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Original poster

Taking a teaching-only job when I want to research...

16 replies

PhDone · 29/04/2019 22:03

Hi All, I'm hoping someone can offer some advice, as I'm torn on what to do.

So I recently finished my PhD, I was doing it part time so it took 5 years. For the last 4 years I have been on a 50% FTE contract as a teaching-only member of staff, teaching a particular course.

Now that I've finished the PhD however, I'm obviously 50% unemployed (though short term I have a couple of papers so write up). I'm lucky that I can afford to live comfortably on 50% pay, but ideally I want a full-time job. Although I enjoy lecturing I really want to be doing research, so I want either a research-only or research+teaching post.

The HoD knows I want a full-time job, (and that I want to do research btw), and has told me that a member of the department is retiring and has tentatively offered me his teaching. FWIW I would love to teach this particular module, more than what I currently teach, which I am starting to feel I am stagnating with. I think the HoD means me to do both though, not give up my current role.

I also am a named researcher on a massive grant proposal that has been submitted (full-time RA job for 3 years) but we won't hear the outcome of that until june.

So my dilemma is what do I do! I feel like I should accept the new teaching as I don't currently have a better offer (although I haven't officially been offered that yet)... But then I'll ditch them if we get the grant...
I'm terrified of getting "stuck" in a teaching-only post, unable to get back into research - it happened to a colleague/friend.

Ideally I want the RA job, and to teach the new module, but I don't know yet if I have the RA job, or if they'd mind me doing so much teaching with it...

Can I ask them to make me a proper lecturer, with teaching and research??

Sorry if this is garbled... probably reflects my thoughts!

If it's relevant it's a very male-dominated field, with a bit of a reputation of shitting on the younger/female staff.

OP posts:

CorporeSarnie · 29/04/2019 22:18

hort answer is it depends. For HR reasons I suspect they wouldn't be able to offer the post you're hoping for, unless they advertise externally. If the grant has you at 1.0 FTE you won't be able to do that much teaching, I think under the Concordat you are allowed/meant to have 0.2 FTE for your career development as an RA, but 0.5 is a long way from that. It also depends on your field whether a named RA could be considered as experienced enough to go for a lectureship, this is very variable but wouldn't fly in my area or the places I've worked. Could you talk through all this with the PIs of the potential RA post? June is pretty close now so you should know soon what the future holds. But don't take a post you don't really want unless you're prepared to give it a good shot.

CorporeSarnie · 29/04/2019 22:18

CorporeSarnie · 29/04/2019 22:19

Sorry short answer, and for double posting.

Original poster

PhDone · 29/04/2019 22:32

@CorporeSarnie thanks for answering!
I think you might be right about not being able to offer what I want - the HoD also seems to not be very interested in my research area. A lectureship was advertised recently but all about another research area, with a tiny "applications relating to [my research area] may also be considered", but nothing about it at all, none of the requirements etc.
I'm sure I'd be experienced enough on the teaching side, but not the research. I've never applied for a grant, or led any projects apart from my PhD.

The PIs are keen for me to do some of their teaching, but I think this much would be unreasonable... the new module is a whopper, all the ~150 first years take it, and there are 3/4 lectures a week.

OP posts:

Original poster

PhDone · 29/04/2019 22:40

Also I just checked and the panel for the grant is actually 10th July sorry

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ommmward · 29/04/2019 23:30

Do a teaching only post and work your socks off getting research done and published. Once you look reffable you should be employable in teaching+research+admin (oh I wish there were jobs that missed out that last one...)

bakedbeanzontoast · 30/04/2019 06:59

I'd tread very carefully...are you in a department with a ridiculous amount of students? What's the staffing level like?

