Negotiating your first faculty offer
Startup packages, teaching loads, and what is actually negotiable.
An offer is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of a search. Negotiating well sets the conditions for your first years and signals that you understand what the role requires to succeed.
Anchor on the startup package
For research roles, startup funds often matter more than salary. Itemise what you need — equipment, personnel, and protected time — and justify each against your research plan.
Ask for a written summary of the package. Verbal commitments are easy to misremember once you arrive.
Clarify teaching and service load
Confirm your teaching load for the first years and whether a reduced load or course release is available while you establish your lab or research program.
Service expectations are rarely written down but heavily shape your time. Ask candidly what committee work a new hire is expected to take on.
Know what is actually negotiable
Salary bands are often constrained, but moving expenses, start dates, summer support, and equipment frequently have flexibility.
Negotiate as a collaborator solving a shared problem, not an adversary. The colleagues across the table will be your colleagues for years.