Pure research

[Redfire]

In my home country, you can become a researcher of any science, sponsored by the state, and teaching is not compulsory. If you have a PhD, you can devote your time to only research, only teaching or both research and teaching.

To me that system makes much more sense. However, from what I've read of how things work in other countries, usually you are required to teach if you work in a university doing research.

How are things in your country? Are you forced to teach if you work at a university doing research? I'm especially interested in European countries, but any comment is useful.

 

[redbaron]

What's your home country?

In Australia it sort of depends on the field of study. Astronomers are generally limited by their ability to gain access to observatories to use for the purpose of research that requires the technology and tools available in an observatory, and so generally have to teach in some way, shape or form at some point in the meantime.

As far as I understand it, people aren't necessarily, 'forced' to teach, but circumstances make it so that there's not much other choice sometimes depending on what your field of study was/is.

 

[Redfire]

My home country is Argentina. Here you are paid a fixed amount each month (which is not a bad salary, but you will never get rich as a researcher). You can be expelled but that is not common. If your research is considered good you are promoted. If not, you can stay at the lower level forever. In the USA, for instance, I think you are required to teach, no matter the field.

 

[Vrecknidj]

In the US, there is so much variation from one institution to the next that it's hard to give a reply that is uniform.

That said, usually researchers do teach if they work at a university.