Research Assistant Salary

[LLLC]

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[Yellow_Elephant]

sending you a PM

 

[eteshoe]

You can certainly inquire about compensation, especially since Boston is one ridiculously expensive city to live in. Just be an adult (polite) about it.

 

[Gibbward]

Full time RA positions? The only ones I've seen on job listings were paid ones with SWEET benefits. Usually there will be an employee type/pay grade on those listings too and based on that you can sometimes find a general range of what you can expect as your salary in the hospital's website. The formal offer letter should also include the salary the lab is willing to give you.

As for turning down an offer, just be polite. Say thank you for the offer and that you appreciate their interest but you have decided to pursue other opportunities. Then wish the lab members good luck on their future endeavors and peace out.

 

[LLLC]

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[The Knife & Gun Club]

I wouldn't. Just thank them for their time and regretfully inform them that you can not accept their offer. Be polite and concise.

As for pay, I make 12 bucks an hour as an RA, but I'm hourly not salaried. Salaried RA's I know make around 14/hr + benefits.

 

[ready2go2]

I have been applying to research assistant positions in a few academic hospitals in Boston, and I was offered a couple of positions.
However, at no part of the application, the initial job listing, the multiple interviews and the final acceptance, was there mention of compensation.
Am I wrong in understanding that these positions are paid? Would it be tactless to ask?

Also what would be the best way to turn down an offer?

LLLC

Check glassdoor, or just ask. In NYC most institutions were between 30k-40k, don't know about Boston.

When I turned down offers I kept it brief and wished them, their lab and their research great luck and success.

 

[Affiche]

For turning down an offer, should I tell them who I will be working with? At least the fact that I will be in the same hospital?
The area of study of the position I'm accepting is the same as the positions I'm turning down. I know for sure two of the PIs know each other. There will also be a retreat that's coming up where everyone from that specialty is going. I think the whole department is only a few hundred people, and it'll be highly likely they know where I'm working once I start.
I don't want to burn any bridges or leave a bad taste. It's very possible that I will be working with these people in the future.

You're not burning bridges by accepting another position lol. Just tell them you've accepted another position that you think will be a better fit for you and thank them for the offer. If you want, you can disclose the position you're accepting and mention that you look forward to working with them in the future, but that's it. Make sure you accept the other offer before you turn the first down.

 

[LLLC]

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[Affiche]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have received salary information after sending them an email. All of the offers are fairly similar and consistent with what Yellow_Elephant told me.
I am only hesitant because it may seem awkward to see me working in another lab so close to each other.

Welcome to the working world. I promise you that literally no one will care that you accepted the other offer. This is how things are done.

 

[Gibbward]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have received salary information after sending them an email. All of the offers are fairly similar and consistent with what Yellow_Elephant told me.
I am only hesitant because it may seem awkward to see me working in another lab so close to each other.

It's only awkward if you make it awkward! If you run into people you interviewed with, be friendly and polite. The lab really won't care that you accepted a different offer.

 

[Mansamusa]

I'm in NYC and make $20/hr, or $36.somethingK a yr. Boston should pay around what NYC does.

Pro-tip: work in NYC, but don't live there so you go get the extra NYC tax.

Does Boston take additional taxes?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Grant-funded RA positions will sadly be paid pretty similarly everywhere without significant cost-of-living adjustments. Expect $30-35k plus benefits and a small raise every year.

My experience is with universities, so, it's possible that hospitals are different... but I doubt significantly so.

 

[fahimaz7]

I was at 38k/yr for the year that I was a RA. That's peanuts in Boston.

 

[RedSox143]

I have been applying to research assistant positions in a few academic hospitals in Boston, and I was offered a couple of positions.
However, at no part of the application, the initial job listing, the multiple interviews and the final acceptance, was there mention of compensation.
Am I wrong in understanding that these positions are paid? Would it be tactless to ask?

Also what would be the best way to turn down an offer?

LLLC

I'm in NYC and make $20/hr, or $36.somethingK a yr. Boston should pay around what NYC does.

Pro-tip: work in NYC, but don't live there so you go get the extra NYC tax.

Does Boston take additional taxes?

