I posted this on reddit, but I thought I would post it here as well in order to get as much advice as possible. I hope it is OK.
I am a tenured associate professor who is applying for new jobs at other universities. I have a lot of questions and I would like to hear some of your opinions.
I am at the stage where I can realistically apply for full professorship at my home university soon. This is actually an important reason for me to apply for jobs now because I feel that once I become a full professor, it will be a lot harder to get a job in another university because most openings in my area are at the assistant/associate level.
Already, one of my contacts in a university I am applying to already told me that they might not have the budget to hire someone with so much experience, even as an Assoc Prof (the salary there is calculated based on the number of years in service). But at the same time, some more senior colleagues told me that I should ask for full professorship (maybe not at the aforementioned university, but at the other places). I am worried that it might come across as greedy. But I also heard that being bold can pay off. In one of the openings, it says that "full professorship will be considered at exceptional cases". In others, only assist/assoc. What is the best strategy?
Another thing that I wonder is what I should do with my grad students and postdoc (there are 5 of them working with me at the current university). Should I ask the new school whether I can transfer them with me? Is it something I should mention at the interview stage, or only when an offer is made?
I am also supposed to be on sabbatical next year. Will it come across badly if I ask for sabbatical leave in the new school too early? Alternatively, how would it be perceived if I ask them whether I could start in the new school one year later, after my sabbatical leave with the current school?
Thanks in advance!