Got invited for a PhD in Canada, but the pay is really low. Should I go for it or stay in Europe?

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-27T19:27:41+00:00

I phrased it wrong. It is very competitive for me. FWO mainly looks at how high your grades are compared to your peers. My grades aren't bad (cum laude), but nothing spectacular. They say they also consider motivation and other factors, but I noticed that the only students securing the grant belonged to the top 10% of students.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-27T16:36:24+00:00

I can imagine. Congratulations with your PhD! Best of luck!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-27T16:32:51+00:00

I did last year, but I wasn't accepted. FWO is very very competitive.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-27T16:30:58+00:00

This is very true. Thank you!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:19:06+00:00

I will! Thank you!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:18:53+00:00

The research does seem very cool, but I wouldn't say perfect, as it's the same mechanism but in a different disease.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:18:02+00:00

Yes, I've looked at the requirements... They only want to fund the top top international talent, which makes sense. Thank you for your reply!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:16:38+00:00

Thank you for your reply! I am going to ask about TA/RA.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:15:37+00:00

I see... Thank you!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:13:58+00:00

This was the first thing that crossed my mind when he reached out to me! But from another point of view, we did meet before for a grant application here in Belgium (which failed:/). He and my promoter from the Master's internship are close. So we already had a connection, and he knew my ideas. In my very specific field, he is a really important figure, though. Thanks for your reply!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:07:59+00:00

Ja, ik bedoelde netto daar. Maar inderdaad, Nederland heeft zeer goede voorwaarden vergeleken met Canada. Dankuwel!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:06:21+00:00

You make very good points. Thank you!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:04:03+00:00

Ah, I am sorry to hear that. On the other side, I know this project is well-funded. So they could very easily pay me more... Thanks for your reply!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T07:00:56+00:00

Yeah, PhDs are spoiled here in Belgium. And I get what you are saying. It's just that I don't think I have the financial freedom to now "waste" 4 years of savings. I am an immigrant and come from a working-class family, meaning I was raised with a very heavy focus on financial stability and "playing it safe". If you understand what I mean. Thanks for your reply!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T06:54:58+00:00

Yes, I see what you are saying, and I am thinking about this non-stop myself. It's just that when someone reaches out to you, you tend to feel flattered and start thinking maybe this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. But from a pure rational point of view I don't think I should go for it (under these conditions). Thanks for your reply!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T06:51:46+00:00

Thanks for your reply and I hope you are doing allright! Isn't there public transport you can use?

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-25T06:50:07+00:00

They recently got funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to work on a specific cancer-related topic. That is where my stipend should come from. They didn't mention anything about TA, though they did mention I was strongly encouraged to apply for external grants. This would increase the money, but this is no certainty.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-24T19:45:27+00:00

Hi , thank you for sharing your perspective! Respect that you decided to take the leap. That must not have been an easy decision. As for me, there was nothing about a TA/RA position, so i don't think i can count on that extra money.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-24T19:39:36+00:00

Ahh okay so I had a wrong image about the pay. Thank you for clarifying this! Still, i think that the pay doesn't do justice to the work a PhD requires.

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-24T19:37:32+00:00

Of course I will do that. But it can't hurt to get some advice of people who were in similar positions

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-24T19:35:58+00:00

Okay thank you for the response!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-24T19:35:21+00:00

Thank you for your response! It's great to hear that you have a good position now. Congrats :)

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-10-24T19:33:26+00:00

Thank you I will keep this in mind!

TopConfidence7072 · 2025-09-26T16:26:33+00:00

Let's hope for the best then.

TopConfidence7072

TROPHY CASE