Higher education lecturer : Employers and vacancy sources

Higher education (HE) lecturers are employed by a range of institutions. Universities and further education (FE) colleges make up the largest proportion of employers, but there are a number of specialised postgraduate institutions, such as law schools and business schools, that also employ lecturers.

In the UK, all universities are governed by an act of parliament and enjoy academic freedom. They appoint their own staff, decide which students to admit, provide their own courses and award their own degrees. Most HE and FE providers are state-run, but there is a small independent sector. The British Accreditation Council  provides a quality assurance scheme for independent further and higher education colleges in the UK and has a list of accredited institutions on its website.

Opportunities are also available overseas. The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)  has details of HE institutions in the Commonwealth countries.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Guardian Jobs  
• Times Higher Education (THE)    
• Independent Jobs  
• Times Educational Supplement (TES)    
• Jobs.ac.uk     
• PhD Jobs    

Individual higher education (HE) and further education (FE) institutions also list current vacancies on their websites.

Informal networking, through conference attendance, participation in national subject area working groups and membership of relevant associations, is increasingly important for finding out about posts.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.