Income

[surviving2021]

Hello,

I am starting a post doc in September and will be only working 4 days a week. I am concerned about income as prices for the area have increased. I relocated from outside of the state so I am overwhelmed with cost of living and living paycheck to paycheck. What kind of job suggestions do you have for part time work? Thanks!

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[GT_Neuro]

Maybe call around and see if any of the local assessment Psychologists / Neuropsychologists need a psychometrician. It is generally a decent part-time gig and you can gain experience.

 

[Sanman]

Why are you only working 4 days on post-doc? Options depend on your skills and if you want more hours.

 

[calimich]

maybe it's a 4x10 week? we had that option at my postdoc

 

[surviving2021]

maybe it's a 4x10 week? we had that option at my postdoc

Yea it is

 

[surviving2021]

What is the rule on having a full time official post doc and taking on a psych associate position part time?

 

[WisNeuro]

What is the rule on having a full time official post doc and taking on a psych associate position part time?

Depends on your contract, if you have one.

 

[surviving2021]

It’s with a hospital so I need to review it.

 

[surviving2021]

Maybe call around and see if any of the local assessment Psychologists / Neuropsychologists need a psychometrician. It is generally a decent part-time gig and you can gain experience.

The part time position would be on zoom and I would be psy assistant but im scared my post doc will say no (my internship said no moonlighting) so I imagine a formal post doc would be the same

 

[BuckeyeLove]

my internship said no moonlighting

I get that this might be the norm, but its weird to me still that somewhere that is paying 30k (potentially) says you cant work elsewhere. Unless it's a fed site and the pay is a little more.

 

[surviving2021]

I get that this might be the norm, but its weird to me still that somewhere that is paying 30k (potentially) says you cant work elsewhere. Unless it's a fed site and the pay is a little more.

My internship was at a federal hospital.

I guess because I am occurring hours and will have two supervisors that was my concern but I don’t see why places can dictate this when post docs do pay more but still with this economy and paying back loans I need something part time

 

[PsychPhDone]

Hello,

I am starting a post doc in September and will be only working 4 days a week. I am concerned about income as prices for the area have increased. I relocated from outside of the state so I am overwhelmed with cost of living and living paycheck to paycheck. What kind of job suggestions do you have for part time work? Thanks!

Other ideas that come to mind:
- nanny/babysitting gig
- tutoring gig
- dissertation editing/coaching gig
- asking former mentors/PIs/local people if they need help with study recruitment or tasks one day a week

 

[Sanman]

I get that this might be the norm, but its weird to me still that somewhere that is paying 30k (potentially) says you cant work elsewhere. Unless it's a fed site and the pay is a little more.

My internship was at a federal hospital.

I guess because I am occurring hours and will have two supervisors that was my concern but I don’t see why places can dictate this when post docs do pay more but still with this economy and paying back loans I need something part time

They can dictate this because they are the ones paying you and writing the contract. As you are in training, they are investing more resources (supervisors) and have even more leverage over your activities. They do not want you underperforming because you are working a second job. That limited income also needs to pay all your licensing fees in addition to living expenses unless you can get the money from elsewhere. That said, this is one of the reasons why I often tell those of limited means to be careful when choosing this career. I have been hated on here for doing so, but I would rather a person be a successful SW or counselor with a job than a failed psychologist. The more years out of the workforce or with minimal pay, the higher the risk of failure.

 

[WisNeuro]

They can dictate this because they are the ones paying you and writing the contract. As you are in training, they are investing more resources (supervisors) and have even more leverage over your activities. They do not want you underperforming because you are working a second job. That limited income also needs to pay all your licensing fees in addition to living expenses unless you can get the money from elsewhere. That said, this is one of the reasons why I often tell those of limited means to be careful when choosing this career. I have been hated on here for doing so, but I would rather a person be a successful SW or counselor with a job than a failed psychologist. The more years out of the workforce or with minimal pay, the higher the risk of failure.

Pretty much, considering the amount of unbillable times that goes into training, postdocs still generally cost money. Maybe slightly better than interns, but it's usually a time/money sink.

 

[surviving2021]

They can dictate this because they are the ones paying you and writing the contract. As you are in training, they are investing more resources (supervisors) and have even more leverage over your activities. They do not want you underperforming because you are working a second job. That limited income also needs to pay all your licensing fees in addition to living expenses unless you can get the money from elsewhere. That said, this is one of the reasons why I often tell those of limited means to be careful when choosing this career. I have been hated on here for doing so, but I would rather a person be a successful SW or counselor with a job than a failed psychologist. The more years out of the workforce or with minimal pay, the higher the risk of failure.

They are not paying for my licensing fees

 

[Sanman]

They are not paying for my licensing fees

I never said they were. I said that you need to using your salary.

 

[surviving2021]

I never said they were. I said that you need to using your salary.

