Hi

Supposing I did a doctorate (I'm writing a research proposal currently). After I'd finished it, given that there aren't many permanent lectureships around, how easy / difficult is to get hourly paid teaching in universities or contract work instead?

My situation is that currently I'm a teacher / course leader in a sixth form college. I'm thinking about dropping some hours to do a either a PhD (English Lit) or an EdD. And I'm just wondering, when it gets to the end of it, could I have a sort of 'portfolio career' where my main, regular income is from my current role. But then topped up with uni work on a more flexible basis.

Would this sound do-able? I think it might be more realistic than going for a permanent lectureship. The thing for me is, I'm kind of tied geographically in that I've got a mortgage and stuff, but there are a good number of universities I could realistically commute to on a short term basis. As an experienced teacher, especially one with skills and qualifications in online learning, I think I could be an asset.

And I sort of like the idea of being flexible. As long as I have a regular income from my current job, that would pay the bills. And I do actually really enjoy teaching A-levels. But then I also have a thirst for knowledge regarding my subject(s) and want to be a researcher in my own right. Plus I do a bit of other stuff too, outdoor pursuits teaching which is seasonal in the summer and I'm not sure that would fit with being a full-time academic; that's something I want to expand, hence I'm also working towards qualifying as a windsurfing instructor at the moment, too. I just want to do everything - teach, lecture, research, do sports....

But what do people reckon? Is hourly / contract work in universities easy to come by? And how do you get it?

Thanks

FallenOnion.

The first thing to say is that hourly paid teaching is exploitative. The headline per/hour fee looks ok until you realise it doesn't cover much beyond the actual hour in the classroom. The terms and conditions are usually shit and other than a library card and computer login few fringe benefits. People doing this long term who need the money can understandably end up feeling very bitter, so I'd only see it as a future if you can walk away easily, if it gets too much.

How easy is it to come by? Depends on the sort of universities near you. If they are research-led with large PhD programmes, then a lot of the hourly paid work will go to their own PhD students, so you'd need to have a specialist area that not many others can / want to teach to be assured of regular employment. There are though universities that use a large pool of casual labour and have relatively few permanent staff. These are normally identifiable by a refusal to list their staff on the website - here chances are reasonable but they also tend to be places with money issues so sudden closures of programmes can be an issue.

An EdD I think would limit you to education departments - are there enough healthy ones near you? On your other questions yes a fulltime contract would mean working through the summer so not ideal for your plans, and yes the competition for Eng LIt is ridiculous. Not sure about the Education market for lectureships - I have a feeling that might be different because of the QTS training element.

Thanks bewildered, you clearly have a lot of knowledge about this. I've a mix of unis that I could get to, a couple of Russell Group ones a couple of newer unis. They all have fairly busy education departments. I sort of feel that could be the better option. As it is I mentor PGCE students, and I'm involved with staff training at work so perhaps moving that way anyhow. But personally, lit is more appealing. It's a real heart vs head. Thanks for the advice.

The Open University employs associate lecturers for each module they offer. It's part-time and exactly which hours you work in any week are up to you. The pay is not outstanding, but it's a step up from teaching A-levels. The vacancies here change regularly: http://www.open.ac.uk/jobs/tutors/vacancies

Where are these hourly based lecturship job adverts usually advertised? Are they internal or through agencies?

Other than the Open University, they don't usually get advertised. Speculative letters to heads of departments enclosing a cv would be the best approach. Look at their big first year modules and say what you could teach on given your existing teaching experience. If you want an academic career though this is probably not the best way to earn a living while you get the publications out, as it really can add up to a lot of unpaid overtime, and getting enough hours to pay the rent is hard.

Thanks pf329, I would certainly do OU work, as that would be the most flexible.