In the six months since he has been living in Sweden for his postdoctoral fellowship in biology, Nicolas (who wishes to remain anonymous), 27 years old, has “like a little bitter taste in the mouth.” And a thousand questions about this choice of expatriation that he accepts, but which he hopes will be as short as possible: “Did I make the right decision? Is it really worth it for the rest of my scientific career? How long will I be gone, after all? Am I missing out on important life moments? Etc. »
Despite “the chance to work in a great laboratory”, and to be “happy in the morning [se] get up to work on an exciting research subject”, he left behind him, in the Rhône-Alpes region, his friends, his partner – whose life he has shared for three years and who could not accompany him – and his sick mother. A dilemma faced by many young French researchers, for whom going through the “postdoc abroad” box is becoming more and more obligatory.
Like Nicolas, some 18% of French doctors were working abroad three years after their thesis, according to the most recent survey by the Ministry of Higher Education on the subject (2019). The majority of these researchers settled in a European country (United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium in the lead), followed by the United States and Canada. In comparison, only 7% of them emigrated, in a survey by the Center for Studies and Research on Qualifications published in 2000. Figures undoubtedly underestimated by the difficulties in contacting French doctors abroad. , nuance all these studies.
Since the 1990s, “the incentives to “be mobile” […], to publish more in international journals, to write in English, to travel beyond national borders to participate in conferences, to establish collaborations abroad, etc. » have become common among young researchers, confirms Marie Sautier, doctoral student in sociology at Sciences Po Paris and at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and co-author of several articles on the subject. This new professional standard is particularly supported by European academic institutions, against a backdrop of internationalization of research and scientific careers, as well as competition between universities on a global scale.
Exporting “is mostly by default”
But this strong valorization of international experience does not apply in the same way depending on the disciplines. “A young researcher in mathematics or life sciences is more encouraged to do a postdoctoral fellowship abroad than a researcher in the humanities or law”, adds the researcher who is preparing a thesis on this theme. Ministerial figures show that if two in ten French researchers are actually on mobility three years after their thesis, this is the case for 30% of doctors in biology, medicine and health, compared to 12% in human and social sciences.
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