Case studies: Higher education lecturer: Kate

Kate is a higher education (HE) lecturer in a health care subject area at a new university.

I was attracted to the role of higher education (HE) lecturer as in my previous role as a health care practitioner and professional, I had enjoyed the student training I had delivered and the interaction with the students. Also, the HE lecturer role offered a more stable career path (I had previously worked on short-term contracts), as well as family-friendly working conditions.

I applied for the role in 2004 after seeing it advertised in a professional journal. The interview process was extensive: first I had a group interview with the course team; then I had to deliver 20 minutes of a one-hour lecture I had been asked to plan in advance, in front of a audience of senior academics pretending to be students. This was followed by an interview with the Dean of School and academic staff team.

My advice for anyone entering this career path is that you do need a PhD. This was not so essential when I applied. I am aware that as I do not currently have a PhD, it is unlikely that I shall obtain promotion. My academic qualifications do include a BSc and MSc in Public Health and I have also undertaken the PgC in HE (after lecturing for four years). The subject area of my degrees is essential to the role, as is the range of my experience as a practitioner - I am able to use real examples to enhance my teaching and credibility. I would also advise that teaching experience is very important, especially at undergraduate level.

Since 2004, I have progressed from working 0.5 f/t days/week of teaching and marking to being appointed programme director in 2007 on a 0.8 f/t basis. My current role is more strategic and includes committee work, report writing and quality assurance, as well as teaching and marking! I have also become more involved in enterprise activities and in making small bids for research. I hope to increase the size of these bids incrementally over time.

The most enjoyable aspect of the role for me is supporting students - they are genuinely interested in the subject area and open-minded. It is so exciting to see their development over three years. The organisational side of the role also suits my personality. What I find less enjoyable is that I also work typically 10-15 hours extra every week at home in the evenings/at weekends, just to get the basic job done. In my first two years in post, this was up to 25 hours a week, so it is reducing gradually.

In terms of career progression, I would like to find a way of progressing to senior lecturer level. I would need a PhD for this so I am working towards building a portfolio of publications in order to achieve this. To maintain my employability in the role, I am also building up the research and enterprise elements of the role.