<p>My D ,a freshman ,was offered a paid researcher position ,at an Ivy .She didn't ask the rate of pay-she hates to talk about money .She started today ,loves the work ,and has no idea what she will make .Anyone know the pay range ? I am curious ,</p>
<p>A quick google search of the R1 near my house listed undergrad research jobs ranging from $12-$20 hourly.</p>
<p>Is she working for a professor, and being paid off a research grant? I think it will depend on the field, and how much the P.I. has budgeted for student researchers. I am going to guess it is going to be about $10/hr, because that is about what the students I know who work for profs start at. That is just a guess, though. Some fields are more awash in research funds than others.</p>
<p>If she has won a competitive student research grant, then it will depend on the terms of the grant.</p>
<p>As a senior, my son makes a whole lot more than the $10/hr he made in the past, but that is because he is being paid by a private company now (the one he interned for last summer). That probably isn’t the case with your daughter.</p>
<p>She is doing research for a librarian at school…probably will get minimum wage ,right ? She is happy, but I suppose most young women have a hard time asking about money. I know she babysat for a couple for 3 years ,and never asked for a raise ! It drives me crazy how squeamish she is talking about money .Hopefully by senior year she will develop more confidence !</p>
<p>In the library—mostly likely minimum wage. Simply because library research grants are not particularly well funded. (I’m a librarian. Trust me. No one is throwing loads of cash into library research.)</p>
<p>D2 only make slightly more ($8.25/hr) working in a neurobiology lab. She does much better as a math TA. ($10-12/hr)</p>
<p>fauxmaven, I think you’re right that this one might be minimum wage. Given that it is often difficult to rustle up a campus job in the absence of work-study money, your daughter probably considers herself fortunate to get a paying job, period.</p>
<p>My daughter also babysat for the same family for a couple of summers, and started off with no idea what she would be paid. She seemed to think it was tacky to ask.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter on finding a campus job she will like. It really isn’t all about money while you are in college. But you knew that already, I’m sure.</p>
<p>Probably around minimum wage, although my D was given a lump sum ($1000 per semester) out of a grant for a research assistant’s job.</p>
<p>Some schools have an across the board maximum rate of pay for student workers in different categories. You might be able to find out what the max is by searching the school website. I remember at my college all student researchers got the same amount of pay (it was between 8 and 10, I think). Usually there’s not a lot of room for negotiation when you’re a student researcher, and there is typically not a lot of room for raises either. School rules, department budgets, and legal restrictions keep all pay to about the same.</p>
<p>Don’t you think you should encourage a learning opportunity and encourage your daughter to discuss the money subject? Surely you wouldn’t want her to approach all future employment in this manner, would you?</p>
<p>^ Not necessarily. If it is an opportunity where she really cares about the experience and would do it for any amount pay (or pay is just icing on the cake), it doesn’t really matter here. </p>
<p>One picks their battles. Sometimes pay matters, sometimes it is not particularly relevant, or not at all relevant. Much of what one gets from research assistantships as a student is FAR FAR greater than the tiny hourly pay. And I wouldn’t want to hire someone who did not understand that. </p>
<p>I put more work into training undergrads than I can usually get back in terms of labor (actually that is often true for grad students in their first year as well), but most are doing it for the experience, the grad school resume, and for the letter of rec. </p>
<p>I have a kid that volunteers as a research assistant in a lab. I wish I could hug and kiss those people who have given her so much. She’s not being exploited-- quite the reverse!-- as they are putting a HUGE amount of time in training her and I can tell she hasn’t come close to being of much benefit to them in this past year. I love them for it, as she’s learning a ton.</p>
<p>Starbright – if she is happy to volunteer agree it doesn’t matter. But in this case the poster said specifically the D was “offered a paid position”. In that case the usual response is something like – Great, how much can I expect to be paid? I have a daughter and understand girls especially can be sensitive to money conversations but all the more reason to encourage them to get used to the process of discussing wages. I want my daughter to be paid equal wages as men…I think one of the reasons women are paid on average 25% less than men for the same job is their being uncomfortable asking about money.</p>
<p>My D got $10 / hr. Not really research, more lab assistant, but lovely to be paid and get experience!</p>
<p>I asked my college kids when they did their weekly check in, their response was $8.50 to $12.00 but again wages might be slighly different in an urban or area with a higher cost of living.</p>
<p>Well ,I will let you all know when I find out .Mind you this is Harvard ,so I know the experience is great ,besides her cleaning job there. Will look good on the resume ,as she has little real work experience ,and she is only 18.</p>
<p>I agree that this is a “teachable moment”, although not necessarily that she should approach the prof for this particular job to inquire about/negotiate pay.</p>
<p>However, she may be squeamish because she cannot imagine a way to broach the subject that is comfortable for her. This does not mean that she need be permanently unable to broach the subject. Merely that it is time for brainstorming/reading/visiting Career Services office to learn about when to/how to discuss salary for potential jobs.</p>
<p>It’s an important life skill for her to get over this. </p>
<p>There are certain “givens” (not saying that everyone will 100% agree on them, just that many do).</p>
<p>For example: *Do not bring up salary range until you have been offered the job. *If asked what salary you are seeking, ask back what the range is for the job (so that you do not kill your chances by naming a figure too high, nor leave money on the table by naming a figure too low) </p>
<p>There are many more, but I think now is a good time for her to begin to demystify this and develop a comfortable approach.</p>
<p>I do, however, think that having this job at all is the key thing - it is a resume builder and the pay rate is secondary, imo.</p>