Not the usual how to get research thread

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To secure a paid summer research opportunity with a professor, it's essential to communicate your intentions clearly. Express your interest in working full-time during the summer and your need for compensation due to living expenses. While it may feel daunting, the consensus is that a straightforward approach is effective; simply ask the professor about available paid positions. Professors appreciate honesty and will provide information on whether they have funding and if your qualifications align with their needs. Given the background in mathematics research, leveraging previous experience with professors and REUs can strengthen your request.
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Not the usual "how to get research" thread...

I've worked with professors before during the academic year and am doing so currently. I've done an REU also. My question is: how does one ask a professor for a (paid) research opportunity for the summer? Simply asking a professor to work with them or under them is easy enough but how do I convey the fact that I am looking to make this a full-time thing in the summer and would like to get paid for it (mainly because I wouldn't be able to do it for free because of living expenses)? I may, of course, be over thinking this with the best approach being the "just ask" approach.

A little background: by the end of this academic year I'll be roughly on par with someone who's finished his or her first year of grad school.

I suppose I should also note I am referring to mathematics research.
 
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You're definitely overthinking: just ask!
 


I second what cristo said - just ask. They will be honest with you about whether they have any paid positions and whether you have the qualifications they are looking for.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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