Novocastrian

$45K isn't much of a salary for a post-doc.

Renegotiate or be prepared to share a flat or house with others.

My first proper job in Toronto paid $45K, but that was in 1983.

LeesaRouz

Unfortunately, education has little to no value these days. $36k is the average income for a postdoc. I was offered $40k initially - it went up to $45k after negotiating

Novocastrian

Hmmm. I beg to differ about the value of education, but I've never paid a post-doc as little as $36K since about 1995 nor as little as $45k for someone with a bit of talent.

mahdawg

A good portion will used on rent but public transport isn't bad value. $150 for a monthly, unlimited journey TTC pass which covers buses, trams and the subway is good, imo.

As you'd be downtown at UoT, having somewhere close to the subway would make life pretty easy. The winter shouldn't be much of an issue adapting wise, unless it's windy or there's freezing rain, then it's awful. I actually always found and still find winters back in Northern Ireland to be tougher just because of the continuous rain.

I don't know about others, but I would recommend not living anywhere near Sherbourne station. Always found to be a tad dodgy

LeesaRouz

What university or insitution are you at, if you don't mind me asking? I spoke to quite a few postdocs in Toronto prior to accepting the offer who gave me the numbers I quoted. Only few postdocs would receive up to $70k such as those under the Banting grant award funding stream.

Novocastrian

I'm retired now but was at York for the 22 years prior. My field was (is) physical chemistry with an environmental twist.

A Banting scholarship is the real McCoy, but there's a lot of room between 45 and 70.

Out of curiosity, what's your field? ETA: and how many years since your PhD?

LeesaRouz

Oh wow - your field sounds interesting my background is in pharmacy and my field is in pharmacy practice, focusing on prescribing and patient safety. Graduated 10 months ago - so still a newbie

neilgvirgo

Thank you so much that is very encouraging, I will persist in my efforts, thanks again 😊

gaz_c2c

Hi OP,

I've just moved back to Toronto as a PR (no job arranged beforehand) and have managed to get a job with one of my old employers. The salary is about $46k pa (which is a bit of a drop on my last salary in Canada at UofT, $64k). I've just moved into a bachelor at Bloor and Huron St which is $1200 all inclusive (PM me if you want more details).

It's not the luxury condo style apartment (far from it ) I had last time but it'll work for me whilst I get reestablished. It's an expensive city but at least I can save on TTC fares most of the time that I'm downtown. As others have said, you get more for your money the further out you get, just remember to factor in commuter times/fares.

I think it really comes down to what each individual wants. Last time out I wanted more space and a higher standard of apartment (lived in a new building in North York to achieve that, but always needed the TTC to get anywhere good). This time around I wanted to live close to the core for a while (thus I have a much smaller place in a much older building) but I'm minutes away on foot from much of the city now.

lmartin1000

I, of course, agree with Novo. It is low. Are you able to teach a couple of courses to supplement income? I can't speak to U of T but often post-docs become a part of the Faculty Association and can be directly assigned teaching.

LeesaRouz

I'm not entirely sure what opportunities I will have available to supplement my income - I haven't yet moved. However, they did mention that I could apply for a grant to supplement my income. Is $45k considered low even if I only have 10 months of experience as a postdoc?

scilly

Despite what novocastrian and lmartin have posted, it looks as though $45,000 is within the range of postdoc salaries offered in Canada!!

According to a site called Glasshouse the average postdoc salary at UofT is $46,450 with a range for $31,000 to S70,000

At McGill, average of $44, 492, ranging from $33,000 to $65,000

At UBC, average of $47,969, ranging from $36,000 to $62,615


A lot may depend on where the money is coming from!

Novocastrian

I don't dispute those figures, but the salary is highly dependent on subject area, as implied by your closing remark.

The OP is in a field which would normally be funded by CIHR, whose post-doc fellowships are worth $55K (funded 50/50 by CIHR and a host institution).

lmartin1000

Well, the last few offer letters I have signed range from about 55 to 70. These also come with a decent benefit package. I would really suggest the OP look at teaching for a whole range of reasons.

LeesaRouz

I'm not very familiar with the system in Canada - I'm assuming that what will be my salary is from the host institution itself. Does this mean that if I am awarded funding from CIHR that 50% of it would be added to my salary?