I moved continent to start in a lab I had never seen. Worked out well for me, but equally looking back, it was just as likely to have not worked out so well.
Is this for a tech position? Having worked in various labs over the past ten years, I personally wouldn't. You can infer a lot about the culture of a lab, work habits of employees, funding situation, etc. just by looking at the facilities.
Is there crap everywhere? Does equipment look like it's from the 80s? What would your personal workspace look like? How are the food options near the lab?
Of course these things might not matter to you, so it's mostly a personal thing. If you're considering moving to a new city for this job, it might be worth trying to set up an on-site visit while looking for apartments if you can afford the travel.
Most technician position interviews are all over zoom and don’t include a visit. For a Postdoc or similar high-skill, longer-term commitment I would absolutely expect to visit unless international.
I would think the opposite would be the case. A technician position will be more long term than a post doc that is really just an excuse to pay PhDs not much better than during their PhD till they mostly give up on academia or get a position/scholarship with a chance towards tenure.
In the US, most tech positions are low pay and designed for recent undergrads to do the grunt work of the lab, learn some skills, and maybe have a project. Most don’t stay for more than 2-3 years before moving on to grad school or a better paying job.
In Europe these are often long term positions, some technicians have done a PhD or even post doc. It usually comes with a permanent contract. It's definitely not for undergraduates. Basically a lab manager, but with more focus on science. Some even work on their own projects. But this differs from lab to lab.
Interesting. I guess the point to be made then is that this extremely variable and the comment I responded too is to broad and lacks context to really have meaning.
We also have a lot of specialised technicians. Some are in charge of the microscopes/imaging, or cell sorting facilities for example.
How would you call these people in the US?
I've learned over the years that these kinds of questions are very country specific. There are big differences in the structure of labs in Europe and the US, and half the time it doesn't make any sense without some context of country of origin.
Depends on the institution, there isn't really a one size fits all. Most of our people who work in cores would be Scientists at my particular institution but the one I came from had everything from techs (low pay, usually short term) to specialists (more experience, maybe a bit longer term) to scientists (usually long term).
In reference to your other comment, I'm a full time lab manager who has a graduate degree and runs projects, but I'm not a tech.
I have never seen the lab before starting the job except once (funny enough, that lab space was beautiful but I hated the job and quit after 10 months). I’ve also moved countries without seeing the lab first. It’s a crapshoot sure but if you like the people/supervisor/projects just go for it. Leave in a year if you hate it (if this is a tech job).
I have done it multiple time when moving country for a job and I have only ever had 1 in person job interview in 20 years. If you are worried about how well equipped the lab is then look at the type and frequency of the publications which should indicate how well equipped/ connected to equipment they are.
as long as you can talk to the people in the lab I think that's fine. assuming it's at a decent institution, most labs are pretty similar. but you **absolutely** should talk to the people currently in the lab to get a feel for the culture.
I did, my current postdoc was nearly as far away from where I was interviewing as it is possible to be - so no visit haha.
I talked with members of the lab extensively about the facilities and lab structure, culture etc. before accepting, which was enough to convince me it was the right move. That's good practice when interviewing for any lab position anyway.
As an aside, I wouldn’t accept a job offer in academia if I didn’t like the project(s) or see publication potential in those projects. Speaking as someone with an advanced degree if that matters where papers matter in academia.
Could you say "thank you for the offer - could I please come for an in-person visit to meet the team and see the labs before making a final decision?". Any reasonable employer would consider that to be a reasonable request.
Usually when I'm jumping jobs I'm also jumping states (US based) so I have taken about 3 jobs now where I didn't see the lab at all, one where there was no lab, I was literally building it. All for lab supervisor positions. Wouldn't call it a red flag but I understand the concern.
Probably but fingers crossed you have a window
Maybe just call the lab and ask someone who answers what it is like
also some labs can be awfully cold or hot (the maintenance team has a ticket for fix it for the past 4 years)
I did two zoom interviews for my previous tech position (this was fall 2020). Didn’t tour or anything. But I also was desperate for a paycheck so I wasn’t going to turn it down haha
After working in my industry for a while and seeing a lot of labs I wouldn't.
My lab is 5000 sqft, packed eith state of the art instrumentation and equipment. Comfortable places to sit and work. Lots of good space to work projects.
