Leaving university career: my idealised academic self vs the reality

[TupilaLilium]

I have an option to take a full time post in the private sector. At the university I teach a clinical topic and I can do that as practice. The pay, pension, and hours are all better in the private sector. I will have half terms and summer holidays off with my kids.

I am struggling because I still hope for some version of me that is a researcher. And I imagine some world where my research is really impactful on a large scale. The research is ready, it is started and the results are good but I never have time to prioritise it. The reality is I am on a T&R contract in a school that does not return to REF, I teach 3 modules, supervise dozens of MSc projects, course director who spends 25% of my time on admissions issues. Admin support has been decimated and nearly all of the staff in my speciality are precarious or part time. My head of school promises support that never arrives. I am a SL doing the work of a Grade 5 admin since my uni fired all the admin.

It really is a no-brainer. I should go. The only think I will lose is some small part of my ego and flexibility in day time hours. Please give me a shove.

No advice, but sympathy. I'm looking for private sector jobs at the moment.

The last permanent position I applied for had 250 applicants, and looking at who was interviewed, that won't be me for another 5 years. So another 5 years of postdocs, and probably lose the chance to ever have kids. I'm a bit nervous, partly because of losing my identity as a scientist. It's also a bit scary thinking how people will view me going from working for a virtuous sector to going to work for a big bad corporation.

The positive is that I've genuinely never met anyone who regretted leaving academia. I'll be leaving plenty of regretful people behind at the university though.

This is so tough, OP. As far as I can see you have 5 options:

1. stay in current academic job (does not sound like viable option)
2. stay at current academic job but apply for external research funding
3. look for better academic job (don’t know how viable that is in terms of specialism, your research profile and your geographic flexibility)
4. take industry job (might not be the right choice as it sounds like you want to research)
5. look for a research focused industry job.

Good luck!

That's rubbish decent grade 4 or 5 admin is so valuable for academic staff yet the powers that be constantly think getting rid is a quick money saving exercise that actually costs more in the long run especially when internal systems and how to do things are a bloody mystery and difficult to find out.

It’s odd but Having previously working both the private and public sector, I have never regarded working at a university as public sector. It doesn’t have the same benefits.

On the flexibility issue, there is legislation afoot that may mean improved flexibility in all sectors.

Bit of a long shot - is there any option to take the private sector job and still publish your research as an independent researcher? Do you need a fully-equipped lab to do it? Is there any option to change it to a more theoretical piece and publish that?

I don't know your discipline so it might be wildly off-base to suggest the above, but I'm just wondering if there is any way to keep up research engagement outside university employment.