I am quiet interested to come to work in US as researcher... But I heard in US you work like donkey..?

Question

only 2 weeks of hollidays and you work during almost each week end (at least saturday)

Sorry but it is your europeen reputation...anyway, is it true???
Could you let me know your hollyday average by years, furthermore if you work in pharmaceutical compagny or at the University??

Answer 1

I currently work as a researcher in the US, and can tell you that yes, starting vacation time is usually only 2 weeks (or 10 work days) and you only get 10-14 paid holidays off a year. That is standard in the country for pretty much any field. However, in my experience, research is something that needs to be done in order to make decisions, which means that when it's crunch time at the office and everyone is working late, I still get to go home on time because I already finished my work. And I've only worked one weekend in two years, and rarely work late. So if anything, research is a good field to go into if you do not want to work like a donkey. I hope you find what you are looking for. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yeah, we don't get as much time off as you guys in Europe. Paid holidays vary job to job, but these are the most common -

New Years Eve and Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. (federal employees, banks, public schools including universities and non-profits)
Good Friday (some) and Easter
Memorial Day
July 4th
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (many get two days off)
Christmas (usually Eve and Day)
(Banks and federal employees also get President's Day and Columbus Day though not Good Friday and Easter.)

Vacations also vary company to company. In my experience it's typical to earn 5 days paid vacation after 1 year of service then either 7 or 10 days after 2 years. I find that some employers give 3 weeks (15 days) after 5 years, but again all this varies. Also, for some companies after you earn 10-15 days, it takes a long time to get more, like 5-10 years.

Not everyone works weekends. Retail and foodservice commonly do, but higher skilled workers usually don't, unless they have deadlines or a lot to catch up on. Since you're a researcher, you'll probably work some weekends for sure.

Good luck to you. I hope that doesn't scare you off.

Answer 3

Hello, excellent question! I have worked in both Europe and US so I can tell somewhat the difference. I am orginally from Europe and was trying to get a job there for a while but found it very difficult.

Yes, in the US there is a strong emphasis on work. Usually companies have two to three weeks of holiday when you start. Universities and Pharmaceutical companies have a bit more flexibility and usually are a bit more casual about time off.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

now that is a tough qeastion it all depends on the line of work and what kind of boss you have but personally I think it is like that no matter where you go. I won't dog my state out but you know We have are down points and our good points. but as I said just depends because last job I had I worked my Butt off for nothing and they didn't even care and the job I have now I work hard but I am not to the point where I feel drained when I go home.

Answer 5

US jobs generally offer much less paid leave than European jobs. (the US economy is much more productive, too! coincidence?)perhaps you should stay in Europe if you fear that hard work will turn you into a donkey.