I've been working at the various partners and harvard affiliated institutions in Boston through undergrad and a gap year before starting school moving between clinical research jobs and research assistant jobs. Gotta tell you the compensation is generally poor and the taxes including if you need an MBTA pass are high. In order of quality if you like structure and strict deadlines and organization pick anything in longwood area its more organized (no overtime usually) but less pay. MGH is better paid almost always with more autonomy and more hours with more to do, frequent overtime needed. NOTE**: This compensation has nothing to do with quality of institution, the problem is MGH has little lab space in Becon hill and most of their labs are in Charlestown, so less spots higher pay at the main campus of MGH. BWH has massive amounts of space and labs in the longwood area meaning its less competitive and money is spread out over more people, might get more done there though, that depends on PI.

usually you get hourly or salary, salary means you get paid same weekly no matter how much overtime or time off (hah) you take. Always go with hourly so you get overtime and evening differential. GO OVER THIS and DEFINITELY Ask about compensation with your potential employer make sure youre hourly and at least over $15 an hour, you worked hard, have a degree i'm assuming and so you deserve more than 15$ an hour and you need to fight for yourself.

Compensation averages usually for research assistant go MGH>childrens>BWH and other longwood places when I worked at MGH got around 18-20$ an hour. BWH and childrens, significantly less. Some try hard kids lie and say they get 27$ an hour as research assistants at some places in Boston, don't believe them it's simply not true.

you should be getting 36-42k a year salary, after taxes each will go down by 8-10k cuz Mass sucks as you watch the roads and everythign crumble aroudn you you wonder what happened to those taxes they took...

 

[ChrisMack390]

I started out at 42K in Boston back in 2013. I think clinical research tends to pay a little better than wet lab though.

 

[fahimaz7]

I started out at 42K in Boston back in 2013. I think clinical research tends to pay a little better than wet lab though.

You couldn't have paid me enough to do basic lab work back when I took a RA position. Nothing about that is fun. Clinical or translational research is where it is at. Better money, hours, and less grant chasing. If I had to prepare another sample set for flow I would /quit.

 

[mkapp]

At most hospitals in Boston, RA salaries tend to be in the low 30s. I think RA's at the VA earn more (low 40s), as well as RAs at Harvard (i.e., RAs who work for the university, rather than RA's who work at a Harvard hospital). The pay is awful, but you can potentially get great experience as an RA.

 

[kiwifriend]

This is just from my limited experience but I know a few people working as RAs at MGH and they make around 30K. Another friend works as an RA at a more suburban MA hospital and makes around 40K. Everyone is hourly, but the MGH folks say it's pretty strict in terms of no overtime (good or bad depending on your point of view).

 

[Mansamusa]

I've been working at the various partners and harvard affiliated institutions in Boston through undergrad and a gap year before starting school moving between clinical research jobs and research assistant jobs. Gotta tell you the compensation is generally poor and the taxes including if you need an MBTA pass are high. In order of quality if you like structure and strict deadlines and organization pick anything in longwood area its more organized (no overtime usually) but less pay. MGH is better paid almost always with more autonomy and more hours with more to do, frequent overtime needed. NOTE**: This compensation has nothing to do with quality of institution, the problem is MGH has little lab space in Becon hill and most of their labs are in Charlestown, so less spots higher pay at the main campus of MGH. BWH has massive amounts of space and labs in the longwood area meaning its less competitive and money is spread out over more people, might get more done there though, that depends on PI.

usually you get hourly or salary, salary means you get paid same weekly no matter how much overtime or time off (hah) you take. Always go with hourly so you get overtime and evening differential. GO OVER THIS and DEFINITELY Ask about compensation with your potential employer make sure youre hourly and at least over $15 an hour, you worked hard, have a degree i'm assuming and so you deserve more than 15$ an hour and you need to fight for yourself.

Compensation averages usually for research assistant go MGH>childrens>BWH and other longwood places when I worked at MGH got around 18-20$ an hour. BWH and childrens, significantly less. Some try hard kids lie and say they get 27$ an hour as research assistants at some places in Boston, don't believe them it's simply not true.

you should be getting 36-42k a year salary, after taxes each will go down by 8-10k cuz Mass sucks as you watch the roads and everythign crumble aroudn you you wonder what happened to those taxes they took...

