A PhD should give you excellent training as a researcher - developing your skills, thinking independently, managing your project, communicating with other researchers, presenting your findings - but most professions you take up afterwards will need more training and often a professional qualification. Post doctoral researchIf you go on to post-doctoral research, you may be involved in multidisciplinary work and need to develop your understanding of other areas of knowledge. Your work may become more quantitative and it might be necessary to improve your skills in statistical techniques. Skills in project management, supervision of budgets, writing and presenting academic papers, preparing proposals for research funding and supervising technical assistants will all need to be developed. back to top Academics and teachingUniversity lecturers are now expected to undertake a period of part-time training, usually within their employing institution, to develop skills in lecturing, tutoring, assessment and making funding applications. This training leads to Associateship of the Higher Education Academy. Once this is obtained, you can progress to the higher levels of fellow and senior fellow. If you wish to teach in a state school or a college of further education you will need to obtain qualified teacher status (QTS). You can do this by training on the job or taking a full-time nine-month course. back to top The professionsMany PhDs go into health-related jobs where a statutory qualification is sometimes required, e.g. a ‘personal animal licence’ if you need to do experiments with animals, and others if you want to become a clinical scientist. If you decide to join a consultancy, which may offer clients solutions to problems in management, technical, engineering, finance, market research or other areas of work, you will almost certainly expect to receive training in consultancy skills: writing proposals, calculating costs and time scales, making presentations to clients on how you would tackle their project, negotiating contracts, and writing reports. In other walks of life, different qualifications are required. For example, to become a barrister or solicitor, if you don’t have a law degree, two year’s study at law school are required. To be a patent agent, study for the professional examinations is by self-study and on the job. When researching your options, investigate the relevant professional body and the trade association of firms with an interest in that area of work. A professional qualification may be either a statutory requirement or essential for career progression. In some professions, such as marketing, a professional qualification may be an advantage without being compulsory. All areas of the finance sector need qualifications, either for admission to professional bodies or as legal requirements to establish the necessary levels of knowledge in regulatory affairs. back to top FundingFunding for further study and professional training often comes from your employer. Training may be provided on site by professional trainers, or by distance learning, attendance at part-time modular courses or full-time study. Courses leading to QTS are state funded and maintenance grants may be available - refer to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Training for the legal profession must be funded personally unless finance is forthcoming from a firm of solicitors or, rarely, a barristers’ chambers. For further information on funding see funding my further study.
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