I am a 27 years old from Panama I have recently received a Ph.D scholarship offer from Monash University in Australia I was originally looking forward to it but now I am scared about taking it.... I am overwhelmed about moving so far from home and scared about not being able to find a job after finishing... I have two masters an LLM in International and Comparative Law from IU Indianapolis and an European Masters in Human Rights and Democratization, I worked for a small law firm for two years in between my masters. I would liek to get a teaching job upon completion of the Ph.D. but I don't know how realistic is this.... I do not have formal teaching experience although I have had some experience given presentations in specialized seminars. I would like to know if you think the Ph.D. from Australia could realistically help me get a teaching job and if so whether only in Australia or if it would have any worth outside of it.

I have also applied to Canadian Universities McGill and Queen's I would prefer to go there because of the closeness for home but since my academic record is not extraordinary I'm not sure how realistic is to hope to get scholarship offer from those universities and I'm afraid of passing up the Australian opportunity and ending up with nothing......

I have no job at the moment and its not looking good in my country for me finding a job any time soon

Hi there,

Firstly, congratulations on your scholarship from Monash University as funding is quite hard to get at the moment. Monash is a good institution in Australia but outside Ozz might not be well known. So, if you want to stay and settle down under that would be a good option. To be honest, I think that having a PhD from Monash will not do you any harm but in the end all will depend on where you would like to find a job. If it is your intention to settle in Canada, I would go for the McGill/ Queen's opportunity if admitted as you will have time to network when doing your research and this will have a positive impact on future job applications.
By the way, I am applying for a couple of doctoral programmes in Canada as well (Toronto/ Queen's). I have just submitted my applications, so it will take a few weeks or so to get the outcome.
Have you received any news? It would be good to keep in touch. Good luck!!
Best,
D.D.