I've seen the stipends for the research fellowships that some people take after med school to get more competitive residencies.....$25K.

 

[RedSox143]

I've seen the stipends for the research fellowships that some people take after med school to get more competitive residencies.....$25K.

Sounds like the amount we'd get after taxes in Mass, IDK if stipends are taxed

 

[Mansamusa]

Sounds like the amount we'd get after taxes in Mass, IDK if stipends are taxed

I know grad student stipends are taxed (or at least they need to file tax returns on them), so imagine these are too

Edit: Asked grad student who said that taxes are taken

 

[RedSox143]

This is just from my limited experience but I know a few people working as RAs at MGH and they make around 30K. Another friend works as an RA at a more suburban MA hospital and makes around 40K. Everyone is hourly, but the MGH folks say it's pretty strict in terms of no overtime (good or bad depending on your point of view).

Thats exactly why I suggested to OP not to do salary because salary employees end up doing overtime a lot for no extra pay and if youre hourly theyre "stricter" about overtime and if you do do it, youll get paid for it.

 

[RedSox143]

I know grad student stipends (or at least they need to file tax returns on them) are taxed, so imagine these are too

eek thats bleak esp in Boston

 

[SpartanWolverine]

eek thats bleak esp in Boston

Yeah. 25-30k is livable in Boston (roommate almost certainly necessary), but I'd suggest the OP prioritize positions $35-40k+ if they care about their quality of life.

 

[Gibbward]

I earn 45k/year in Boston before taxes, health insurance, and the MBTA pass. My lab and post-docs are super chill tho and so I really only work 40hrs a week at most. No weekend work either. I'm an RA II tho. 30k is def livable tho with a roommate. Got to go eat out twice every weekend and still saved ~$500 a month. It's all about managing your money properly!

 

[darkjedi]

If it makes you feel any better, I was only paid 20k/yr as a research assistant during my gap year. The tradeoff was that I'm pretty sure the letter I got from my PI was what got me into med school.

 

[NimbleNavigator]

If it makes you feel any better, I was only paid 20k/yr as a research assistant during my gap year. The tradeoff was that I'm pretty sure the letter I got from my PI was what got me into med school.

Damn. Full time?

 

[Miss_Premed]

I have been applying to research assistant positions in a few academic hospitals in Boston, and I was offered a couple of positions.
However, at no part of the application, the initial job listing, the multiple interviews and the final acceptance, was there mention of compensation.
Am I wrong in understanding that these positions are paid? Would it be tactless to ask?

Also what would be the best way to turn down an offer?

LLLC

I'm not sure if it's just because employers know that Boston is a desirable city, but I was recently offered a Lab Tech position (lower than RA) for $35k plus vacation benefits. I also interviewed for two RA position one for $45k and one for 48k all in central ma. That seems strange to me.

 

[Gibbward]

I'm not sure if it's just because employers know that Boston is a desirable city, but I was recently offered a Lab Tech position (lower than RA) for $35k plus vacation benefits. I also interviewed for two RA position one for $45k and one for 48k all in central ma (Worcester county mostly). That seems strange to me.

Are those two higher paid RA positions in academic settings or industry?

 

[Mansamusa]

Are those two higher paid RA positions in academic settings or industry?

Wouldn't $45K be low for industry? I think industry is more like $60K and I know people over $80K starting

 

[Miss_Premed]

Are those two higher paid RA positions in academic settings or industry?

The higher paid ones are both academic positions.


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[FindingNismo]

FWIW, I've noticed that salaries at MGH / Harvard tend to be among the lowest for RAs. Yale starts at $20/hour.

 

[Gibbward]

Wouldn't $45K be low for industry? I think industry is more like $60K and I know people over $80K starting

Yeah that's true. I know 60k being the norm for industry too. It's just really weird to hear about 48k for academia unless it's a higher ranked RA position.

 

[Mansamusa]

Yeah that's true. I know 60k being the norm for industry too. It's just really weird to hear about 48k for academia unless it's a higher ranked RA position.

Maybe combo of location and a master's degree? Another guy in my lab has the same job as me but gets $6K more because of his masters