Post-doctoral researcher/teaching staff

As a post-doctoral researcher or teacher, you already understand some of the attractions - and challenges - of research, teaching and academic life. Whether you are keen to gain a permanent academic job, or are now starting to doubt whether academia is for you, this website is intended to help you:

• understand the realities of academic careers and how they differ from post-doctoral research and teaching roles
• make a realistic assessment of your potential to make it as an academic
• plan your next step - either looking for academic jobs or looking for an alternative career.

In addition to the information in this section specifically for post-doctoral researchers and teaching staff, don’t miss out on the tabs at the top of the page.

These give you detailed information about academic careers (including how to become an academic), how to find jobs in academia, how to make applications (including academic CVs), and interviews and assessment.

• Do you want to stay in academia?
  Examines what you want out of a career and whether a job as an academic will satisfy you.
• Have you got what it takes?
  A hard-headed look at whether you're likely to make it as an academic.
• Get your academic career on track
  Where should you invest your effort to give yourself the best chance of making it as an academic?
• Seek advice and support
  Formal and informal mentors and support services, and how to develop your support network.
• Find your next position
  Next steps and where to look for support.
• What are the alternatives?
  Develop your back-up plan, or start to explore the alternatives to academia straight away.
  

This section assumes:

• You are employed in a university or research institute in a research or teaching capacity, having gained a doctoral qualification. If you are currently undertaking part-time doctoral research while employed as a member of staff, you may want to look at the section for PhD / Doctoral researchers as an alternative.
• You may be undertaking full- or part-time post-doctoral research or teaching straight from your doctoral degree, or have already completed one or more post-doctoral contracts. Alternatively, you may have gained years of professional experience before coming back into academia.
• You are currently undertaking your post-doctoral research or teaching in the UK, or plan to develop your academic career primarily in the UK. Some of the materials are applicable to global academic careers, but there are significant differences between some countries (for example between the UK and the USA) and these have not been explicitly addressed (yet).

If you already have a permanent academic job as a Lecturer or similar grade within a UK university, this website probably won't fulfil your needs. Its main focus is to support those who have not yet achieved this level. It does not attempt to cover advancement or promotion within academia.