I have a question for all postdocs, particularly those who are Marie Curie fellows. I am a non-EU researcher who moved to the EU for a Marie Curie postdoc. My fellowship is ending soon, and I am struggling to find something afterward. To provide context, I am from the humanities department where the job market is currently very scarce. I am also unable to secure any academic positions as a postdoc. Moreover, all my academic training is from a non-EU country, so I feel excluded due to the intense gatekeeping that occurs for tenured positions. My fellowship ends in three months, and I am very nervous about the next step in my career. Can other postdocs who have experienced similar feelings please guide me on what I should do? My field and research area are limited by funding, and although I am applying for other grants, they are a long process and competitive. I fear I will soon be without a job, and this thought makes me very nervous and uneasy as I have a family to support back in my home country. The job market in my home country is also very poor, and returning is not an option for me now. Can anyone suggest some ways I can navigate this, especially those who have faced similar challenges in their career progression after their postdoc?
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In my country (Portugal) it is possible for a post-doc to run for research grants for lower levels, like masters level which are much more plentiful and easier to get - is this an option in your country? If not, it sounds like the only option is working in the industry - do you not like working with statistics or languages or some other applied skill?– Ricardo CruzCommented May 11 at 14:30
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In Australia, the next step would probably be to apply for a DECRA fellowship if you want to stay in academia.– SignificanceCommented May 13 at 1:26
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In general you ought to be very proactive in order to find the job in science these days. I don't know specifically about humanities but it's true in general so you either have to be very proactive in talking to different professors and ask literally everyone about possibilities or otherwise you could try to apply for junior PI funding (major Europeancoun countries have different schemas for it) or msca COFUND fellowships. It's a bit late for that but if you can stay in your country of residence a little more you can try it
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It is hard in every field these days. You better be very proactive and apply to every opportunity possible. Maybe even lower your perceived standards because any academia-related job is pretty much better than unemployment.– R1NaNoCommented May 13 at 1:55