Hi all,

Wondered what your thoughts were on the following blog article:

I'm looking for some casual/sessional/associate lecturer hours to tide me over for a year or two while I build my research profile up following my successfully passed PhD. I'm not sure these hours are always posted on job websites, so it may be that there are gaps to fill that I/we don't know about.

Do you think it looks desperate or needy to contact a department/HoD direct, asking if there's any guest sessions or hours available? I'm caught in two minds. If I do go ahead and do as the blog suggests, I'm thinking maybe a letter would be more professional than one of hundreds of emails they'll get a day/week.

Any thoughts?

The blog is spot-on. Be aware though that you are unlikely to pick up enough teaching to survive financially this way but what they suggest is normal behavior.

I've not seen this happen in my biology department. Anyone randomly lecturing is actually a postdoc, PhD student or has some other type of association with the university. And these lectures are only one to two per year, so it's not going to help financially.

It's best to use your contacts if you have any, however loose, even if they just know your name. You are more likely to be successful that way.

Also ask for tutorials and seminars and any other opportunities, not just lectures.

I would probably email, a think a letter would be a little strange.

Try the post-92s in your area - they have fewer PhD students so casual teaching staff are needed more. We get c. 30 requests per year (RG social sciences) - can't hire them all but they get kept on file for emergencies.

There is no harm in trying.

I wrote to the head of the department of a university close to where I live during my second year about a GTA role, he told me to check back as they were not recruiting from outside the department/university at the time.