Academia, Researching and Teaching

1
Academia, Researching and Teaching

• Danielle Tucker

2
What does an Academic do?

• Researching in area of interest
• Several specialist areas
• Studies, experiments, case studies

• Lecturing/Teaching
• Lectures/Seminars
• Supervision
• Marking and tutoring

• Publishing articles for journals/writing books
• Conferences
• Expert consultant/media
• Administration

3
Facts and Figures

• Pay
• Lecturer - 24-35,000
• Senior Lecturer - 38-41,000 (30-45yrs old)
• Professor - 43,000 (35yrs )

• Working Hours
• Teaching between university timetabled hours
• Otherwise flexible

• People you work with
• Other academics from all over world
• Administrative staff
• Students
• Organisations (research, feedback, application)

4
How to get into it

• PhD research qualification
• Need at least a 21 (1st is preferable)
• Approximately 3 years full time
• Often have to do MSc first
• 80-100,000 word Thesis and Viva
• Publishing experience
• Start during PhD
• Conference papers/journals
• Teaching experience
• PhDs often get experience with seminar leading
• PGCHE if possible
• Research only jobs are rare

5
Funding for PhD

• 13 Scholarships
• National Bodies e.g. ESRC
• MSc and 3 yrs of PhD
• Department Scholarships
• Tuition fees and/or bursary for living expenses
• Full scholarship 12-13,000 tuition
• Part scholarship just tuition, or contribution
  to living expenses
• Often have to fund MSc yourself
• Bursaries
• E.g. NHS
• Only certain areas
• Sponsorship
• Funding bodies
• Often dictate your research area
• Self Funding
• Need to find a supervisor in your area who is
  willing to take you on, this may dictate where
  you apply for funding.

6
Week in the Life of an Academic

• Monday
• AM dealing with student enquiries, emails,
  prepare lectures and seminars for the week
• PM revisions to journal paper
• Tuesday
• 9am - Lecture followed by a seminar and then
  meeting with PhD student
• 2pm - Board of studies meeting
• 3pm-6pm - funding application
• Wednesday
• AM - arrangements with organisation for data
  collection, other admin
• PM - Research into new theory on organisational
  behaviour
• 3-430pm research seminar
• Thursday
• 7AM came in early to call an academic in
  Australia
• AM meeting with final year student and office
  hours
• PM teach 3 seminars
• Friday
• All day at a conference in London
• Weekend
• Saturday AM catch up with emails you didnt get
  chance to do yesterday

7
Advantages

• Flexible Hours
• Not always 9-5 Monday to Friday
• Holidays and sabbaticals
• Opportunities for travel
• Conferences and for research
• Variety
• Every day is different
• Your own boss (to some extent)

• Making a contribution
• New ideas, theories
• Cutting edge research
• Can become famous in your field
• Freedom of research
• Choose own areas of expertises
• Opportunity to change
• Not dictated by a organisation

8
Disadvantages

• Pay
• Not as good as other areas of psychology (unless
  you are a professor)
• Can make extra doing freelance consultancy, media
  etc
• Pressure to Publish
• From university (RAE)
• For career progression
• Teaching admin responsibilities can take over

• Difficult to detach from work
• Mind always on next project
• Flexible hours can be hard to find time for
  yourself
• Location is dictated by where University is
• University towns may have to commute
• Family commitments
• Some universities are better than others

9
Qualities needed to get started

• Interest
• in particular area
• in research generally
• Self discipline
• Time management skills
• No lectures and seminars, just have to get on
  with it yourself

• Motivation
• To keep going for 3 years on one topic
• Good writing style
• Ability to communicate findings
• Presentation skills
• For conferences, lectures etc
• Good academic ? good lecturer

10
Other options in Research and Teaching

• Research for non-academic organisations
• Research compilation organisations
• E.g. Government statistics etc
• Teaching
• A level/comprehensive school - PGCE
• Higher Education

• Consultancy
• Self employed/for consultancy firm (depends on
  area)
• Administration
• University administration
• Other area specific jobs