I misread it

I understand they are investing in me and I just completed a very difficult internship so changing careers is not an option. With cost of living increasing I unfortunately need a second form of income and found a PA position hut not sure why I can’t do both.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I misread it

I understand they are investing in me and I just completed a very difficult internship so changing careers is not an option. With cost of living increasing I unfortunately need a second form of income and found a PA position hut not sure why I can’t do both.

It's ultimately up to the postdoc, as you've mentioned. If they prohibit it, I would imagine they have their reasons, but it couldn't hurt to check with the director of training to see if there's any possibility for an exception. That being said, postdocs can sometimes be more open to external employment than internships.

You'd just also want the contract/agreement with the outside employment to be very clear about your role and credentials.

 

[texanpsychdoc]

Try to join a private practice that can bring you on as a "post-doc associate" and see a few patients a week with the. I'd also look for any adjunct positions at nearby community colleges.

 

[summerbabe]

I understand they are investing in me and I just completed a very difficult internship so changing careers is not an option. With cost of living increasing I unfortunately need a second form of income and found a PA position hut not sure why I can’t do both.

Possible reasons (this is only assuming the perspectives/needs of the postdoc):
- If your postdoc is 40 hours and considered full-time (even if you only work 4 days), there could be worry that additional workload will contribute to burnout/overload and negatively impact your postdoc performance and ability to engage in training
- There could be worry that you'll be working from one set of rules/standards at your postdoc and another set of rules/standards at the other job which could potentially undermine the training philosophy of the postdoc
- Rigidity (e.g., none of us had side jobs when we were postdocs so nobody else should)

And since they will ultimately be signing off on your postdoc hours, it's 100% a good idea to work this arrangement out advance with your training director.

If you're open to non-psych work (or that is allowed but psych-related services are not), based on your willingness, abilities and local supply/demand/employment rate, you might be able to make decent money gigging.

I just paid somebody $350 with tip for a house deep cleaning. They were there for about a whole workday and made more than what I netted that day at my hourly rate as a VA psychologist. I also paid somebody else recently $500 to cut up and haul off trees/limbs that fell after a major storm.

These people run their own businesses and have marketing/references as well as equipment and processes but if you're going to an area with a high cost of living, there are probably people with money who will pay for things they want/need and can't do/don't have the time to do (tutoring for their kids, GRE coaching, etc). Good luck!

 

[surviving2021]

I reached out to a previous supervisor and they asked me if I have a Psy associate license, what is the purpose of this? I have been reading online and I am a bit confused

 

[Sanman]

Possible reasons (this is only assuming the perspectives/needs of the postdoc):
- If your postdoc is 40 hours and considered full-time (even if you only work 4 days), there could be worry that additional workload will contribute to burnout/overload and negatively impact your postdoc performance and ability to engage in training
- There could be worry that you'll be working from one set of rules/standards at your postdoc and another set of rules/standards at the other job which could potentially undermine the training philosophy of the postdoc
- Rigidity (e.g., none of us had side jobs when we were postdocs so nobody else should)

And since they will ultimately be signing off on your postdoc hours, it's 100% a good idea to work this arrangement out advance with your training director.

If you're open to non-psych work (or that is allowed but psych-related services are not), based on your willingness, abilities and local supply/demand/employment rate, you might be able to make decent money gigging.

I just paid somebody $350 with tip for a house deep cleaning. They were there for about a whole workday and made more than what I netted that day at my hourly rate as a VA psychologist. I also paid somebody else recently $500 to cut up and haul off trees/limbs that fell after a major storm.

These people run their own businesses and have marketing/references as well as equipment and processes but if you're going to an area with a high cost of living, there are probably people with money who will pay for things they want/need and can't do/don't have the time to do (tutoring for their kids, GRE coaching, etc). Good luck!

Yeah, the VA is not paying you enough money.

 

[PsychPhDone]

I reached out to a previous supervisor and they asked me if I have a Psy associate license, what is the purpose of this? I have been reading online and I am a bit confused

In my state it allows you to practice pre-licensure under supervision outside a formal postdoc program.

 

[BuckeyeLove]

Yeah, the VA is not paying you enough money.

Second this

 

[Spydra]

The part time position would be on zoom and I would be psy assistant but im scared my post doc will say no (my internship said no moonlighting) so I imagine a formal post doc would be the same

Have you considered talking with the training director about your financial concerns and asking if they would have a problem with you taking a second job? They might not care at all or they might have clear parameters that still allow you to pursue extra income, but not risk your postdoc training. I would be shocked if they've never had a postdoc experience finance concerns that led to needing another source of income.

You mention being at a hospital, they may have secondary appointments that postdocs can do and the training director can connect you if so. I too am a postdoc at a hospital and we all showed up with a lot of concerns about the cost of commuting, eating, and everything else so the training director created a secondary appointment for us conducting assessments that are not part of our regular duties. It helps the hospital with the covid-related backlog, gives us a flexible side hustle, counts toward our hours, and diversifies our experiences. To ensure that regular postdoc duties are prioritized there's a limit to how many cases we can do in a quarter and anyone whose supervisor complains about regular duties not being up to par is taken off the secondary appointment.