Long-distance post-doc position

[scami]

Hi guys,

I would like to ask you a job advice. I have got a degree in Chemistry (Italy), a PhD in supramolecular chemistry (UK), a post-doc in Organic chemistry (Texas), a second d PhD in bioinformatics (Italy) and almost a MSc in Bioinformatics (Manchester). At the moment I work at the University in Italy as a technician (!) in a bioinformatics field but I am thinking abut looking for something else (still in bioinformatics thogh) . However for personal reason I would like to keep my family in Italy. For this reason I am wondering whether, in your opinion, it would be possible to find a job (either industry or a post-doc) in bioinformatics that can allow me to work from home. I would not mind to spend even long periods abroad (actually I would not mind it at all), and work in a more international environment.
Do you think would something like this be possible?

thanks for the advice....

[Joann]

An opinion

I think this type of position will be very hard to find, which doesn't however mean that you can't look around. My current office is heavily computational and does have some work done off site however I see that regular office interaction is still frequently the preferred method. If you find projects of interest to you, perhaps you will be able to structure them to be onsite for a while and then schedule your breaks for visits back to Italy.

[scami]

Thanks

Thanks a lot for your reply. This opinion was quite useful and valueble to me. i totally agree with what you wrote and if I was an employer i would consider a constant interaction important in order to develope a productive job project. I guess it is also important to establish a trustful relationship with superior and collegues in general before starting a long distance job. My original plan was to initiate an on site job outside italy for a long period, say from six to twelve months, and then alternate periods of one or two minths between the two countries. I know people that do bank or teaching work in different countries than the employer while travelling a lot. Howevr as you said , this may be an exeption rather than the rule.
Thanks again!

[Joann]

You're welcome. As you think this through, why don't you investigate a few multinational companies to see how they might structure their workflows, projects, etc. The other approach would be to go entrepreneurial--picking up short term projects, or potential consulting work according to your own schedule. It would take some time to develop these relationships, but in the end you would get the work situation that would work best for you.