Becoming a lecturer

[blackcat99]

Hello,

I am currently working for a communications agency and am thinking I would like to retrain to teach undergraduates at university. There are lots of media studies courses that would fit really well with my experience. My question is: if you are usually going to train to become a university lecturer then you need to have an MA or Phd in that field (modern languages/psychology/history or whatever) but as this is a non-academic field I am confused as to whether I even need to take a PGCE...and whether my work experience is sufficient to 'qualify' me.

Would anyone have any experience in this area who could advise me? I am going to call the Comms Dept at a local Uni and but I thought I'd ask you guys too as it's often hard to get through to the right person.

Thanks

I think it depends - in my area, you def. need a PhD. But a friend who has lots of work experience as an accountant recently picked up lots of p/t work as a lecturer with no teaching experience or qualifications. Some of her work is hourly paid, so not the most lucrative, but the universities she works for were very keen to sign her up to a full time contract. This would also have given her the option to study for a PhD.

Don't know anything about media studies though, I'm afraid.

I did some lecturing on a youth work degree course a few years back. the only qualification that was needed was one in youth work! I guess that it's not a very 'accademic' area though.

It does depend. It depends on how much 'clout' your previous experience and workplace has to begin with: if you work for a big agency and have lots of high profile work to talk about, people will be interested.

It also depends which kind of university you wish to work at. Many post-1992 (ex-polys) universities will run media courses with practical experience part of the degree. They - depending on their own 'clout' - will usually but not always ask for post-graduate qualifications (Masters) for sessional teaching or consultancy. High-status 'old' universities will almost certainly demand a Masters' as a minimum for sessional teaching, and a PhD for a full-time post.

If you want a full-time academic job you need to know that things are immensely competitive in the best of times, and right now, even more so as cuts begin to hit. It has to be something you really want to do.

I'd suggest ringing round a few departments local to you to ask about sessional teaching in the first instance. Ask to speak to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, or Programme Director or equivalent...

You don't tend (in most fields anyway) to train to lecture.

You just lecture. Your knowledge and experience is considered enough to get you through.

So afaik, there is no qualification (like a PGCE) that you can take. You either apply for a lectureship job based on your existing CV or you go back and do a research MA/PhD in your field and carry on from there.

Which of those is appropriate for you would depend on your experience and seniority, but I imagine some experience of studying media would be an advantage, if that's not what your primary degree was in.

I would echo Wilf's post about academia not being for the faint-hearted. It is pretty cut-throat and there are very few permanent positions out there at the best of times, and now is not the best of time! On the plus side, it's sometimes possible to do a little lecturing on the side of your full-time job so in that scenario you could test the waters before taking the leap.

There is an accredited qualification which in my time used to be run by SEDA. I have no idea who does it now. It's a Teaching and Learning in HE thing. But usually, you do it on the job so to speak. If you can wangle some part-time sessional teaching you could ask the university in question if you can register for this.

Don't want to dampen your enthusiasm but Uni staff are being made redundant big time over 30% of experience lecturers are predicgted to be made redundant in the next few academic years.
Huge cuts in university and further education budgets. There wont be a hope in hell of getting a job in the next few years.

Thanks everyone for their advice - really useful.

dinamum can you give me a link for that figure please? I didnt realise things were that bad? The overall budget cut was actually less than we expected and accounts for approximately 4% of the overall budget we get from the government. They have said that only about 1% of the teaching budget should be affected. I thought savings of 35 million had to be made which across universities is certainly not 30% of lecturers - and certainly not 30% of experienced ones! They are encouraging voluntary redundancies and early retirement but not forcing that many people out. Unless you know something else and my colleagues are I don't!

blackcat - there will be a 'hope in hell' in getting a job. Our university is still recruiting lecturers and tutors - albeit less than usual but departments who are performing well are still growing. We are not a top uni.

Sorry was missing a 1 off there - should read 135!

When I did my PGCE (in Further and Adult Education) there were lots of university lecturers on the course with me. The university I work in now insists on all it's Graduate Teaching Assistants do a PGCE as part of their contract.

I work in a University and not many of the lecturers have PhDs. However if you want to proceed to Senior Lecturer, Principal Lecturer etc then you really should work towards one.

It's very hard work and very competetive. It will be hard to get your foot in the door without any teaching experience or a research history.

you often do find it seems to be luck etc, my DW gave up a FT job at a nursery to do 13 weeks cover as a Lecturer, that was 6 years ago...

It also depends on the type of university you are looking at. Somewhere which is very research active is unlikely to have many lecturers without PhD's. They may however have tutors and teaching assistants. Most would expect you to sign up for a PhD though.

Others which are more teaching based - the old polytechnics really - are more likely to look at and value your teaching ability.

If you have a professional qualification such as nursing, teaching, social work, accountancy and you are wanting to lecture in that area you have more chance of getting a position than if you just have experience or a normal degree in the area.

My dh is an SL in this field. He went the academic route and is primarily research motivated, but works alongside practitioners who contribute to other modules on the under/post grad courses.

Many of his colleagues have been encouraged to do MAs once employed at the uni (to such a point that he was teaching his office mate!), and he has to do a PGCE at some point to formalise his teaching experience. When he was doing his MA he was a Visiting Lecturer - these are part time, paid by the hour lecturers who take a large % of the seminar teaching etc, then progressed to full Lectureships when he got his PhD.

If your media experience is good then the old poly's are the leaders in this field because of their mix of practical and theoretical and I would suggest you approach them first, as they will value your field experience despite lack of teaching etc.

He has worked with ex- national paper editors/BBC bods/independents etc after a career change.

Check the league tables for media and speak to the top departments , but yes, it is really competitive...but he feels it is worth it!

Good luck!

Sorry - just spotted the "non-academic field" in the OP - all departments have research due to the RAE funding and are restructuring their departments ALOT to attract research people and funding...its changing rapidly. Speak to MeCCSA for info.