Case studies: Higher education lecturer: Margaret

Margaret has a PhD in research related to business and is a higher education (HE) lecturer in business at a post-1992 university.

My motivation to become a lecturer in 2003 came from a desire to both teach and undertake more research. I also wanted to share my breadth of management and business experience gained through some 25 years of working in/with private, public, SME and voluntary sectors.

I already had contacts in the Business School at the university, gained through networking whilst in previous roles. This was very helpful as I was already aware of the research interests of the interview panel and the department prior to applying for the vacancy.

The selection process was the usual HE/academic procedure: a day-long process with an informal interview and presentation followed by a formal interview with a six-person panel.

My advice for those wishing to pursue an academic career path is that an awareness of the research areas and interests of the interview panel, school/department is essential, as is an understanding of the research focus of the university.

It is also important to recognise (particularly if you are coming into HE from other sectors) that the HE ‘culture’ can be very different. I have found that there is collegiality but very little teamwork, so progress is often made through individual research successes.

My degrees are in different subject areas: human biology, theology and a PhD from research related to business. The PhD subject area was obviously very relevant to this role. It required someone who could teach the subject at a ‘leading edge’ academically and also underpin this with current industry experience. I also teach business spirituality (at Masters level), which has direct links with my other area of interest. This shows that as you develop your career, you can find ways to link your various areas of interest.

Since 2003, my teaching time has reduced as I have taken on roles as the programme director for several Master’s degrees. However, I have also undertaken an increasing amount of Doctoral/Masters supervision. This is positive as it shows that my strengths are being recognised - but it does contrast with why I came into the role originally!

The range of tasks I undertake include: marketing; admissions; teaching; assessment; quality assurance of the course; forging relationships with students, employers and supervisors; budgeting; resource planning; succession planning; strategising about developing the programme; and maintaining awareness of relevant professional standards.

The aspect of the role I enjoy the most is the individual mentoring relationship with Masters and PhD students - helping them move towards fulfilling their potential is hugely satisfying.

I least enjoy, and feel frustrated by, the lack of a teamworking ethos as an individualistic approach does not really suit my preferred way of working alongside colleagues.

In the future, ideally, I would like to spend more time on the aspects of the job I really enjoy - so more research supervision and less administration!