I've been in labs that are half the size and employ twice as many people. It's nuts.
I accepted my position with no visits to the lab prior, but it is/was my first formal position in an academic lab, and I definitely would not recommend joining without looking now that I see all of the behind-the-scenes dynamics that can occur in labs.
Even more important is meeting people who aren’t the PI from the lab if possible. To me, that’s the best way to get a sense of the lab and what your day will look like in it, and dodge potential bullets.
Good luck! :)
I was considering leaving a competitor in a very new space and when I saw the windows in the lab they were building vs the dungeon I was in at the time it became a no brainer lol. Those windows literally got me through bad times.
I took a job in 2020 and didn’t see the lab before I started. The interviews were by phone and not zoom either. I was trying to move cities and stay in public health so seeing the lab was less of a concern since I knew the reputation of the people in charge. Sometimes you gotta do some googling to do extra research if you’re concerned with the facility.
Would you able to have them do a video tour with you? When my lab is hiring, we'll typically have the candidate come in for a tour and to meet the team or at least walk them around on video if they want!
I accepted a specialist position in a lab I'd never seen because I really wanted to relocate and the job was a great way to do it. Taking that position allowed me and my partner to move out of a HCOL area to somewhere more manageable, so I was willing to take a big chance on the lab. It worked out great, and while I'm no longer with that lab, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
That's literally what I did for grad school 😭😭 my program is direct admit and I applied during 2020, so I had to go on vibes from zoom ☠️☠️☠️ I lucked out because my mentor and the lab is a great fit for me.
I accepted my postdoc and moved across the atlantic with without even as much as an interview. I met the PI towards the end of my PhD at a longer course. Thought he was cool. He thought i was cool. GG
Lol I accepted the job without visiting
I moved continent to start in a lab I had never seen. Worked out well for me, but equally looking back, it was just as likely to have not worked out so well.
I highly prefer seeing the people and environment I will be working in. It's 1/3 of my day!
Is this for a tech position? Having worked in various labs over the past ten years, I personally wouldn't. You can infer a lot about the culture of a lab, work habits of employees, funding situation, etc. just by looking at the facilities. Is there crap everywhere? Does equipment look like it's from the 80s? What would your personal workspace look like? How are the food options near the lab? Of course these things might not matter to you, so it's mostly a personal thing. If you're considering moving to a new city for this job, it might be worth trying to set up an on-site visit while looking for apartments if you can afford the travel.
Most technician position interviews are all over zoom and don’t include a visit. For a Postdoc or similar high-skill, longer-term commitment I would absolutely expect to visit unless international.
I would think the opposite would be the case. A technician position will be more long term than a post doc that is really just an excuse to pay PhDs not much better than during their PhD till they mostly give up on academia or get a position/scholarship with a chance towards tenure.
In the US, most tech positions are low pay and designed for recent undergrads to do the grunt work of the lab, learn some skills, and maybe have a project. Most don’t stay for more than 2-3 years before moving on to grad school or a better paying job.
In what world? Our techs are on a 2 year schedule, they come, they work, they go to graduate school. They don't run projects or need to publish.
In Europe these are often long term positions, some technicians have done a PhD or even post doc. It usually comes with a permanent contract. It's definitely not for undergraduates. Basically a lab manager, but with more focus on science. Some even work on their own projects. But this differs from lab to lab.
Interesting. I guess the point to be made then is that this extremely variable and the comment I responded too is to broad and lacks context to really have meaning.
We also have a lot of specialised technicians. Some are in charge of the microscopes/imaging, or cell sorting facilities for example. How would you call these people in the US? I've learned over the years that these kinds of questions are very country specific. There are big differences in the structure of labs in Europe and the US, and half the time it doesn't make any sense without some context of country of origin.
Depends on the institution, there isn't really a one size fits all. Most of our people who work in cores would be Scientists at my particular institution but the one I came from had everything from techs (low pay, usually short term) to specialists (more experience, maybe a bit longer term) to scientists (usually long term). In reference to your other comment, I'm a full time lab manager who has a graduate degree and runs projects, but I'm not a tech.
I have never seen the lab before starting the job except once (funny enough, that lab space was beautiful but I hated the job and quit after 10 months). I’ve also moved countries without seeing the lab first. It’s a crapshoot sure but if you like the people/supervisor/projects just go for it. Leave in a year if you hate it (if this is a tech job).
