Career Prospects
Employability Within the Academic Sector
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As a young doctor, there are two types of academic contracts that you can consider:
- Post-doctoral contract (Post-Doc) in France or abroad
- ATER contract (Non-Tenured Teaching and Research Associate) at a French university
You can also consider becoming a:
- Senior Lecturer
- Research Manager
What does it entail? The first option for continuing your research activities after your thesis is to obtain a contract as a post-doctoral researcher. This means being hired by an organisation that funds research (a university, the CNRS, etc.) to contribute to a research project
The contract offered is often a fixed-term contract (CDD) for between 6 and 24 months. The duration of the contract will depend on the needs of the project for which the doctor will be recruited. Compensation depends on the doctor's experience and seniority
If you decide to do a post-doc abroad, you should bear in mind that the terms and conditions of your contract may vary from country to country. A post-doc generally leads to a career focused on research (rather than teaching) but remains a valuable professional experience
What does it entail? This contract gives the status of teacher-researcher with a strong focus on teaching experience. In particular, an ATER associate must provide either a full teaching service consisting of 192 hours of tutorials per year or a half-service consisting of 96 hours of tutorials per year. Additionally, they must participate in knowledge tests and examinations
ATER associates are recruited on a fixed-term contract (CDD) at French universities, working full-time or part-time. This type of contract is limited to a duration of one year with a possibility to renew it one time
A senior lecturer (MCF) is a teacher-researcher and a civil servant who holds a position in a public higher education and research institution. The annual teaching service includes 192 hours of tutorials, 128 hours of lectures, 288 hours of lab work, or any equivalent combination
The role of senior lecturer is not solely confined to teaching. It often includes supervising students who are either working on their thesis or are on a placement, conducting crucial research for career development, organising the tasks of a training and research unit (UFR) and many more
They are appointed as permanent civil servants after a one-year probationary period. Senior lecturers are recruited by competitive entrance examination, depending on the number of posts available at each university
To access the list of open positions and apply, refer to the Galaxie platform
A research manager (CR) working in a Public Scientific and Technical Research Establishment (EPST), such as the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), is a civil servant who conducts research in a Joint Research Unit (UMR) lab without any teaching duties
Research managers are recruited by competitive entrance examinations held once a year. Open positions are generally grouped by research topic and section. Please note that CNRS sections are not National University Council (CNU) sections,
To apply, feel free to contact the chosen lab to obtain a letter of endorsement
You can find all the information on the CNRS page dedicated to the Researchers' competition
Employability Outside the Academic Sector
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Doctors no longer aim solely for an academic career. Some choose to build or consolidate their professional path outside academia while pursuing their doctoral studies. Several portals listed below offer job opportunities for doctors, although most of them tend to be more accessible through personal initiative or a scientific and professional network.
For young doctors looking for their first job :
- Indeed
- rd2conseil
- monster.fr
- Jooble
- Glassdoor
- BioSpace
- NewScientist Jobs
- ETH Get Hired
- Academic positions
- Euraxess Jobs
- ABG
- ADUM network
- The RedoX (network of doctors in chemistry)
- ScienceCareers
- Place de l’emploi public
- optioncarriere.com
- APEC
- PHDTalent
- Adoc Talent Management
- Jobrapido
- Sciences me up
- CNRS
- CNES
- INRIA
- CEA job portal
- INSTN for post-docs
ANDès shares job offers for doctors on the Communauté Française des Docteurs LinkedIn group and on its members' mailing list.
Job Offers on ADUM
Passport Doctor
This practical post-doctorate guide, produced by the National Association of Doctors (ANDES), is made up of fact sheets divided into three categories: Careers, Benchmarks, Tools. Discover the contents
PHD Job day
This event is a great chance for companies, doctoral candidates, and doctors from different areas to connect and explore new opportunities
The event will feature recruitment interviews for doctoral candidates and doctors
Prior to the interviews, the participants will have the opportunity to have their CVs reviewed by experts and take part in workshops on employability, online interview skills, and other related topics
On 6 April, PhDTalent is hosting the PhDMeetings Job Fair online for all doctors
The participating companies organise speed meetings and webinars during the fair
Link to the event online: https://app.phdtalent.fr/events/phdmeeting-job-fair-1_1651/details
The event is open for registrations
Cape Doctors
The aim of this special PhD event is to promote PhDs and the assets of young PhDs, and to help them make contacts with the private and public sectors. A 100% digital event organised by APEC and its corporate and university partners
Find out more about the programme and watch the webinars that might interest you. Simply click on the bolded part of the webinar that interests you and fill in the online form to access the replays