Not recommended to people with a PhD/PostDoc in Life Sciences - Associate Editor Springer Nature Employee Review

2.0
18 Jul 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Unlimited contract. Flexible working hours with possibility to work from home.

Cons

The starting salary for a person with a PhD is lower than that of an academic PostDoc position in Germany. Unrealistic goals set by superiors and high workloads paired with trust-based working times lead to lots of unpaid/unrecognized overtime and pretty low morale. You will have very nice, but mostly very unhappy colleagues at Springer Nature. Chances of being promoted and get a better salary are not high and depend quite heavily on how much unpaid overtime you are ready to do to meet the mentioned unrealistic goals. Other than that, annual salary increases are lower than inflation rates in Germany. Frustration from costantly increasing pressure/demands without any parallel increase in job satisfaction. My advice to people with a PhD/PostDoc in Life Sciences and leaving in Germany is to find something else outside of the publishing business. You did not spend 30+ years studying to end up having problems affording the rising rents of Berlin, right? You will be paid better elsewhere, and will develop a career profile that is likely easier to sell on the job market.

Explore other reviews about Springer Nature

5.0
8 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing company to work for and great people

Cons

None so far, everything has been lovely

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Springer Nature Response
1w
Thanks for sharing your thoughts from our New York office. We have a great team; our purpose and culture continue to be 'stand out' and some of the reasons so many colleagues stay with us longer term. We are collaborative and progressive and everyday we contribute to learnings for generations to come.
3.0
12 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good to work and get experience

Cons

Not great to grow there

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Springer Nature Response
6d
Thank you for sharing your review. We kicked off our second Career Growth Week so far this year with a focus on feedback which underpins growth at every level. Alongside the flagship sessions, colleagues took part in a wide range of virtual events across the week. These included popular sessions like building skills through feedback, Forward Talk, AI-powered feedback, “expert” careers and mentoring panels, the Facilitation Marathon, and a LinkedIn personal branding workshop, as well as practical learning through the Level up: boost your skills and Talent Attraction sessions. Perhaps look out for the next one which will be in a few months time. Colleague development is core to our organisation.
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