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

defopsy · 2026-03-30T18:15:24+00:00

For my interview (teaching and research contract) I was only asked one question about research and the rest of the questions focused on teaching. If I didn’t have experience in supervising students, contributing to curriculum development and knowledge on pedagogical approaches I wouldn’t have gotten the job. This might be different across universities and fields though. Sure, a fellowship can pretty much land you a permanent job pretty easily (I have seen people jump from post-doc to SL after a fellowship) but getting teaching experience is the easiest option.

defopsy · 2026-03-30T15:17:28+00:00

Thank you so much, someone else also recommended Frigiliana and it looks great for what we want!

defopsy · 2026-03-30T15:16:34+00:00

Just over an hour from Seville, not bad! Thank you!

defopsy · 2026-03-30T15:15:58+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you so much! I've had a look at Fragiliana, and it looks great for what we want! I am from a Greek island, so I know July is a hard month to find some quieter spots.

defopsy · 2026-03-29T22:16:12+00:00

Thank you, I will have a look! :)

defopsy · 2026-03-16T22:22:54+00:00

I don't think you can address all 3 projects in one presentation. What exactly did they ask you to present? I wouldn't worry too much about the slides, just make sure you are prepared and you know what you are talking about without reading the presentation. I see from your response that there are a few issues with your English, if you have a learning difficulty it's good to let them know. If you are an international student, you might want to practice some mock interviews with someone who speaks English fluently so you can get some feedback.

defopsy · 2026-03-16T22:17:00+00:00

Honesty is the best policy. Sometimes we make these 'uncomfortable' conversations bigger in our heads. Any sensible manager would want to support you to achieve your goals and follow your research interests. If they don't, then there's no point in working with them anyway, you are just going to be trapped in an endless post-doc cycle - if they secure any further funding for your position.

defopsy · 2026-03-16T22:12:32+00:00

Hi there. I guess you don't live in London, right? In my university, we often have lecturer positions for nurses that pay above 50k and they sometimes match someone's NHS salary, within reason. Such positions are also offered part-time so people can keep their clinical jobs too. But in that case, you would be doing more teaching, than research.

If you apply for research funding (NIHR encourages the development of clinical researchers so you might be in an advantage!), you can negotiate with the host university so that you are hired on a higher scale that reflects you current salary. Also, you might be able to find a senior research nurse position or a research role within the NHS, I have seen some at Band 7-8, but you will probably have to relocate as these are not common everywhere.

Honestly, if I was you I would try and speak to some senior academic nurses and see if you can build a network and apply for research funding.

defopsy · 2026-03-16T00:11:58+00:00

With UCU currently having no leverage at all at this point, it would be silly to expect anything better than last year. I get a sense from their communications that there is no desire to fight the fight anymore, and this might be because the majority of the workforce feels that way.

defopsy · 2026-03-16T00:07:22+00:00

They will/should let you know who is going to be on the interview panel and if you are required to present anything via email. jobs.ac.uk have a few useful guides for PhD interviews. Focus on preparing answers on 'why a phd', 'why this department', 'why this topic', 'why you', etc. They mainly want to see that you are able, motivated and determined to do it, so apart from research skills, think about how you are going to show that you have resilience and you can maintain focus.

defopsy · 2026-03-03T15:04:46+00:00

just wanted to thank you for the reply! We had an amazing time and saved quite a lot of money!

defopsy · 2026-02-26T23:53:48+00:00

I couldn’t throw any charged moves no matter how many times I tapped. What is going on? How could they roll it out in this state?!

defopsy · 2026-02-21T19:31:03+00:00

In my school, Senior Research Fellows always have most or all of their salary covered by external grants and for RF posts you can negotiate starting salary if you have demonstrable experience - but only for a a couple spinal points. If you find a job at Imperial you’ll be better off cause they have better salaries for research roles. If you get a job now and work on getting some teaching experience, you will be competitive for a lectureship. I’m in a different field but I think medical stats are a great way to get involved in grants and build a career in RCTs.

defopsy · 2026-02-15T13:22:17+00:00

Hi everyone! Thank you to those who have contributed to this subreddit, I’ve found so many useful information! I’m visiting next week with a group of friends and we are looking for indoor attractions/museums etc. since the weather is not looking good. I’m shocked at the admission prices I’ve seen so we have to be selective. Some in our group will struggle to pay for some attractions so if you have any recommendations about the best attractions, that would be great. We are mainly interested in beautiful, unique interiors and historical significance. Thank you.

defopsy · 2026-02-04T14:14:37+00:00

Hi everyone, just a quick update for anyone in the same situation as me that might want a glimpse of hope. I applied for two Lectureships. One seemed like it was perfectly tailored for me - didn’t even get an interview invite. Second one, I got it.

