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Are the chances of getting a postdoc position or full academic position higher in the country you are going to study your PhD in? What if you are not a citizen? Is it important to take into account postdoc stage and career path possibilities when you decide the country you want to study PhD?

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    See: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9133/…
    – posdef
    Feb 14, 2014 at 7:54
  • The question @posdef linked is definitely something you should read. While I'm not sure if the chances are higher or not (so, I'm not making it an answer), it might be better (to your academic career) to try and get a postdoc position in a different country than the one where you got your PhD.
    – penelope
    Feb 14, 2014 at 10:34

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In my surroundings (Germany, Switzerland), normally it's not a problem to get the first postdoc after you get a PhD in the same country.

However, a PhD in some country that is (sometimes wrongly) believed to have an inferior level of scientific merit may actually block the further scientific degree carrier abroad: impossible to start PhD studies a second time ("already has PhD"), and impossible to get a postdoctoral position as well ("bad PhD").

As a result, it is important to weigh the situation and think where and how to earn the PhD degree. I know people who have dropped basically complete PhD works right before defence just to be able to restart in another country.

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    And sometimes due to other issues department members refuse to write good recommendation letters for visa students, then as a result they end up not getting any post doc.
    – user4511
    Feb 14, 2014 at 10:40

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