Your PhD: Careers in academia

• The academic lifestyle
• Increasing your chances of having an academic career

If postgraduate study has whetted your appetite for an academic career, you may be considering lecturing or research posts.

Before deciding, bear these points in mind:

• Academia is a very competitive market where motivation and commitment are essential.
• Because of the way research is funded, there are very few permanent research posts. Most are offered as fixed-term contracts.
• Lecturing involves research and administrative duties as well as teaching.
• Earning prospects are not what attract academics. According to the University and College Union, starting pay is around £22,300 for junior researchers and around £28,300 for new lecturers. Professorial pay starts at £51,000, but it is rare to reach this level before the age of 40. These figures compare favourably with graduate earnings in some professions, but fall well short of salaries in medicine, law, business and consultancy.

Do you have the motivation and commitment for a career in academia? Ask yourself the following questions (and give honest answers):

• Do you want an academic career because you have a continuing passion for your subject?
• Do you want to pass on your knowledge to other learners and do you have the patience and communication skills to do that well?
• Are you only staying in academia because it is a familiar environment?
• Are you sufficiently dedicated to put in the effort necessary to progress in an academic career?

The academic lifestyle

Working hours

Be prepared for long working hours. Lectures take much longer to research and prepare than to present.

Competition and pressure

Bidding for research grants and ensuring the delivery of high quality research within tight deadlines are a constant feature of the job.

Senior lecturer, pharmacology

Academics are expected to produce international-class research, to teach ever larger classes, to assume highly responsible administration roles and to do all of this within very tight time constraints.

Lecturer, geography

Job satisfaction

There is still some degree of academic freedom in higher education. My work is extremely stimulating and rewarding, especially research collaborations. I try to be an innovative teacher and enjoy meeting mums and dads on graduation day.

Senior lecturer, pharmacology

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Increasing your chances of having an academic career

Are you still keen to proceed? Taking the following steps will enhance your prospects.

Step 1: Get experience to develop relevant skills

In addition to your PhD research, try to get experience of supervising undergraduates, perhaps as a tutorial assistant, contributing to courses and lecturing, publishing research papers, assisting with administration - e.g. organising a conference or seminar programme, applying for research funding.

Step 2: Get your first post

Academic posts are often advertised on Jobs.ac.uk, HE institutions, the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), and The Guardian websites. They are often filled by networking and through internal advertisements within individual institutions. A speculative approach to academic departments may be worthwhile. Ensure your academic-style CV emphasises all the right points - see example CVs.

Step 3: Train to develop academic skills

HE institutions now run courses for new lecturers that lead to Associateship of the Higher Education Academy. It is increasingly important that you complete this training, which may be available at your university, before getting a lectureship.

Step 4: Publications

Producing publications is essential for career progression. Aim for journals with recognised national or international status in your field.

• Take advantage of staff development courses in your institution on writing for publication. Seek advice from a mentor or other experienced researchers before sending off a submission.
• Initially, you are more likely to succeed if you are co-author with a person or team with an established reputation.

Step 5: Research and project funding

Attracting funding is a high priority for departments. A successful track record in securing awards will help your career.

• Source funding opportunities. The THES and individual research councils (see contacts and resources) are a good place to start.
• Your institution may run courses on writing successful bids.
• Start by assisting in preparation for a bid by a researcher with a successful track record.
• Submit draft bids for internal scrutiny by an experienced researcher before sending to a funding body.

Step 6: Teaching experience

Unless you want to continue to be a researcher on short-term contracts, teaching experience is essential.

• Actively seek out lecturing and tutoring opportunities.
• Volunteer for evening classes or tutor support for distance learners.
• Explore options outside your department, perhaps at the Open University (OU), or a nearby university, college or adult education centre.
• The Higher Education Academy provides a database of resources, which includes teaching resources and advice.

Remember that teaching involves preparation as well as delivery time but is often paid only for contact time. Don’t over-commit yourself!

Step 7: Project management

Meeting project deadlines on time and within budget is just as important in higher education as it is in industry. Experience of project management can enhance your promotion prospects.

• Develop your project management skills by keeping progress logs and budget accounts for your work.
• If difficulties arise, tackle them at an early stage to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities.
• Gain extra experience of project management by supervising undergraduate projects.

Step 8: Quality assessment

Higher education is accountable for public expenditure through quality audits of teaching and research. Getting involved in an audit is a useful experience.

• Audits are cyclical, but you may have been in a department that was audited when you were a student or staff member. Reflect on that experience and learn from it for future audits.
• Visit websites of auditing bodies, such as The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), to become familiar with their measures.
• Volunteer to help towards an audit by compiling some of the data required and attending preparatory briefing sessions.
• After an audit, ask someone involved in it to talk you through the process and outcomes.

Step 9: Understanding higher education issues

Take an interest in the wider higher education community.

• Attend staff meetings and briefing sessions.
• Read departmental, university and funding bodies’ newsletters.
• Read minutes of committee, faculty and management meetings.
• Keep track of recent developments by reading the THES and professional journals in your field.

Step 10: Network

• Develop a network of contacts. Use it to keep up to date on trends in higher education, discover vacancies and collaborative research projects.
• Participate in conferences, present papers and meet people.
• Join academic societies and professional bodies and attend their events.
• Volunteer for administrative roles or committees.
• Maintain cross-disciplinary contacts.
• Volunteer for working parties open to new staff.

	Written by higher education careers professionals	Date:  Spring 2008
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