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Three months ago, a professor has offered to me a research position at his university with high salary, and I rejected it because I wanted to join a master's program. Unfortunately, I made a bad decision and now I changed my mind and became very interested to the exciting position he offered to me.

Do you think is it a good idea that I send him an email and ask if the offer is still available? So even that I rejected the offer 3 months ago, is it possible that I ask the professor about that offer again?

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    Just ask. 3 months is already some time and the position might be gone, but there is no harm in asking.
    – wimi
    Dec 15, 2019 at 16:39
  • @wimi Thank you for your comment. So I will do and hope the offer is still available!
    – Christina
    Dec 15, 2019 at 16:45

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Yes, it is a good idea to ask. But explain that you now think you made a mistake in rejecting the offer. You might also want to mention your longer term goals, which I assume include further education. He can help you with that if he has a good sense of your needs. If your work for him is good enough, he might also have some incentive to help you along. One hopes for such an outcome, anyway.

But yes, ask. Silence gains you nothing, nor him, either.

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  • Thank you for your answer. Yes I will explain to him everything. I would like to join his offer until august 2020 because I will start my master's program in September 2020. Hope he will take that into consideration. But first, I hope the offer is still available.
    – Christina
    Dec 15, 2019 at 16:54
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If you already know that you are interested in the position only for 9 months from your side (until Aug 2020), and he is looking for a more long-term assistant, be aware that he may not want to hire you.

Hiring a RA is in many places quite a bit of bureaucratic work, and unless you are absolutely outstanding, I can imagine the prof not being interested in a very temporary candidate for whom (repeatedly) another line, namely an MSc, is of higher priority. Of course, that all depends on the professor, but I could imagine them to go for a candidate with a longer-term perspective.

Of course, asking never hurts, as long as your request is polite and makes clear you will accept any decision the prof makes. Be also prepared that perhaps they have also already hired someone.

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  • Thank you for your answer. I contacted the professor again and waiting for his response!! I don't think he has already hired someone but there is a high probability that either he ignores my mail or not being interested of short term contracts. So let's see!
    – Christina
    Dec 16, 2019 at 13:10

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