Expected Salary for Research Intern

[chem4ever]

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I am applying for a research intern position and one of the questions on the application (which is not specific for this job; it's for any job that this company has) asks for my salary expectations.

Should I just skip this question? I'm not sure if it's optional or not.

Does anyone know what the normal pay is for a (senior) undergrad research intern?

 

[markyb03]

I made 10.77 an hour for full-time undergrad research position this summer

 

[IlDestriero]

$0.00

 

[chem4ever]

$0.00

Ha I fully agree but it is a paid position so it can't be 0.

 

[zedonks]

Honestly it doesn't really matter what you put, as long as it's not outlandishly high. I usually check out this neat website called glassdoor.com when I'm filling that out/ negotiating salary. It gives you the average salary range for different jobs.

http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/undergraduate-research-assistant-salary-SRCH_KO0,32.htm

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Think grad student stipend 30-35k depending on city. Pro-rate it to length of your stay at your internship ~3000k-5000k. The money is really not that great.

 

[kami333]

Academia or industry?

My gf made something like $18/hr at P&G one summer. 6years as a tech and I still make less than that at an academic institute.

Think grad student stipend 30-35k depending on city.

😱 I want to be a grad student at your school.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I did a summer research internship at a hospital this summer and got a $3500 stipend.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Academia or industry?

My gf made something like $18/hr at P&G one summer. 6years as a tech and I still make less than that at an academic institute.



😱 I want to be a grad student at your school.

Academia, haha. People are willing to kill for those positions. I go to Hopkins ! 🙂 (35k is mostly NYC schools like Rockefeller/Sloan Ketering) living is super expensive.

 

[kami333]

Academia, haha. People are willing to kill for those positions. I go to Hopkins ! 🙂 (35k is mostly NYC schools like Rockefeller/Sloan Ketering) living is super expensive.

Pretty sure even Rockefeller is only about 32k, not sure about Sloan Kettering.

<edit> Found it, Sloan Kettering is $33,790, Rockefeller is $33000. Harvard Business School is offering $38k😱

 

[MedPR]

I am applying for a research intern position and one of the questions on the application (which is not specific for this job; it's for any job that this company has) asks for my salary expectations.

Should I just skip this question? I'm not sure if it's optional or not.

Does anyone know what the normal pay is for a (senior) undergrad research intern?

I get paid $12.45 at my clinical lab job. BA in Biology. Not a grad student.

 

[saveourpens]

Depends on what experience you have, I think I emailed the entire med school faculty at my local place and found a position for 15 hour. I'd was also upfront with them that I'd only be there for a year.

 

[kpcrew]

Academia, haha. People are willing to kill for those positions. I go to Hopkins ! 🙂 (35k is mostly NYC schools like Rockefeller/Sloan Ketering) living is super expensive.

Not if you're commuting from New Jersey or Brooklyn.

 

[Irish Football]

I did a ten-week summer research program and earned 5k. My job this upcoming year will probably pay me between 5-12k depending on how much I get done (I didn't choose it for the money so anything I get at all is just a bonus for me). I know some of my friends who are planning on getting like 30-35k for research full-time this upcoming year. It really all depends on how much you will be working and how much you plan on accomplishing.

 

[An MD Hopeful]

While doing clinical research, I first started with my institute's "student-salary" of $8/hr. Since my P.I. was impressed with my work, I was hired as a part-time CRA with $19/hr, which was raised after a year to $20/hr. The money really is a perk though. Not that I'd tell the people at my work this, but I would do it for free.

 

[cuculici1]

I did a 10 week summer research internship for a university and got a $5,000 stipend. It may not seem like that much money, but in reality it was not that bad (considering that the stipend is not taxed and housing was free for all interns).

 

[Double A]

i would write "open" if that's a possibility. if it helps i was a lab tech during my year off with a b.s. and i made $15/hr and change.

