Gotsman arrived from Israel with his wife and three daughters a year ago, and looked at many different options before settling on Harvard.

“I was considering institutions in the U.S., Canada, and England such as Georgia Tech, Cambridge University, and Waterloo University,” said Gotsman.

In the end, it was the location, coupled with Harvard’s prestige, which attracted Gotsman here.

“My wife had to find a job, the kids had to go to school, and I wanted to live in a large Jewish community,” said Gotsman.

Cash and a Place to Crash

Payment plans vary from one visiting professor to another.

Gotsman, who is a visiting professor for two years, is funded both by Harvard and his home institution.

“Every seven years, we get a year off for Sabbatical—Technion pays us during that time,” he said.

However, Gotsman said that he thought that one year at Harvard was too short, and decided to take an additional year off.

Harvard will pay Gotsman’s salary in his second year.

“I’m paid the equivalent of what an associate professor here at Harvard would be paid,” Gotsman said. “That’s 2 to 3 times higher than what a professor would be paid in Israel.”

In Johnson’s case, Harvard merely matches his salary at Brooklyn College.

However, just like at their own colleges and universities, professors must pay their own rent.

While departments generally offer assistance in finding housing, Johnson said, this can present a challenge.

Once professors decide to accept a visiting position, they must find housing in the relatively expensive suburbs of Boston.