Higher education lecturer

Higher education (HE) lecturers teach academic or vocational subjects to undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 and over

As an HE lecturer, you'll bring expert knowledge in your subject area to inspire and educate students. You'll use a mix of teaching methods, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical demonstrations, fieldwork and online learning, to create a dynamic and inclusive learning experience.

Alongside teaching, you may also carry out your own research, contributing to your department's academic output and raising the profile of your institution through publication in books or peer-reviewed journals. Successful research can also help secure funding for future projects.

Lecturers also play a vital role in supporting students through pastoral care. In addition, administrative responsibilities, such as admissions, curriculum development and committee work, form a regular part of the job.

You'll typically work in universities, although some roles exist in further education colleges.

An alternative job title is university lecturer.

Responsibilities

Activities vary depending on whether you're undertaking a teaching and learning or research-focused role, as well as on your level of responsibility. However, as an HE lecturer, you'll typically need to:

• deliver lectures, seminars and tutorials, both in-person and online
• design and develop engaging courses and resources that are relevant and up to date
• adapt teaching methods to meet diverse student needs and evolving learning practices
• foster a positive learning environment that encourages participation and collaboration
• assess coursework and provide constructive feedback
• set, mark and moderate examinations and assessments
• supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, including dissertations and theses
• support students through a pastoral or advisory role
• conduct individual and collaborative research and have findings published in peer-reviewed journals
• source and apply for external research funding, writing bids and proposals
• carry out administrative duties, including student admissions and committee work
• contribute to quality assurance and curriculum development processes
• participate in professional conferences and seminars
• embed careers content in the curriculum in collaboration with careers and employability services
• develop external links and partnerships with industry, academia and public sector organisations
• engage in continuing professional development (CPD) and staff training activities.

For more senior roles, research is more critical.

As your career progresses, you may supervise your own research group, which typically includes research assistants (postdocs), PhD and Masters students.

You may also be responsible for mentoring, managing and supervising other staff in your department. At senior level, this could include taking on the role of head of department. You may also have responsibility for curriculum development and engagement activities.

Salary

• Salaries for higher education (HE) lecturers typically range from £30,000 to £50,000.
• At senior lecturer level, you'll typically earn between £40,000 and £60,000, although this can be higher for some subjects.
• Salaries for senior positions such as reader or professor can be higher. In some cases, salaries can rise to more than £100,000, depending on your level of experience and managerial responsibility.

Salaries vary depending on the university, subject, your experience, level of responsibility and whether your focus is on research or teaching and learning.

There's a nationally agreed single pay spine in place for HE roles in most institutions in the UK. There are separate pay scales for FE lecturing roles in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. See the University and College Union (UCU) for the latest information on salary scales.

In addition to your salary, you will receive a pension. You may also receive additional benefits such as discounted gym membership, cycle to work scheme, staff support counselling and an employee assistant programme.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Not all lecturing roles have set hours. Some contracts focus on outputs and deliverables. When present, standard contracted hours are typically around 35 hours per week. However, you're likely to work longer hours, including evenings and weekends, to accommodate lectures and lecture preparation, tutorials, your own research, marking, outreach work, open days, students' supervision and administrative tasks. Some lectures and seminars take place in the evening or over the weekend.

Part-time contracts are available for lecturers. It's also possible to take a career break, although you'll need to maintain an active research profile to remain competitive. Some lecturers take a sabbatical (usually up to one academic year) to concentrate on their research activities in greater depth.

There may be opportunities for flexible working.

What to expect

• You'll typically divide your time between teaching contact, research and administrative tasks. The balance varies between institution, subject area and contract type. Some roles focus solely on teaching, while others combine teaching and research.
• Depending on your subject area, you may work in lecture theatres, seminar rooms, studios, laboratories, hospital wards or field locations.
• HE lecturer roles exist across UK universities and some further education colleges. You may need to move institutions for career progression or to work in specialist subject areas that are only available at a limited number of institutions.
• Some lecturers get the chance to work outside their own institution, in areas such as consultancy, the media, publishing and public speaking. In some disciplines, such as creative subjects, lecturers often maintain a professional practice alongside lecturing.
• There are opportunities to work abroad, and you may need to travel overseas for conferences, seminars and collaborative work with other institutions.

Qualifications

You'll need a good degree in a subject relevant to the area you want to lecture in. For almost all academic disciplines, you'll also need a PhD or equivalent doctoral-level qualification in a related area.

For more vocational or practice-based courses, you'll usually need several years of professional experience in the field, as well as a degree or relevant professional qualification. In these cases, significant industry expertise may be considered as valuable as a PhD.

It's increasingly common for lecturers to also have, or be working towards, a higher education teaching qualification, such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), or to gain recognition through Advance HE Fellowship based on teaching experience and professional practice.

