Career progression and promotion or…

Vicky WrightSenior Academic Coordinator

Director of Centre for Language Study, University of Southampton

email: vmw@soton.ac.uk

… knowing the rules of the game!

“I plan to submit two complementary papers!”

Overview

• Some statistics• Looking at priorities

– Institutional priorities– School or departmental priorities– Personal priorities

• Looking for promotion – what are the criteria?– The 2004 framework agreement– Fitting in – Southampton job families, an example

• What are the opportunities? What are the issues?

Some statistics – changes ahead?

• In 2005-06 – 21.5 per cent of UK academics were aged 55+; – 37 per cent were 50 + (THE 2007)

• In 2006-07 there were 169,995 academicsin UK higher education (an increase of 3.1% over 2005-06)– there were 27,340 male lecturers and 19,925 male researchers – there were 23,590 female lecturers and 16,815 female researchers

(an increase of 23% over 2002-02)– women occupied 12,375 of the 33,650 senior lecturer jobs in Britain– women occupied 2,885 out of 16,485 professorships (up 16.7%

over 2005/06)– 41.8% of female academics worked part-time in 2006/07 – 26.8% of male academics worked part-time

THE March 2008 & HESA Press release 118 http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1120/161/

Comments on equality…

"Yes - there is equality at the lower levels of researcher or junior lecturer. But that doesn't translate into equality at the higher levels. Promotion still depends on research output rather than teaching ability - and that tends to favour men”.

"This (macho forms of management) tends to deter women from seeking places in management. What you end up with is seven deans - all men - competing financially for different sections of the university. It can get fraught and aggressive."

Times Higher Education 27 March 2008

Looking at priorities – the institution

The mission statement:The University of London, as one of the leading universities in Europe, through its Colleges and central Institutes provides an unrivalled range of higher education opportunities of outstanding breadth and quality and engages in world-class research…

http://www.lon.ac.uk/5.html

We are a dynamic, enterprising, and creative university committed to providing an excellent education enriched by our focus on applied research.

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/missionstatement

Looking at priorities – the institution

The mission statement:By 2010, we will be the leading University for the Creative Arts, serving the needs of the Creative Industries in the South East. We will play a leading role in championing the development of Higher and Further Education in the Arts at national and international levels, enhancing the status of our subjects.

http://www.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=10089

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/mission.html

Looking at priorities – the Department or School

The University of Liverpool is an internationally recognized centre for Latin American Studies, with research in this field characterized by a strong commitment to critical scholarly research, from a variety of disciplinary approaches, on all facets of Latin America.

http://www.liv.ac.uk/rilas/mission.htm

The Centre for Romantic Studies (CRS) … is, however, not simply a literary enterprise. We aim to broaden fundamentally the scope of Romantic Studies so that it includes all aspects of history, culture, and society c. 1700-1850.

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/romanticstudies/missionstatement.html

Looking at priorities – the Department or School

Languages at Leeds Met is a specialist centre for teaching and research in modern languages, English as a foreign language, lesser-taught languages and language teacher development.

http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/international/lang/index_892E630B9851459BA3075C1F56732740.htm

The University of Essex has been at the forefront of research and teaching on Latin America for over thirty years. …Our degrees are taught by scholars who combine specialist knowledge of Latin American with disciplinary expertise in art history, history, language and linguistics, literature, politics, anthropology and sociology.

http://www.essex.ac.uk/centres/lastud/

Looking at (competing) priorities – the individual

• Career– Teaching– Research– Administration– Project management– Seeking funding

• Personal– Family– Leisure

Looking for promotion – what are the criteria?

In 2004, new framework agreement led to:• Single pay scale for all employees• Role analysis and job evaluation - HERA and Hay job profiles• National library of academic role profiles agreed

– e.g. teaching & research role at level 2 includes: teaching & learning support, research and scholarship, communication, liaison & networking, managing people, teamwork, pastoral care, initiative, problem solving & decision-making, planning & managing resources, sensory, physical & emotional demands, work environment, expertise

http://www.ucea.ac.uk/ucea/filemanager/root/site_assets/jnches/JNCHES_Academic_Role_Profiles_and_Guidance.pdf

• For the first time we are beginning to see the criteria for career progression built into a coherent framework

Fitting in – Southampton job families, an example

“As a member of staff, this Guide will help you place your own post in the context of the wider University. It aims to clarify what is expected at each Level in the grading structure, as well as make transparent the main career paths available to you. It is entirely feasible that your career could move between different Career Pathways, or even straddle more than one Pathway. The four Career Pathways themselves are merely convenient categories that allow the main elements of the majority of roles to be defined. The Career Pathway you are placed in will be based solely on the elements that most directly relate to your own position in the University. You may find that you fit a number of profiles in 2 or more families, and this would be quite common”.

