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Academic Jobs – A Guide
One kind of career path that opens up to you after postgraduate study is an academic job. That’s right – the elusive realm of research, lecturing and teaching is now a realm you can join! These jobs are perfect for those of you who can’t bear to part ways from your subject.
But what exactly do most academic jobs involve? Well, they are often a combination of research, admin and teaching, so you will have to ensure you are happy to work in all of those areas. As well as what many people think of as an academic role, that is lectures, some tuition and research, there is all the backstage work too. Things such as attending or organising conferences, applying for funding and setting exams are all things you will probably be required to do.
Academic roles are also becoming more diverse, with some posts focused mainly on research, some on teaching and scholarships, and others on professional practice and knowledge exchange, reflecting newer academic career pathways in many universities.
What skills do you need for a job in academia?
With that in mind, what sort of skills do you need for an academic job?
1. Self-motivation – an academic job requires being self-motivated. It is up to you to plan lectures, organise your own research and ensure everything is done on time.
2. Organisation and administration – you will have to mark work, apply for grants and plan courses. Then you will have to balance your time spent on all of the admin work against being able to do your own research. This often includes digital administration, such as using virtual learning environments, online marking tools and research management systems, which now form a routine part of academic life.
3. Social skills – you can’t just be good at your subject and paperwork to succeed in academia. You will have to be capable of working with other academics and students, both at your university and at other HEIs. We’ve all had that one lecturer who was brilliant, but just did not understand people – you want to make sure you are not that person! Strong collaboration skills also matter because many research projects now involve cross-institutional or international teams, and universities place increasing emphasis on public engagement and partnership working.
4. Research – a large part of any academic job is research. You need to be confident about not only your own research, but organising and assisting others with theirs.
For some teaching-focused roles there may be less emphasis on producing original disciplinary research and more on investigating and improving teaching and student learning (often called the scholarship of teaching and learning), developing new approaches to the curriculum, and enhancing the overall student experience, depending on the pathway of the role.
Find your PERFECT POSTGRAD PROGRAMThe requirements for an academic job
So now you know what an academic job involves, let’s take a look at how you can go about getting one.
Firstly, what qualifications do you need? For arts and humanities, you will usually need a PhD and potentially some post-doctoral research experience. As for the sciences, there is often more of a climb. You will need a PhD, then a couple of post-doctoral positions. After this you will usually need to have a research fellowship, before finally applying for a lectureship role.
In some countries and institutions, entry-level roles may be titled assistant professor rather than lecturer, but the expectations around research, teaching and service are broadly similar.
As you can see, moving into the world of academia is not for the fainthearted. However, there are ways to make it easier – getting published, having a good network of contacts and gaining teaching experience are all things that will help you on your way.
Universities are also refining clearer academic career frameworks, which can help you understand what is expected at each stage and how to progress.
Once you have got all of these requirements under your belt, it is time to look at...
The academic job interview
Academic job interviews differ from other job interviews. Be prepared to talk in depth about any research projects you have done, not just about the skills gained from them, but the actual research itself. It is important that you can sum up your dissertation succinctly, and also answer in depth questions when asked.
You will need to be up to date on the latest developments in your field, and most importantly, the contributions of the university you are applying to and its staff members. You will want to be able to show them how what you do will add to what they do.
As well as this, be prepared to answer questions on your teaching and admin experience. If you look capable of organising things beyond your own research, you will come across as a far more well-rounded applicant.
Many academic interviews now include additional elements such as a teaching demonstration, a research presentation or a panel discussion with students, so check the invitation carefully and practise these components in advance.
Have prepared answers to some of the more common questions, things such as how you would teach on certain topics, why this particular university appeals to you, and what your future research plans are. You do not want to get caught out.
It can also help to show awareness of wider issues in higher education, such as student career readiness, graduate labour market trends and changing expectations around teaching quality and support.
How to apply for an academic job
But how exactly do you apply for an academic job? To start with you need to look on university websites. Whilst the posts will often be advertised elsewhere too, there will be the most detail on the university’s page, often with an email to address queries to.
Roles are commonly listed on university HR pages, national academic job boards and subject association mailing lists, so it is worth checking several sources regularly during the hiring cycle.
Then, once you have picked out the roles you are interested in, talk to the people you are working with at your current university. They will be able to give you tips, and could potentially know people at the place you are applying.
You want to make sure you have all the required documents for application, these will often include:
- Application form
- Current academic CV
- Cover letter
- References
- Statement of interests
- Example of work
Increasingly, institutions may also ask for a short teaching statement, a research statement and evidence of impact or public engagement, particularly for more senior roles.
Make sure you fulfil all the requirements of applying to a certain role, or no matter how good your application it will not get looked at. And remember, academia may be a hard world to break into, so if at first you do not succeed, follow the old saying and try, try, try again.
Finally, keep your options open – for example by considering roles in different countries, or on different academic pathways such as teaching-focused posts – this can improve your chances in a competitive job market.
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