What's it like?

[Mindgoneblankagain]

I'm a (very) mature student, due to graduate from my BSc this summer. I intend to go on to do my MSc starting in September and then on to a PhD. I am very interested on working as a lecturer in my subject, combining lecturing with research. I'd like to hear people's experiences of following this route, the good and the bad, and any tips you might have. Thanks in advance. My MSc will be in Health Psychology

I'm a prof in psychology. I did bsc then PhD (no msc needed in my day) then 5 years postdoc then lectureship. So it is a long haul. And according to the Royal Society, only 5% of people who start a PhD end up as a professor there is a lot of luck required to be successful.

If you want to take that on, go for it. I love my job and it always has things that are new and fun that no one has ever done before.

Thanks for replying. Presumably you were lecturing well before you became a full Professor though?

Have a look at the types of academic posts which are available in your field - you can see a representative set of posts available at jobs.ac.uk

Academic employment is precarious and difficult to enter. In the humanities, it's usual to have a PhD, and some teaching experience during that, then a post-doc (either your own funded project or employed on someone else's research grant) or a fixed term Teaching Fellow job (no allowance for research usually) then maybe an entry level lectureship, if there are jobs available, in your speciality field.

You'll need to be nationally mobile as well. Jobs are rarely where you want them to be! I have a former post-doc who is very employable, except that they refuse to consider even applying for jobs outside a fairly limited area. Their resentment at the job situation is palpable, but they're not helping themselves by being implacably fixed in terms of where they'll consider working - not even commuting is considered.

I'm in a related discipline and my PhD was part based in psychology. I was also a very mature student doing my masters (necessary as I was changing field) and PhD. I'm sure you're aware that most PhDs don't get lectureships (most don't get postdocs etc). You have to be clear in your mind that this is something you want to do for its own sake and will not regret it if you don't follow the path planned.

As a mature student one thing I found very restricting is that I couldn't move location at any point due to family commitments. So if you plan to stay where you are - that is something to consider and look carefully at options to stay at your institution. Most people move around.

I'm now (after a few years teaching/writing PT) back at my PhD institution as a teaching associate with a small writing/research component. Teaching associates are becoming more common - to mop up the lecturing - some are 100% teaching some have a w/r component (so like a poor cousin to a junior lectureship). I'm actually pretty happy with this outcome especially as, at my age, I'm not looking very long-term. So this is an option I would recommend if postdocs/lectureships slip away (2-3 years out of a PhD is generally the sell by date for that - certainly for me in my field).

Things didn't go quite to plan but I certainly don't regret going the PhD route - it was just something I really wanted to do. (Feel free to pm.)