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Leaving a postdoc for another postdoc?

In our August “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

Is it a bad idea to leave a postdoc for another postdoc before one’s time in the former position runs out?

For context, I’m currently in my first postdoc. I’m also on the job market and hoping to find a tenure-track position this cycle. However, I’m also considering applying for other postdocs some other postdocs. My current position is not terrible (it’s not a toxic working environment or anything like that) but for various reasons, including the location, some specific policies at the current institution, and general department “fit”, I think I would be much happier elsewhere. So, even if I don’t find a tenure-track job this cycle, I would prefer to be in a contingent position at a different institution than to remain here. But this would mean cutting my current postdoc short.

I wonder (1) how common moves like this are, and (2) whether such a move would have significant costs, e.g. raising questions from hiring committees in the future or burning bridges with my current institution.

Thoughts from readers?

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One response to “Leaving a postdoc for another postdoc?”

  1. Anonymous

    I am doing this currently, though I won’t share any details for anonymity. Here are some general reflections:

    First, an external hiring committee generally won’t know that you cut a postdoc short because they usually have no way of knowing how long the initial offer was for.

    If you do leave early for a comparable job, a bigger risk is that you offend your current employer. This can be mitigated if you get a postdoc that is obviously “better” than the current one. For example, switching from a 2-year to a 6-year position, or from being on someone else’s research project to being your own PI, or from a generic postdoc to a highly prestigious one. If you have a good relationship to your supervisor/department, you can also just explain that the geographic location isn’t working for you for personal reasons; hopefully they will understand. I would avoid sounding critical of the department.

    However, don’t underestimate how bad the market is for tt jobs. In your situation I’d be more concerned about how many years of guaranteed employment you have left. If you secure a new postdoc, see if it can wait until you finish the current one. A lot of people now go through multiple postdocs before getting a tt offer, if ever (and this has always been the case in Europe).

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