postdoc positions are not worth it - Postdoctoral Scientist IARC Employee Review

Progression is almost impossible. Stipends do not increase each year, nor do they change depending upon experience. If you have a bad supervisor it will never get better; harassment etc is rarely dealt with even though repeat offences are widely known. Management treat postdocs like PhD students; some postdocs are unable to attend courses/conferences due to budgetary constraints. Staff at the level just above postdocs perform the same duties but are paid more than twice as much and have a wider array of benefits not available to postdocs; management rarely include these positions in grants because postdocs are "cheap labour" in comparison. There are numerous administrative barriers which make research slow and cumbersome; a lack of administrative staff in the fellowship office means postdocs do not get the support they need, especially those from LMICs. Researchers considering a postdoc at IARC should contact the Early Career Scientist Association (ecsa@iarc.who.int) to get a better idea of the current situation before applying.