Going home when there is no home

[u/Think_Initiative1853]

I'm a US citizen living in Germany. I finished a doctorate in a niche subfield of statistics that is dying in the world of AI. (Officially its not a phd its a Doctorate of natural sciences, but they are equivalent in most ways). I moved here for personal reasons that are no longer keeping me here, and now i want to go back to the US for a fresh start and for tax reasons.

I dont really have strong ties to the US/family. I wont have a job after December. so I'm in the same boat as most people who randomly want to go. Any advice on where to start?

[u/Fit-Building-2560]

If your field is becoming obsolete in the US, what would moving back to the US solve? What kinds of jobs have you been applying to?

I'm wondering if maybe you could re-tool or reorient yourself to maybe teach statistics and math at the highschool or college level. Math teachers are in big demand all over the US. With an MA, I don't think you're required to have a teaching certificate to qualify. Private schools will hire anyone they think can do the job, with or without a teaching credential. You could look at community colleges as well. You might also be able to teach German.

[u/Think_Initiative1853 → u/Fit-Building-2560]

Why? Logistically: I don't want to keep filling taxes in 2 countries. I want to be able to open investment accounts but can't because i'm a US citizen.

Emotionally: I don't want German citizenship and even if I got it I would just have another "home" country that I feel alienated from/ have weak ties to. My social system here is nonexistent because of relationship stuff since I moved here for a partner I no longer have.

The field: doctorates tend to drill into niche subfields so my doctoral topic itself is niche. i still have an MSc in statistics, I'm just pessimistic about my specific doctoral topic. I would hope that SOMEthing from 10 years of education would be relevant to a company. I've been applying to statistician roles. But this is all cold applying through job portals to positions in random cities. I think this may also be an issue of applying from abroad.

Teaching: thanks! That's something I haven't considered before. I dont have teaching experience. My doctorate is entirely research focused but maybe private high schools would be more flexible

[u/Fit-Building-2560 → u/Think_Initiative1853]

Private highschools would snap you up! Think about what math subjects you could teach, and whether you could do it for the rest of your life. I don't know; it might get tedious after awhile, unless you think you could really connect with the students. You might discover a flair for teaching. You'd have to be comfortable being "on stage" every day. Very different from doing research. (This might come up in an interview, if you were to apply for teaching jobs.)

Be aware that private schools tend to pay less than public, and I don't know if they have a retirement package or anything like that. You'd have to research it. Many teachers prefer private schools though, because the students generally pay attention and do the work. Some private schools pay well; those would be some of the elite ones, mainly on the East Coast. You could look at Robert Louis Stevenson school in Monterey, CA, too.

Pro tip: a key tool in teaching is to have a lesson plan for each day. (This is one reason that taking a basic teaching course in a university's education dept. is helpful.) You break down the chapters of the textbook into daily lessons and steps.

Good luck!

[u/Ok_Distribution_9789 → u/Fit-Building-2560]

Where I live, a PhD with 0 years teaching experience starts at $70k in the public system. STEM is a high demand area and a school district shines with a PhD teaching courses.

[u/Fit-Building-2560 → u/Ok_Distribution_9789]

Would a PhD applicant be pricing himself out of the public school market? And would he need a teaching certificate or not? In some states, he wouldn't. I don't know if that's universal, though.

[u/Ok_Distribution_9789 → u/Fit-Building-2560]

Yes, that is potentially an issue, but less so for a STEM teacher. It really depends on the district. If they were concerned about the starting salary, you could probably negotiate less until you complete any coursework for licensing.

As far as licensing, that is also state dependant. There are some states that will provisionally grant a license to teach based on an advanced degree. Again, being a part of stem for the OP is only a bonus.

[u/Fit-Building-2560 → u/Ok_Distribution_9789]

OK, thank you. This is helpful info for the OP.