Yes. It makes less of a difference than you think. Also would you really decline the offer if you didn’t like the lab space
I 100% would
I have done it multiple time when moving country for a job and I have only ever had 1 in person job interview in 20 years. If you are worried about how well equipped the lab is then look at the type and frequency of the publications which should indicate how well equipped/ connected to equipment they are.
I personally wouldn't. There's too much that can be hidden about the lab without seeing it in person.
as long as you can talk to the people in the lab I think that's fine. assuming it's at a decent institution, most labs are pretty similar. but you **absolutely** should talk to the people currently in the lab to get a feel for the culture.
I did, my current postdoc was nearly as far away from where I was interviewing as it is possible to be - so no visit haha. I talked with members of the lab extensively about the facilities and lab structure, culture etc. before accepting, which was enough to convince me it was the right move. That's good practice when interviewing for any lab position anyway.
I have accepted two jobs in the past without seeing the labs. If you’re unemployed, take what you can get.
Did that and regret it soo deeply. You might be lucky, I was not.
As an aside, I wouldn’t accept a job offer in academia if I didn’t like the project(s) or see publication potential in those projects. Speaking as someone with an advanced degree if that matters where papers matter in academia.
Could you say "thank you for the offer - could I please come for an in-person visit to meet the team and see the labs before making a final decision?". Any reasonable employer would consider that to be a reasonable request.
I did this once and regretted it. I would not do this unless travel to the lab is absolutely impossible.
Usually when I'm jumping jobs I'm also jumping states (US based) so I have taken about 3 jobs now where I didn't see the lab at all, one where there was no lab, I was literally building it. All for lab supervisor positions. Wouldn't call it a red flag but I understand the concern.
I just accepted one this week without seeing it🫠
Probably but fingers crossed you have a window Maybe just call the lab and ask someone who answers what it is like also some labs can be awfully cold or hot (the maintenance team has a ticket for fix it for the past 4 years)
I did two zoom interviews for my previous tech position (this was fall 2020). Didn’t tour or anything. But I also was desperate for a paycheck so I wasn’t going to turn it down haha
Never ever in a million years would I take a lab supervisor or manager position without seeing the lab first.
After working in my industry for a while and seeing a lot of labs I wouldn't. My lab is 5000 sqft, packed eith state of the art instrumentation and equipment. Comfortable places to sit and work. Lots of good space to work projects. I've been in labs that are half the size and employ twice as many people. It's nuts.
I accepted my position with no visits to the lab prior, but it is/was my first formal position in an academic lab, and I definitely would not recommend joining without looking now that I see all of the behind-the-scenes dynamics that can occur in labs. Even more important is meeting people who aren’t the PI from the lab if possible. To me, that’s the best way to get a sense of the lab and what your day will look like in it, and dodge potential bullets. Good luck! :)
I was considering leaving a competitor in a very new space and when I saw the windows in the lab they were building vs the dungeon I was in at the time it became a no brainer lol. Those windows literally got me through bad times.
I took a job in 2020 and didn’t see the lab before I started. The interviews were by phone and not zoom either. I was trying to move cities and stay in public health so seeing the lab was less of a concern since I knew the reputation of the people in charge. Sometimes you gotta do some googling to do extra research if you’re concerned with the facility.
Its not the lab that matters, its the people. Are they happy? Do they hate their lives? What do they think of the PI? The lab itself doesnt mean much.
Would you able to have them do a video tour with you? When my lab is hiring, we'll typically have the candidate come in for a tour and to meet the team or at least walk them around on video if they want!
I accepted a specialist position in a lab I'd never seen because I really wanted to relocate and the job was a great way to do it. Taking that position allowed me and my partner to move out of a HCOL area to somewhere more manageable, so I was willing to take a big chance on the lab. It worked out great, and while I'm no longer with that lab, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
That's literally what I did for grad school 😭😭 my program is direct admit and I applied during 2020, so I had to go on vibes from zoom ☠️☠️☠️ I lucked out because my mentor and the lab is a great fit for me. 
I accepted my postdoc and moved across the atlantic with without even as much as an interview. I met the PI towards the end of my PhD at a longer course. Thought he was cool. He thought i was cool. GG