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University Lecturer
Looking ahead
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Looking ahead

There are around 95,000 lecturers situated all over the UK. Employment prospects are generally good, as the Government plans to encourage more young people to progress to higher education. However, entry to full-time appointments can be extremely competitive, with many new entrants working part-time or on short-term contracts as a researcher before moving into a lecturer role. There are shortages of lecturers in some subjects, including IT, science, business, management, accountancy, law, economics, nursing and midwifery, engineering and education.

Alternative suggestions

Other possibilities might include career/personal adviser, further education lecturer, teacher or youth worker.

Take-home pay

Starting salaries (for full-time and longer term contracts) range from around £19,000 to £26,000, but it is worth noting that many new lecturers are on short-term contracts and may be paid at hourly rates. The average salary for lecturers in their late 30s is around £32,000.

Effects

Individual universities set conditions for their lecturers, so these may vary from institution to institution. In universities created after 1992, for example, it is recommended that lecturers on the national contract spend no more than 18 hours a week, or 550 hours a year, on formal scheduled teaching. The rest of their working time is spent preparing lectures and teaching materials, marking, administration and self-directed research or other academic activity.

Sabbaticals (usually up to one academic year) may be offered to lecturers to allow them to pursue their research interests in greater depth. This would normally only apply to lecturers with a minimum of three years' service in their university.

Sources of information

University and College Union: www.aut.org.uk
Higher Education Academy: www.heacademy.ac.uk
Leadership Foundation for Higher Education: www.lfhe.ac.uk/
Universities UK: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk