Breadcrumbs
- Home
- Research staff
- Research staff blog
- The fixed-term lectureship?
The fixed-term lectureship?
01 March 2010
By Matthew Salois
Since October 2009, I have been sending out job applications all over the world, fourteen in total. Of all the jobs I applied to, I was invited to interview for only three of them, and one of them was as an internal candidate at my home university. None resulted in a job offer.
However, I finally got a break this past month. My department head, and principal investigator, called me into his office a couple of weeks back to tell me about an offer he was extending to me. Despite the fact that I did NOT get the lectureship I applied to internally (see my post, "A bird in the hand..."), he wanted to tell me that I made a very positive impression on the interview panel. Furthermore, he did not want to see me leave the department for elsewhere.
So, he was willing to offer a temporary lectureship in the department on a two-year fixed term contract, renewable contingent upon funding! Imagine my excitement after nearly six months of endless job hunting, cover letter writing, and the occasional interview! Needless to say, I accepted the job, and I officially start in October this year.
Whilst I am excited about so many things regarding my new post (getting my own office for the first time in my life, teaching undergraduate and graduate classes, and being able to call myself a 'lecturer') this great opportunity presents an interesting situation -- the fixed term lectureship. The fixed term lectureship brings many of the rewards and honours that a normal lectureship does, such as the ability to drive one's own research program. However, it also reflects one of the biggest drawbacks to the post-doctoral life, namely the fixed-term and temporary nature of the post (See Elizabeth's most recent blog "When I grow up I want to be").
The job reminds me of the 'visiting assistant professor' positions I came across in my search for U.S. academic jobs. This type of position seems to represent a growing trend in the academic job market. One theme in the Vitae blog centres on the great difficulty in jumping from post-doc to lecturer (assuming that is the desired direction). Maybe another stepping stone in this career jump is the temporary lectureship or assistant professorship, which seem to be increasing in number.
Time will tell if my new fixed-term lectureship rewards me with a permanent staff position, and I remain both hopeful and optimistic for a rewarding career path.
Has anyone experienced a similar job situation or known anyone who has gone into a temporary lectureship and then moved into a permanent postion?
Hannah Dee01 March 2010 at 10:51 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Matthew - Firstly, congratulations on the job! As regards transfer from fixed-term lectureship to "proper job", I expect it is a step in the right direction. Do you have a teaching certificate? If not, you should be able to get one as a new lecturer, and this will put you in good stead when (if) you have to move on. Another key question is whether you have 2 years in the same institution already. It is much harder to get rid of someone with 4 years of continuous service; this is often why places do not like to renew fixed-term contract after fixed-term contract. If you're in the UCU (and if not, why not!) they can advise you on this and other questions. When I was in Leeds there was a UCU campaign to move all people who'd got more than 4 year's continual service over onto "permanent" contracts, and it was fairly successful.
Matthew Salois02 March 2010 at 08:52 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Thanks Hannah! I am REALLY excited! Funny you mention teaching certificate, because I was just talking with my HOD about that -- I do not have one but will likely need to be working towards that end. I almost have two years of service at Reading (come this October I will). What is the UCU? Is this a university union? Thanks for the suggestion!
Hannah Dee02 March 2010 at 09:23 AM
permalinkreport this comment
The UCU is the Universities and Colleges Union - it's the trades union for researchers, teaching fellows, lecturers, and "other-related" staff in UK universities and colleges. They do a LOT of work for people on fixed-term contracts. You can find out more here from the main UCU site: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2384 And you can get in touch with your local Branch (you are in Reading, right?) via their website here: http://www.extra.rdg.ac.uk/aut/
Tennie Videler02 March 2010 at 02:10 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Hi Matthew- congratulations on getting the job! Thanks for keeping us updated on your search on this blog. I love the message from this post (which is echoed by Rachel’s comment on your Feeling inside out post) that opportunities do arise from presenting yourself well, even if it you don’t get the job you were interviewed for. And maybe you’ve got time to get on with some research now, after all those applications!
Matthew Salois02 March 2010 at 04:01 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Hannah, thanks for the link. Honestly, I've heard about the UCU in passing, but have never taken the time to seriously look into it. Back in the US, I know that there was a similar organization for the University of Florida. But the benefits the union fought hard for were received by all members of the university (not just members of the union). So there was an incentive to not be a member and pay dues since regardless you were sure to benefit. Another interesting difference is that it seems the UCU is nationwide, whereas my understanding of university unions in the US is that they were college/university specific. Thanks, Tennie! You are right about the unforseen opportunities that can pop-up when you least expect them to. I never thought that a failed interview could result in a totally different job offer, but I am sure glad it did! And yes, now that I don't have to search for (and apply for) jobs any more, I suddenly have more time to do my actual job!
Blanka Sengerová02 March 2010 at 04:46 PM
permalinkreport this comment
>>It is much harder to get rid of someone with 4 years of continuous service I doubt the 4 years are what the condition is, it is more likely to be the type of contract/who the funding is from, etc. etc. I am on a contract that will end at 4 years and 10 days because that's how my funding (from a charity) comes, in 5 year chunks (I took on the project started by somebody else - if they hadn't left that person could have had a 5 year contract). However, crucially there is a clause in my contract that at the end of this period the University has no responsibility to employ me further. I suspect that most fixed-term contracts are like this, otherwise the funding bodies and universities would be opening up the fixed-term contract to abuse by those who think they just need to stick around for 4 years and then be guaranteed a permanent job. >>If you're in the UCU (and if not, why not!) Why should I be a member of the UCU? I can't see any benefit to paying the dues. (Correct me if you feel there are benefits). I also dislike what unions stand for, eg. in the case of the BA crew striking where the crew were just asking for very unreasonable things (they get paid much more than other airlines' crew, and in fact better than the average postdoc!!). My reasoning is that if I want to work in academia, I'll have to accept the fixed-term contracts, because the research councils simply cannot guarantee that funding will always be available/renewed. If I want more job security, I'll go for a job in industry, where I might not be challenged as much intellectually, but have an open-ended contract. But I can make my own decisions and stand up for myself rather than having the UCU sort out my working life.
Hannah Dee02 March 2010 at 09:17 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Blanka - I know people in exactly your situation who got "permanent" contracts out of their university for exactly the reason I stated. Employment law in the UK changes at 4 years of continuous service. The union will fight for its members to get what they are due according to the law. Maybe that's enough to persuade you to consider being in the union? If not, you'll have to wait for my next blog post, which will probably be entitled something like "Why unions are a good thing for insecure workers".
Sarah Davies02 March 2010 at 09:35 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Blanka, you have a touching faith in the responsibility of employers in a capitalist society. Unions are not about 'sorting out' people's working lives for them, but resisting exploitation and ensuring safe and fair working practices within a system that fundamentally does not prioritise these things. If you were involved in a union, for example, you might be better informed about your rights to maternity leave (and maybe even be involved in agitating for a fairer system around this). *You* may feel sufficiently empowered to deal with the insecurities of your position, but this empowerment is an option that many people in the UK and globally simply don't have. As Hannah has pointed out, the four year thing is part of European employment law. The UCU has some information here: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3532.
Sarah Davies02 March 2010 at 09:36 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Byw, looking forward to your post, Hannah!
Matthew Salois03 March 2010 at 08:55 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Blanka, I share your views on unions (in general). At least from an economic standpoint, if I am going to receive all the benefits that a union lobbies for without being a member and paying dues, then why not just free-ride? Of course, I am assuming that membership into the UCU requires some sort of fee, which may or may not be the case (but is usually so in the US). Hannah, maybe your next blog might convince me otherwise! At least, I certainly would appreciate someone's honest perspective of the UCU. So, in regards to the four-year issue: does this only apply if you are a member of the union? I should read the link Sarah provided. Sarah, I see your point regarding some of the beneficial aspects of union membership, such as being better informed and empowered. But my initial thought is that people who generally join unions are the ones who would seek out information and opportunities on their own (and so really don't need a union in the first place). Also, perhaps this is a pragmatic view but I hesitate to agree that unions work at "resisting exploitation and ensuring safe and fair working practices." I tend to feel (at least with my knowledge of teachers and nurses unions in the US) is that the union serves to exploit the resources of the employer rather than actually protecting the employee.
Chris Thomson03 March 2010 at 09:41 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Hi Matthew, The representation of the UCU from my experience seems to vary between institutions so it is worth seeing what it is up to, locally in Hull they appear to offer a good service to early career researchers. However I'm not a member... Why, well mainly because of ideology (is that the right word?), a few years ago there was a union strike for better pay, which did indeed result in a good pay offer for all, but what really urked me was the way the Union did it, after a few odd days of real strikes members held off on assessment duties, this seemed rather silly to me, why not fully strike, rather than half strike (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2004/feb/25/highereducation.students). It worked of course, but kind off put me off joining up.
Hannah Dee03 March 2010 at 09:45 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Chris - the motivation behind the holding back of assessment was that it was a form of "action short of a strike" that would cause chaos in terms of university management, but would not affect the students unduly - they'd still get all their lectures and formative feedback, and so still do the learning, they just might have had to wait a little longer for their grades. In my opinon it was a cleverly chosen action which showed that the UCU holds the interests of the students close to its heart - if they can hold an action which puts pressure on management without harming students' education, then they will. And as you say, it worked.
Blanka Sengerová03 March 2010 at 04:29 PM
permalinkreport this comment
>> I know people in exactly your situation who got "permanent" contracts out of their university for exactly the reason I stated. But would you really want to continue working with someone/somewhere where you had agreed on a four year contract and you used a bullying union to get them to extend your contract? I would say no for 2 reasons: 1) If you want to get on in the academic world, you will want to move for the experience (at least at the postdoc stage) so I suspect that even if I was offered an extension of my 4 year contract I might not take it. (It might be different with a lectureship, but you are likely to have a permanent position then, even though Matthew's experience shows otherwise). 2) If the only reason why they had to make your position permanent was because the union was threatening them etc., then the relationship between you and your boss could have gone very sour, which doesn't make for a positive working environment. Also, if you PI's research funding isn't renewed, what do you propose to be working on - just get the university to place you somewhere with someone? In addition, I agree with what Chris and Matthew said above, the ideology of the unions simply doesn't agree with my beliefs. I do not think going on strike is the way to get things, it is very much like the child petulantly saying "I'm not going for a walk until you give me a sweet" or similar. When I was in my first year of my PhD, there was the lecturer's strike organised by the UCU and I had a couple of friends who had their vivas scheduled for March and had to wait until the summer to actually have them when the union permitted their examiners to hold the viva. Similarly, the undergraduates did not have their poster presentations marked, and were worried they could not graduate because their exams might not have been marked. Surely this is not a very reasonable way of getting somewhere productively, is it?
Roger Boyle03 March 2010 at 09:55 PM
permalinkreport this comment
:-) In over 30 years experience in academe, and knowledge of many universities, I have rarely encountered a bullying trade union. Bullying management, OTOH, is regrettably common. The need for trade unionism is unfortunately alive and well, especially in HE.
Matthew Salois08 March 2010 at 10:39 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Hi Chirs. Maybe I am like you and take odds with union idealogy. Just the term union invokes negative images in my mind of some infamous U.S. unions (like the Automobile Workers Union, Teamsters, and the crazy Hoffa story). I know little about the UCU, though thanks to the comments here and Hannah's blog. Blanka and Roger, both your comments about bullying are interesting, especially given Andy's comment on Hannah's union blog: the UCU deals a lot with PIs bullying research staff. So who is the real bully here: the union or the PIs?
Hannah Dee08 March 2010 at 10:57 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Matthew: The union provides representation in disputes between staff. In some cases there will be a junior member of staff claiming bullying and a senior member of staff claiming innocence, both of whom are union members, and both of whom have union representation. Who's the bully? Well it could be either member of staff, but it's not the UCU.
Ghislaine Dell11 March 2010 at 10:53 AM
permalinkreport this comment
Matthew - at the end of your article you asked whether people knew of anyone who had had temporary lectureships and moved on to something permanent. Well - yes, I do - probably about 5, spread over 2 universities. It took them time - sometimes there was more than one renewal of a fixed term contract, although that probably can't happen now, and sometimes they moved from being temporary in one place to permanent in another, but it can and does work. The 'contingent upon funding' bit was instrumental, though..... congratulations and good luck with those lectures and grant applications!
Matthew Salois17 March 2010 at 07:53 PM
permalinkreport this comment
Hi Ghislaine, thanks for the follow-up. I am glad to hear that the fixed-term lectureship can and does work on occasion. But you remind me, I have some grant applications to begin drafting!