 

[DAPI]

I've made anywhere from $13.00/hr to $15.00/hr as an undergrad doing research and now that I've graduated I'm at about $14.50/hr. So somewhere in that range is probably about right.

 

[ComfortCreature]

At U of A and UNM:

With no experience, you're looking at $9-12/hr. With a degree and two years of research experience, most lab tech jobs pay $12-18/hr (like DAPI said).

Cost of living is lower in both of these areas, so this may vary to a small degree. Internships that are just a few months that are stipend usually pay $1000-1500/month.

If all else fails, put "negotiable" in the box 🙂

 

[chem4ever]

i would write "open" if that's a possibility. if it helps i was a lab tech during my year off with a b.s. and i made $15/hr and change.

Ahhh I should've wrote "open"....good call.
I already submitted and wrote 15/hr

Thanks guys

 

[Praefectus]

$15/hr isn't a bad estimate. I've generally seen that offered for undergrad positions. Having a degree might bump that number up by a couple of dollars, though.

 

[sinombre]

$15/hr isn't a bad estimate. I've generally seen that offered for undergrad positions. Having a degree might bump that number up by a couple of dollars, though.

Agreed. I made that as an undergrad, and went up to 18 an hour after graduating.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Pretty sure even Rockefeller is only about 32k, not sure about Sloan Kettering.

<edit> Found it, Sloan Kettering is $33,790, Rockefeller is $33000. Harvard Business School is offering $38k😱

With an engineering background my first job is paying ~100k but my friends who ended up in consulting/finance at Goldman/Delloite/Bain/UBS offers are making 115k + bonus ~10k to 20k.

IMHO Research jobs ought to pay a lot more. I know you guys work your asses off !

 

[embracethepain]

In the similar vein-what would the expected salary be for a pathology technician? work involves surgery (under supervision) & autopsies. Not quite sure what salary would be appropriate to request.

 

[threnodyk]

Based on my friends' and my own experiences, 30-35K seems to be about average for fulltime year of research intern work here in CA. I believe that works out to around $16/hr (assuming a 40 hour work week, which'd be crazy low).

If you need to put in an expected hourly salary, I'd probably go with $13.

 

[Narmerguy]

With an engineering background my first job is paying ~100k but my friends who ended up in consulting/finance at Goldman/Delloite/Bain/UBS offers are making 115k + bonus ~10k to 20k.

IMHO Research jobs ought to pay a lot more. I know you guys work your asses off !

Meh, most research at this level doesn't take much and they probably won't have to work the hours like a finance guy/gal. Research tech positions are pretty low stress, low expectation once you've got the job (of course there are always PI's that can make this different). There's a reason they can pay so little and never worry about running out of willing techs.

 

[embracethepain]

Meh, most research at this level doesn't take much and they probably won't have to work the hours like a finance guy/gal. Research tech positions are pretty low stress, low expectation once you've got the job (of course there are always PI's that can make this different). There's a reason they can pay so little and never worry about running out of willing techs.

That's not true (not always). Research techs in my lab work ridiculous hours...over 15 hours a day, and is extremely hard. One mistake and the PI is yelling in their faces because the whole lab depends on them. I would haaaaaate to be a research tech. A path technologist...sounds more interesting and demanding.

 

[Narmerguy]

That's not true (not always). Research techs in my lab work ridiculous hours...over 15 hours a day, and is extremely hard. One mistake and the PI is yelling in their faces because the whole lab depends on them. I would haaaaaate to be a research tech. A path technologist...sounds more interesting and demanding.

15 hours a day 5 days a week is a 75 hour week. I should not even have to state that this is not the norm. Obviously if a PI chooses, this can happen--no job is immune to the effects of a lousy boss. But for the most part, it's a fairly stress-free, simple job that tons and tons of science majors around the country are qualified for each year--some before even graduating. That so many people do equivalent jobs after 1-2 years of undergrad is example enough for how little is needed for this job.