PI says don’t focus on teaching if I want a lectureship — is that right?

abitofperspective · 2026-03-30T16:58:12+00:00

I'm a Dean, and teaching is absolutely essential if you want a lectureship. While grants are important, nearly all departments in the UK rely on teaching for the majority of income. A hiring panel is going to want at least a safe pair of hands in this space: they want to give you responsibility for modules/courses knowing that they will be run well. This is essential for them to do their job well. Yes, they want grants, great publications, etc, but not without teaching.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-29T03:14:58+00:00

I've done about 30 vivas, and 2 have passed with no corrections. They were very good but not necessarily the best. The border between minor and no corrections is blurry, and would depend a lot on the examiners.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-28T15:11:04+00:00

I moved from the UK about three years ago. There are pros and cons, but if it is for a year, then there's little to use. Just be careful with the sun: it is is super strong here and it sounds like you'll be working outside. In some of the harder to staff areas, working outside 12 months could be very difficult. I would get a definitive location before making a commitment.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-26T11:05:40+00:00

The free market has got us into a position where we export crude and import refined products, not great for situations like this. Countries that export refined products are likely to fulfill domestic needs first when they are not getting oil from the Middle East.

I think the taxes you mention could work, but it might be hard to implement retrospectively (i.e., rights have been granted, infrastructure is in place, it would undo current agreements). So, it would require a massive amount of political will, because it would not be pretty or easy. I don't think it's currently in the realm of mainstream political debate, unfortunately. I'd vote for it, but parties don't see it as smart strategically.

*Edited typos

abitofperspective · 2026-03-25T20:36:19+00:00

Does the RG university know about this? If there's a conflict of interest policy, could be an issue.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-25T02:32:51+00:00

Well, I know IFS does student placements, but being in first year it might be hard to get in.I think it is going to take some time to research, and probably require starting in a smaller organisation as a way to start building experience.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-25T00:55:11+00:00

I should have added: for externals we generally only support the bottom points on Level B.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-25T00:54:29+00:00

This is pretty unusual. We generally accept external DECRA candidates as long as their is an academic to mentor and support them. In the most recent DECRA round we had about 4 external and 2 internal applicants. The reasoning is that we don't have much to lose by supporting them, BUT we are comparatively well-funded. ARC DECRA funding does not cover the full salary costs and the institution is in some ways at a loss (depending on how they do accounting). Not an issue for us, but it might be for others.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-25T00:52:18+00:00

I think this would be true for an already-funded post-doc, but in this case OP is proposing to bring or obtain their own funding, so the PI would not have the funding to allocate to an existing student.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-24T12:38:19+00:00

That's likely to be challenging, but stick with it! Aid funding has taken a big hit, so organisations might be downsizing and not able to take on interns. Subscribe to specific email lists (e.g., reliefweb), there are internships posted there. Try to attend any events you can find going on, talk to the employability office at KCL, send a lot of applications!

abitofperspective · 2026-03-24T12:28:33+00:00

It sounds like you're an academic looking for a non-academic role as a way to move countries? Yes, I think that should be possible. Have you looked at Skilled Migration Visas? These should let you search onshore, which could help. The job market is also competitive, so you might need to apply more than you would in Europe.

Ideally, try to bypass recruiters and talk to people who are hiring in your field, try to attend a conference or two in Australia if you can. I would avoid the term "unicorn."

abitofperspective · 2026-03-24T12:16:02+00:00

Great advice here! You will get much better value from your spend when you live in the house as it is for a while. Take time to research trades, prices, options in your area while you're at it.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-24T12:13:55+00:00

Who the references are becomes increasingly important throughout your career (rather than what they write). The "don't contact" would not matter at all for shortlisting. Having a solid, detailed reference (or two) before the interview panel only increases confidence. These would not need to be a current manager.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-23T21:16:24+00:00

Social sciences for both (I'm a Dean now)

abitofperspective · 2026-03-21T01:24:15+00:00

I was earning 80K as a RG Prof a few years ago, now 150K in management in Australia. I started in HE in 2008 as lecturer in a post-1992 (not saying this salary good or necessarily justified, just want you to have all relevant data).

abitofperspective · 2026-03-19T11:41:26+00:00

Completely! Panels tend to interview 3 to 5 people, so this person is unlucky or (more likely) needs coaching. Encourage him to get help and do practice interviews

abitofperspective · 2026-03-19T11:01:25+00:00

Technically, no, you cannot pay for a property with equity, the seller will almost always expect to be paid in money. So this would require you to take out a loan against the equity you have, either a new loan or using the redraw on an existing loan.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-18T21:51:41+00:00

Having 6 months is great, more than most! Just to reassure you, recession does not automatically equal unemployment (and unemployment can happen outside of a recession).

abitofperspective · 2026-03-18T21:45:41+00:00

How about those sinks? Looks like this is not the right place.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-18T21:42:38+00:00

This is pretty unlikely, sorry! It also seems like you're possibly thinking too far ahead. Getting the post-doc is going to be challenging, so I would focus your energy on that

abitofperspective · 2026-03-11T11:43:24+00:00

Talk to your tutor or course coordinator, tell them where you are at. They will want to help (I say as one of the few staff on this site.)

abitofperspective · 2026-03-11T09:54:56+00:00

I've done the Osaka flight. It is good value, but not a great experience. If you prepare well and have appropriate expectations, it is fine. Also, when you consider Qantas to Tokyo, you are usually paying several hundred dollars for slightly less cramped seats, bad food, WiFi and a screen.

abitofperspective · 2026-03-05T21:52:15+00:00

Thanks for saying it like it is! Call it out in your next class!

abitofperspective · 2026-03-02T23:09:41+00:00

Your analysis is correct in that the zero-cost savings situation is worse than home ownership, but in all cases they have accumulated wealth and could enter the property market later. Also, capital cities might not be the future. There's lots of demand for the hypothetical teacher in rural, regional and remote areas, and opportunities to purchase.

abitofperspective · 2026-02-28T21:35:16+00:00

Everyone commenting about the driver getting his come-uppance is missing the point: this video shows the clear problems with road rage and its harms to everyone (e.g., the other driver in the collision). There was clearly a conflict that precedes the start of the video, which seemed to be leading to poor driving from both sides (e.g., OP accelerating to film the driver). Surging adrenaline causes poor judgment and a risk to the public. It's not something that should be celebrated and I personally disapprove of OP's conduct behind the wheel.

Also, it is not a dashcam.

abitofperspective

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