AMA Q&A+

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Welcome back to AMA Q&A, where subscribers can have their most pressing questions answered!

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Now on to this week’s round of AMA!

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I have a two-year academic position at the moment, which is great, but I don’t know what the ‘etiquette’ is when it comes to applying for a job when you’ve already got one. If an amazing position comes up right now that happens to be somewhere else, is it ok for me to apply for it?

(Anon.)

Thank you for your question, which is one I’ve been hearing more and more in recent years.

First of all, congratulations on securing an academic post for more than 1 year in a row! Having that extra year is great—it allows you a little bit of added security, time to settle in, and a bit of time to use what you learn in Year 1 when you move on to Year 2. And given how competitive every single academic post is right now (yup, even the non-tenure-track ones), nabbing this one is an achievement.

Secondly: even though this two-year post gives you some advantages, I think you’re very wise to be thinking ahead. And my short answer to your question would be, ‘Yes, it’s ok to apply for other positions in your situation.’ But because this is a sensitive question, I think it’s important to give you my long answer, too.