In the early stages of your career, it may be difficult to gain a permanent lecturing contract. You may have to take on part-time, hourly paid or fixed-term contracts, working at more than one institution and travelling between them.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• expert knowledge of your subject area
• passion for your subject and the ability to inspire students
• strong organisational and time management skills to balance teaching, research and administration duties
• the ability to design and develop inclusive, engaging and student-centred learning curricula
• familiarity with digital learning platforms and confidence using technology in teaching
• the ability to communicate and present complex ideas clearly through lectures, seminars and resources
• a proven research and publication record for research-focused roles, with a willingness to present at professional conferences and seminars
• excellent written skills for writing funding proposals, research outputs and course materials
• the ability to work collaboratively within academic and department teams as well as independently
• strong interpersonal and networking skills to make industry connections and build relationships with other researchers and research groups, both in the UK and overseas
• analytical and critical thinking skills to set up, conduct and evaluate research
• adaptability, flexibility and resilience to cope with the changing higher education environment.

Work experience

Try and get some teaching experience while completing your PhD. Many universities offer opportunities to work as a graduate teaching assistant, where you might help teach students, review papers and mark assignments, assist in labs and organise timetables. This type of role helps develop your teaching skills and shows you can engage with students. In some funded PhD positions, teaching and administrative duties may be part of the bursary conditions.

Your PhD thesis will typically form the foundation of your research profile. Aim to publish your work through peer-reviewed journal articles or as a book. Contributing to academic conferences, symposia and workshops allows you to present your research findings, get feedback and begin building your academic reputation and professional network.

Professional or industry experience can also be valuable, particularly for roles on vocational courses. Institutions often look for lecturers who can connect academic content to real-world practice and enhance student employability. This is especially important in fields such as business, engineering, healthcare, the arts and media.

Voluntary activities such as organising academic events, contributing to outreach activities or participating in widening participation programmes can also strengthen your application.

Employers

The main employers of HE lecturers are universities and some FE colleges that run HE courses. There are also a few opportunities at specialist postgraduate institutions such as law, business or medical schools and conservatoires (for music and performing arts).

Some universities focus on research, while others have a technical or professional focus with links to business and applied research. There are also specialist universities that only teach one subject such as law or agriculture.

Research institutes, think tanks and professional training bodies may also offer lecturing or teaching opportunities.

There are also opportunities to work at universities and research institutions overseas.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Jobs.ac.uk
• tes Jobs
• THE unijobs

International positions are advertised on:

• Academic Positions
• Euraxess UK

Individual HE and FE institutions also advertise vacancies on their own websites. You may find opportunities in subject-specific research journals and on the websites of professional bodies relevant to your discipline.

Networking is another valuable way of finding out about opportunities and building connections. You can do this through attending conferences and seminars, working collaboratively on research projects with other institutions and joining relevant professional associations.

Professional development

Once in post, if you haven't already completed a higher education teaching qualification, you'll usually be expected to do so. These include qualifications such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) or Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

Early-career academics commonly work towards Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA), a nationally recognised benchmark of teaching and learning competence. As your career progresses, you may pursue Senior (SFHEA) or Principal Fellowship (PFHEA). Advance HE also offers a wide range of professional development opportunities, including workshops, toolkits, events and conferences.

It's also possible to progress to a Masters in Higher Education. Some universities run enhanced teaching and academic leadership programmes for more experienced staff.

Most institutions also provide a variety of in-house training in areas such as:

• IT and digital learning
• leadership and management
• personal development
• research methods
• teaching and assessment.

Active membership of a professional body can also support your continuing development and academic credibility.

Career prospects

In the early stages of your career, you'll concentrate on developing your teaching skills and building up your research profile. It is possible at some institutions to progress your career through teaching only. However, many senior roles still ask for a strong research record, so find out the usual career progression route at your institution or for your subject.

To enhance your career prospects, particularly for research-focused roles, you will need to:

• actively contribute to your department's research profile by getting your research published in high quality, peer-reviewed journals
• present research and papers at conferences
• prepare bids and apply for research grants and funding
• take advantage international research collaboration or exchange opportunities.

Early responsibility is common, and most lecturers are given a high degree of independence from the start. As your career progresses, you'll typically take on greater responsibilities across teaching, research and administration. There may opportunities to take on more developmental and managerial duties, for example programme/course director or module leader.

Typical progression routes include senior lecturer and principal lecturer. If you continue to develop your skills and expertise, you may be able to progress to the roles of reader, chair or professor or even head of department or dean.

You may also expand your academic portfolio by working as an examiner or academic author, or by getting involved in curriculum development. Promotion prospects vary between institutions, and the availability of jobs is influenced by factors such as institutional priorities, funding and the general economic climate.