University lecturer?
- Thread starter compboyo
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Typically, the path to becoming a lecturer starts once you have finished your PhD. In the arts it's common to go straight into lecturing after finishing your PhD, but in the sciences and engineering you will typically do 2 - 5 years of post-doctoral research before getting a lectureship position. During this time you build up your research profile by publishing papers and by bringing in new projects.
You will apply for a lectureship position in the same way as any other job, but typically the University will already have a subject field in mind, which is often quite specific. The University may be replacing someone in that subject area, or looking to generate more research in current "hot" topics. The University won't hire someone who is not suitably qualified (with PhD and associated experience).
Giving lectures is actually only a very small part of being a lecturer. In my department (Engineering) lecturers will typically have one or two courses per term, so 1 - 4 hours per week of lecturing. Professors tend to have less teaching time, and junior lecturers more. Lecturers will typically also supervise student lab experiments (with assistance from post-graduates), set and supervise student projects, and set coursework. Most marking in our department is farmed off to post-grads, but that varies from Uni to Uni.
The main role of a lecturer though is research. Universities are a big business, and research brings in a lot of money (in the sciences and engineering anyway). Lecturers co-ordinate with industry and with other Universities to attract funding for projects. Funded projects allow a lecturer to bring in other staff to work under them; PhD students or post-doctoral researchers. The lecturer will tend to supervise and co-ordinate the research, with the PhD students and post-docs doing most of the hands-on work.
There are different "threads" of career advancement in academia. Some focus on teaching (and IMO are very much undervalued for it), some focus more on pure research, whereas others have good industrial contacts and bring in a lot of projects. Needless to say, the third path is the most lucrative for career advancement. Like with a lot of other professions, the bottom line is key.
You will apply for a lectureship position in the same way as any other job, but typically the University will already have a subject field in mind, which is often quite specific. The University may be replacing someone in that subject area, or looking to generate more research in current "hot" topics. The University won't hire someone who is not suitably qualified (with PhD and associated experience).
Giving lectures is actually only a very small part of being a lecturer. In my department (Engineering) lecturers will typically have one or two courses per term, so 1 - 4 hours per week of lecturing. Professors tend to have less teaching time, and junior lecturers more. Lecturers will typically also supervise student lab experiments (with assistance from post-graduates), set and supervise student projects, and set coursework. Most marking in our department is farmed off to post-grads, but that varies from Uni to Uni.
The main role of a lecturer though is research. Universities are a big business, and research brings in a lot of money (in the sciences and engineering anyway). Lecturers co-ordinate with industry and with other Universities to attract funding for projects. Funded projects allow a lecturer to bring in other staff to work under them; PhD students or post-doctoral researchers. The lecturer will tend to supervise and co-ordinate the research, with the PhD students and post-docs doing most of the hands-on work.
There are different "threads" of career advancement in academia. Some focus on teaching (and IMO are very much undervalued for it), some focus more on pure research, whereas others have good industrial contacts and bring in a lot of projects. Needless to say, the third path is the most lucrative for career advancement. Like with a lot of other professions, the bottom line is key.
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Any university worth their salt will. The only exceptions might be subjects where experience is worth a huge amount, but I'm hard pressed to think of one off the top of my head.
It varies from university to university, department to department. If you're lecturing then you'll be expected to do tutorial classes, mark work, write exams and problem sheets and have office hours for help. In most decent universities you'll also be expected to do research which is good and publishable since it's an important factor in the league table ratings of a university.
A lot depends on where you'll thinking about. If you want to work at a community college then if you have a degree in the relevant subject you might be able to do it without a PhD. Furthermore you'd not do any research because a PhD is an introduction into doing research, all the various things associated to that. If you're thinking about a university in the top 20 (perhaps even 50) then forget it, unless you have a degree and PhD in the relevant subject you won't stand a chance. In most cases, particularly things like the sciences, if you don't also have a few post doctoral positions under your belt and a lengthy list of good publications you'll just be laughed at.
For example, my area is maths/theoretical physics and I know a fair few people I'd classify as genius who needed to do 3 or 4 post doc places around Europe after their Oxbridge degrees, masters and PhD and publish 15+ good papers with high citation counts before they were able to get lecturer positions at places like Oxbridge or the Ivy League in the US. But that's aiming at the very top of their subject.
At the absolute minimum you need a degree in the relevant subject, even for a terrible college/poly/low end university. A masters wouldn't go amiss either. Any university who does research will also require you have a PhD with good publications. Any university who cares about their research and has a good reputation will then require you either have real world experience or post doc research positions too, a minimum of 3 years, sometimes up to a decade.
What are your qualifications and what level of university are you thinking about, ie Swansea Metropolitan vs Oxford makes a HUGE difference? To be honest, if you're asking questions like what else a lecturer does then it suggests you have very little of the relevant experience. For example, during a PhD you help with problem classes, marking, even perhaps cover some lectures, so you get to be involved in the system. Remember, to teach at a secondary school you need a degree in the subject you're doing, so any educational establishment beyond school will likely ask for more.
I had the odd one or two at undergraduate who only had Master's degrees, but mainly they were in the position of lecturer for doing work outside of university in the field they were teaching (mainly political researchers).
Had a fair few tutors who were in the middle of their PhD's who tended to be a good laugh in a weird hung over on a friday morning sort of way.