Nagsnovalballs · 30/04/2019 07:05

I have a teaching only job and at most it involves 14 hours of teaching per week as opposed to lecturers doing up to 10. Plenty of time for research. But I am in arts and hums so I bit their hand off for a teaching post in a university that had a great reputation, was commutable without moving my family and was supportive of my interests (WP, student experience). There are so few posts and massive research grants are rarer than hen’s teeth (and could leave you without a job after 3-5 years). But then I’m also just married, into my mid 30s and if I want to have maternity leave etc then this was my best option.
Your circs May be different!

Original poster

PhDone · 30/04/2019 07:43

I don't think teaching staff get any time/money to do research here, so what @ommmward suggests wouldn't happen - teaching loads are high (currently on 50% I have 10 contact hours /week in term time).
my colleague I mentioned previously has been told she isn't allowed to do any research (Inc. supervising PhD students).

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Original poster

PhDone · 30/04/2019 07:45

And @Nagsnovalballs staffing levels aren't great - we've just recently come out of a hiring freeze, and now the department is expanding and adding a new undergraduate course and new teaching staff.

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SarahAndQuack · 30/04/2019 09:22

Given you can live comfortably off your current job, I would keep on with it and work hard at publishing until you're REFable (or a research fellowship/grant comes good). I had a teaching fellowship straight out of my PhD, and while I enjoyed it because I do like teaching, I don't see what it'd add to your CV, given you've already been doing a lot of teaching? And if you don't need it financially, it won't much help your CV, and it's likely to impact on your research ... why would you?

Original poster

PhDone · 30/04/2019 10:22

@SarahAndQuack exactly all the sensible things I've been thinking...
The only reasons for taking it would be more money (which I don't desperately need but it'd be nice to earn 32k rather than 16k...) and also the fact that I'm a bit bored with my current teaching. Although the fact that I'm on the 4th round means there's very little lecture prep to do.

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BeansandRice · 30/04/2019 14:53

Can I ask them to make me a proper lecturer, with teaching and research??

No.

Jobs are so scarce, I'd take what you can.

But you have no right to assume that the university will convert your post into a permanent lectureship, with teaching & research. It needs to go to open advertisement, and open competition to get the best colleague.

I hate it when people get put into jobs in this way by thinking they can hang around for long enough that they'll get a plum job. We've all had to apply and compete.

You can publish from a teaching-only post, and publish you way to a "proper" job - most of us have done that. Or - in STEM - move from PhD to post-doc, either in someone else's project, or via applying for a Fellowship under MCSA, or EPSRC or other UKRI scheme.

I am scratchy about this, as I'm dealing with a situation where a teaching fellow is angry because we can't convert their teaching only position to a permanent standard academic contract. They think they deserve it because they've been in a teaching-only post for a year, for which they were not interviewed. I try to explain that if we had a "proper" post (chance would be a fine thing!), it would go to open advertisement & competition.

It's the sense of entitlement which irritates me. Most academics I know had precarious moments in their careers. We all coped and found ways through.

Original poster

PhDone · 30/04/2019 15:21

@BeansandRice Sorry I don't mean to sound entitled... I certainly don't expect to be made a lecturer just like that, I'm just picturing where I want to be eventually (lecturer), and trying to work out the best way to get there! If there were a direct route I'd kick myself for not trying it!
My problem is that it's easy to see the best option short term, (extra teaching gives me a full time job and more money), but long term I might end up further from where I want to be!

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bakedbeanzontoast · 01/05/2019 00:15

@BeansandRice I've seen that happen quite a lot - not even finished the PhD and in a lecturing position - I kid you not. Sometimes like with anything it really is about who you know. Same with workload allocation but that's for another day...

OP that's of course not aimed at you at all - just beans is reminding me of a few scenarios I could mention.

I hope you get to where you want to be.

Original poster

PhDone · 09/05/2019 14:05

Well I was brave and set a meeting with the HoD, I sat down and explained that I really want to end up with research and teaching, and that I don't think this is the right move for me long term.
He has his faults but was very nice about it, thanked my for my honesty and for telling him so soon, and he agreed with my rationale.
So all good really... now back to applying for things!
Anyone got good advice on fellowships??

OP posts:

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