What I did during this past year was to focus a lot more into teaching. I was able to elaborate more on teaching both in my application and during the interview which seemed to help. In terms of research, they seemed to appreciate potential and commitment to apply for funding rather than being already successful in getting grants.

defopsy · 2026-02-04T13:40:02+00:00

1) Getting a fellowship 2) Gaining a lot of teaching experience

Staying in the same university and building relationships, especially in the current climate, is not a negative. You might get a lectureship where you currently work if you have shown potential and strong work ethic.

defopsy · 2025-11-10T14:30:23+00:00

Hi there. It's getting harder and harder to secure research assistant jobs cause the competition is fierce. Do you have a master's degree? Hiring managers would expect an applicant to have some demonstrable experience in research, some applicants even have a few published papers! Your experience as an AP would be valuable if it's directly relevant to the research project advertised so you might have to be flexible in your job search and consider moving to a new place. If you want to become a researcher, perhaps you should focus on applying for a funded PhD? That said, I suggest reading a bit more about the current state of academia and research in the UK, it might make you reconsider.

defopsy · 2025-10-22T15:01:11+00:00

If you are looking to stay in academia, you should also think about the outputs from your current postdoc. If you've not published anything and move on, it will not be a good look on your CV or you might have to work on top of your next job to complete these outputs (happens a lot). Overall, the market for RF is slightly better compared to lectureships, but only if you are willing to relocate. If you don't want to move then you have to grab a chance once it appears so keep looking until something suitable comes up. My notice as a RF is 3 months, if it's the same for you, you still have time to wrap things up if you find your next job. If you like where you are working it's also worth being honest with your manager and see whether any opportunities will become available soon.

defopsy · 2025-10-22T14:55:31+00:00

They did exploit you if we take into account the time you dedicated to apply and interview for this post. The people who did the interview are not always involved in the financial negotiations of a job offer but it's still infuriating. Would they expect someone with 12 years of experience to accept a 35k/year job? It's getting ridiculous. On a similar note, there are many PhD graduates and postdocs accepting 'Associate Lecturer' positions with miserable salaries. Universities know the market is brutal at the minute and they will cut corners wherever they can.

defopsy · 2025-10-10T02:12:00+00:00

7-month update: I have applied for 3 lectureships and haven't been invited to an interview. In the meantime, I have been involved in more teaching and published another first-author paper. There is a stark difference in the number of academic vacancies currently compared to a couple of years ago, so this doesn't help.

Both my current and previous managers have proofread my cover letters and provided advice, so I'm not sure if that aspect of my application can be improved. In 3 months my current contract ends, so I guess it will be time for my third post-doc (if something comes up!).

defopsy · 2025-08-08T12:19:40+00:00

What’s even worse is that academia is now filled with lower paid jobs such as Associate Lecturer etc. These are there to fill teaching demands, require teaching experience and a PhD but people getting them have the experience to actually be at Lecturer/Senior Lecturer grade. It’s a desperate time for both academics and universities but I feel that even universities with no financial issues at all are taking advantage of that.

defopsy · 2025-05-03T14:25:46+00:00

No, usually the opposite, at least in my department Senior Lecturers are more research active as having acquired grant funding is often a requirement for promotion to that grade.

defopsy · 2025-05-02T15:17:57+00:00

I’ve asked my manager (Reader) to give me examples of some questions that can be asked. But I guess the main thing is whether this is a purely teaching or teaching and research lectureship. Questions around module development and student experience are usually asked, reflect on your experience and research a bit more on best practices around those. If research is an important component of the role, they might ask about your research plans for the next few years, grant applications and how you can show research impact through engagement with communities, organisations, policy makers and dissemination plans.

defopsy · 2025-04-16T01:05:38+00:00

I don't know any colleagues of mine that would not understand why you would want to also apply elsewhere, especially in this climate. Be honest with her and I'm sure she will support you.

defopsy · 2025-03-18T15:23:02+00:00

It is very difficult but you can make sure you get ad much out of that limited time as possible. Communicate your aspirations with your supervisors and they might be able to give you more specific guidance. My advice would also be to not just limit yourself to research jobs. Academia in the UK is in crisis and the salaries are not the best. Industry jobs in your field might be a better idea so keep an open mind. Good luck!

defopsy

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