Had a fair few tutors who were in the middle of their PhD's who tended to be a good laugh in a weird hung over on a friday morning sort of way.
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Okay, I've just seen this thread by the thread starter and I'm wondering if he's serious or just trolling somewhat.
He admits here he doesn't like working, it depresses him and then he suggests research. Sorry, research isn't some lazy easy thing where you just think for 10 minutes and then throw out some vague BS. I work in the maths research sector and I work the normal 8 hour days, sometimes evenings and even the occasional weekend. It's normal job hours. If anything if you get into research because it's on your head and no one elses it can easily bleed into the rest of your time, because if you don't do the work it's still there the next day, no one is going to pick up the slack. And if you don't do the work you get fired and replaced by someone who will, there's plenty of people who'll work hard about.
Here the thread starter has previously claimed to have won all sorts of prizes in school. So he's lazy, doesn't like work, doesn't like being away from the house, has mediocre qualifications but won loads of prizes?
Sorry, you think you're a maths whiz, so brilliant that you got bored and then went into sports science, which you did mediocre at? You're either a troll or you're just delusional. I hear the whole "I was a genius at school but no one recognized it" thing all the time from forums. It's always from people who now can't do basic algebra and always have to throw their 2 cents into a physics thread on a subject they obviously don't understand. You don't have the brain of Einstein, Einstein had a solid work ethic and stuck to it even when outside of academia. You're just lazy and not particularly bright it would seem.
If that's your attitude then unless you apply to a god awful community college and every other applicant mysteriously comes down with West Nile fever you're not going to get a lecturing job. Certainly you won't get one at a good university, as you basically admit to not having the capabilities to get the required qualifications. A PhD is more than just a demonstration you're good at the subject, it's a demonstration you can apply yourself to 3~5 years of work on the same subject and stick with it. I had to bin months of work during mine and if I'd just said "**** it, I'm giving this up!" I'd not have the PhD nor the job I got with it.
If you're too lazy to put effort in don't be surprised you have no job.
He admits here he doesn't like working, it depresses him and then he suggests research. Sorry, research isn't some lazy easy thing where you just think for 10 minutes and then throw out some vague BS. I work in the maths research sector and I work the normal 8 hour days, sometimes evenings and even the occasional weekend. It's normal job hours. If anything if you get into research because it's on your head and no one elses it can easily bleed into the rest of your time, because if you don't do the work it's still there the next day, no one is going to pick up the slack. And if you don't do the work you get fired and replaced by someone who will, there's plenty of people who'll work hard about.
Here the thread starter has previously claimed to have won all sorts of prizes in school. So he's lazy, doesn't like work, doesn't like being away from the house, has mediocre qualifications but won loads of prizes?
Sorry, you think you're a maths whiz, so brilliant that you got bored and then went into sports science, which you did mediocre at? You're either a troll or you're just delusional. I hear the whole "I was a genius at school but no one recognized it" thing all the time from forums. It's always from people who now can't do basic algebra and always have to throw their 2 cents into a physics thread on a subject they obviously don't understand. You don't have the brain of Einstein, Einstein had a solid work ethic and stuck to it even when outside of academia. You're just lazy and not particularly bright it would seem.
If that's your attitude then unless you apply to a god awful community college and every other applicant mysteriously comes down with West Nile fever you're not going to get a lecturing job. Certainly you won't get one at a good university, as you basically admit to not having the capabilities to get the required qualifications. A PhD is more than just a demonstration you're good at the subject, it's a demonstration you can apply yourself to 3~5 years of work on the same subject and stick with it. I had to bin months of work during mine and if I'd just said "**** it, I'm giving this up!" I'd not have the PhD nor the job I got with it.
If you're too lazy to put effort in don't be surprised you have no job.
Agreed, my best mate is currently doing a PHD in Microbiology and Immunisology (sp) and when i lived with him the amount of hours and effort he had to put in was unreal. Not to mention the commitment of going in at 9am on a sunday after a big night out because he needed to get an experiment set up ready to run on Monday morning.
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The best thing about weekends to a PhD student? Free on campus parking!!
He used to cycle in!
It was always quite funny because he got various bonus'/grants from Pharmaceutical companies he used to refer to it as "Devil Money" and splash out on cool stuff for the house/lots of booze
![[FnG]magnolia](/styles/overclockers/avatars/9.png){kind=avatar}
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Never have I gone to high 5 someone before realising it was only a forum post.
Goddam man, that was splendid
Soldato
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if you were considering this, it sounds like you want to be looking at the 6th form colleges and technical colleges, although I doubt this is for you.
sometimes universities will take a lecturer based on work experience, professional qualifications (charterships) and technical knowledge rather than on academic experience and post grad qualifications but this may be part time or in visiting lecturer guise.
as pointed out the main role of the lecturer is research, bringing in funding and publishing work.
lecturing is for want of a better term ‘a hobby’ or ‘pain in the proverbial’ for the researcher/research fellow
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Read his posts - he can't make up his mind whether to be a manager of a football club (he plays a PC game), a porn star (he has a penis) or a ... God, I can't be bothered. Just read his nonsense and see why it's not worth your time replying to his posts in any meaningful way.
No annoying students.
For me 9-5 monday to friday was mostly taken up with chores, I would do research 7-9am in the mornign, 5-8pm in the evening, and all weekend. But sometimes that is just thinking and jotting down notes while I do the laundry etc.