocol for academia in general.

I have never ever heard of a spousal hire for a postdoc. If you are in the sciences, get a postdoc in the area on your own. I'm not going to say it is easy, but find people working on stuff that is interesting to you and talk to them about working in their lab. If you can't get a postdoc on your own merits, your spouse isn't going to be able to get you one either.

Agreed on all counts. Though, I think it's fine to bring up the spouse's existence. The professor might know of some other lab looking for a postdoc.

The thing is, there's no "protocol for academia in general." Postdocs in science are not very limited in either supply or demand. It's a different situation than tenure-track jobs.


(My department hired the spouse of an incoming postdoc as an administrative assistant. That's not relevant to your case but I suppose it exists as an example of a spousal-hire-ish situation.)