Should your supervisor be your boss? 

We know that a strong supervisory relationship is pivotal to student success. It can improve time to completion, increase student satisfaction and reduce attrition – but what happens when your supervisor becomes your boss?  

Working for your supervisor is a common part of the graduate school experience. Students arrive with funding packages that require them to work in their department. Who better to work for than your supervisor? 

As part of my doctoral work, I spoke to graduate students in social sciences and humanities disciplines across Canada about their own graduate school experiences. Within those conversations, I heard a wide range of perspectives on the topic of whether it is a good idea to work for your graduate program supervisor.  

The Good 

“I can’t imagine a more intellectually rewarding experience.”  

Working for your supervisor can offer hands-on training grounded in shared intellectual and professional pursuits. As one newly minted PhD explained, his supervisor hired him as an editorial assistant on a highly ranked journal. “When you’re working at a journal, 90 per cent of your work is assessing research, data collection, research methods, writing styles … I got to see what was going on in the business of research, [and] I got to go through the [feedback] process with my supervisor without it being my work.”  

The Messy  

The “cruelty of supervisory care” is a phrase I coined to describe a phenomenon where, despite good intentions, supervisors negatively impact students.  

As a research assistant for her supervisor, a former PhD student described feeling gratitude while also recognizing that their relationship crossed boundaries.  

“He was all about co-authoring, paying compensation for time, bringing everyone into the process, [and] building up their CVs.” At the same time, her doctoral work was treated as an obstacle to the more important work they were doing together. She described his attitude toward her own program milestones as, “get them out of the way because we have lots to do.” 

What was described as a friendship with her supervisor made his “tough love” approach as a manager okay, despite the “devastation” it caused. It also softened his expectation of what she called “borderline” work, including answering calls, emails and text messages at any time of day. “We were helping him with his research, and that was most important.” 

The Ugly 

“There’s this overworked professor essence that I think a lot of people have, like, ‘I don’t have time to answer your stupid questions’.” 

Another former doctoral student describes a relationship breakdown while working as a research assistant on their supervisor’s grant application: “she had a lot of expectations of my knowledge about that process that I didn’t have.” Despite multiple requests for help, the student was left to independently manage timelines, stakeholder engagement, knowledge translation and data entry. Feeling anxious in advance of a looming deadline, they called their supervisor and were met with a curt “don’t call me on the weekends” followed by the dial tone. The student lamented that in the face of belittling interactions, graduate students continued to try to prove their worth and their value. This same supervisor would not make time for meetings with this student, instead choosing moments of seeing each other in passing to offer quick and unthoughtful feedback. 

What should you do? 

Working for your supervisor can create incredible opportunities, but there are risks that graduate students should be aware of before they sign on the dotted line. What should you consider when you’re making this decision? 

• Reflect on what you need to succeed. Graduate students are often precariously employed and hungry for opportunities that will both pay the bills and advance their goals. Take some time to reflect. What are your expectations for an employer? What kind of environment do you thrive in?   
   

• Ask tough questions. The contract details that you receive from your department will not tell you everything you need to know about the role. That’s why it’s important to meet with your supervisor and ask tough questions about their leadership style, work philosophy and expectations when it comes to employment relationships with their students. 
   

• Get references. Chances are that your supervisor has employed other graduate students. Find out who they are, take them out for a coffee and ask them about their experience. As graduate students, we tend to take care of our own. 
   

• Explore your options. Students can have a scarcity mindset when it comes to employment. It’s important to remember that the opportunities you’re presented with may not be the only ones. Ask about what else might be available to you before you commit. 
   

• Ensure “strategic alignment”. Which position aligns best with your doctoral work, personal preferences and professional goals? Assessing the “fit” is key to a meaningful employment experience, and not just another gig that pays the bills.  
   

• Trust your gut. If you have doubts, bad feelings, or concrete issues about the supervisory care you’re receiving, chances are these will only be exacerbated in an employment relationship. Just say “no”.