Career Pathways: Your Personal Guide, University of Southampton

Education Research and Enterprise familylevel 4 (LECTURER A; SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT; RESEARCH FELLOW;TEACHING FELLOW)

RESEARCHa. Develop and carry out a plan to open up an area of personal research

and expertise, and/or undertake research under supervision in accordance with a specified project and as a research team member.

b. Provide guidance to other staff and students on own specialist area.c. Plan and develop independent, original contributions to an allocated

subject area or project, using methodologies, critical evaluations, interpretations, analyses and other techniques appropriate to this type of research, e.g.

i. investigations leading to the discovery of new knowledgeii. analysing and illuminating data, interpreting reports, evaluating and

criticising texts and bringing new insightsiii. application of knowledge out of which new intellectual

understanding emerges.d. May contribute to writing bids for research grants.

Education Research and Enterprise familylevel 5

RESEARCH (BUILDING ON LEVEL 4 ACTIVITIES)a. Sustain a personal research plan, possibly as part of a team.

b. Establish a national reputation for research.

c. Plan and develop innovative research proposals and projects as self-contained items or as part of a broader programme.

d. Manage the application of a range of methodologies, approaches and techniques appropriate to the type of research personally being pursued.

e. Provide expert advice to other staff and students

Education Research and Enterprise familylevel 4

EDUCATIONa. Teach courses and advise students as a member of a teaching

team within an established programme of study, e.g. through allocated lectures, tutorials and seminars for groups of undergraduates or postgraduates.

b. Continually update knowledge and understanding in field of specialism, translating knowledge of advances in the subject area into the teaching programme.

c. Reflect on teaching design and delivery, obtaining and analysing feedback.

d. Identify learning needs of students and define learning objectives.

Education Research and Enterprise familylevel 4

EDUCATIONe. Challenge thinking, foster debate and develop the ability of

students to engage in critical discourse and rational thinking.f. Develop own teaching materials, methods and approaches to

teaching, with guidance.g. Direct supervision of students, providing advice on study skills

and help with learning problems.h. Supervise practical work where it is part of the course, and

advise students on techniques.i. Set and mark coursework and exams, and provide constructive

feedback to students.

Education Research and Enterprise familylevel 5

EDUCATION (BUILDING ON LEVEL 4 ACTIVITIES)a. Manage a range of contributions to the learning and teaching

strategy of the school, including providing teaching of the highest quality across a range of modules and to all levels; monitoring and evaluating course design to ensure excellence and coherence; promoting the use of appropriate media to support student learning.

b. Identify areas where current provision is in need of revision or improvement, planning and developing innovative learning, teaching and assessment methods and techniques in the school as appropriate.

c. Establish a national reputation for the enhancement of teaching and learning excellence within own subject area.

Representative non-academic work activities

• Education Development• Consultancy/Enterprise• MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION (level 4)

– a. Contribute to the effective management and administration of the school or work unit by performing duties allocated by the Head e.g. library representative, year tutor, exchange programme coordinator etc.

– b. Committee membership at school level or in project teams.

Representative non-academic work activities

• MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION (level 5)– a. Take on co-ordinating roles, such as running the

process of admissions, examinations, the RAE or teaching quality assessment, or in the case of consulting or specialist services, project timetabling or broader service development.

– b. Monitor and ensure effective management of assets and budgets allocated as part of the role.

– c. May involve managerial responsibility for staff.– d. May participate in University-wide projects or working

groups, or be a member of a school board or committee.– e. Consultant roles would involve leading and managing

specific project-related activities.

What are the opportunities? What are the issues?

Advice• Plan ahead • Look carefully at the promotion criteria• Talk to colleagues and line managers• Use appraisal sessions to ask questions and take advice• Use LLAS

But how far should you go? – see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsvWVbBowXo

Further information on the status of hourly paid and fractional staff:

http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1914