Higher education (HE) lecturers research and teach academic and vocational subjects at universities and higher education colleges.

A higher education lecturer teaches subjects, both vocational and academic, to students over the age of 18. They can be either on undergraduate or postgraduate courses as both levels attend university lectures. A uni lecturer is an expert in a particular area or field and teaches students through various methods, from seminars, lectures and tutorials to fieldwork, practical demonstrations and online learning.

Using multimedia technology is also common, through online classes and assignments. University lecturers typically research alongside teaching, for the institution or their department. Having scholarly journal articles or books published helps raise a university’s profile. Most uni lecturers complete admin tasks and pastoral activities with their students throughout the working day, whether they work in a university or a further education college. The role can be called a university lecturer, higher education lecturer or a further education lecturer

Lecturers plan and deliver teaching on their specialist subject to university students. This includes creating teaching materials, preparing for tutorials/seminars and marking students’ work, as well as direct teaching. They also research their subject, attending conferences and writing articles, books and other materials to share their knowledge. They are supported by higher education administrators and work with other university staff such as librarians to make sure students have access to the resources they need to do well.

University

You'll usually need a first class or upper second class degree, relevant to the subject you want to teach.

You'll also need to have completed a postgraduate master's or PhD qualification, or be working towards one. It's common to have had academic work published. You'll be expected to do a teaching qualification soon after you start. This is normally offered by your university and is done while working.You may be able to get experience by taking on teaching duties while you're a postgraduate student. Some universities also offer posts as a graduate teaching assistant. You'll need several years' relevant work experience if you want to teach vocational subjects, for example art or engineering.

It's becoming more common for lecturers to also have, or to be working towards, a higher education teaching qualification or to have equivalent experience such as Advance HE Fellowship (FHEA).

In the early stages of your career, it may be difficult to gain a permanent contract as an HE lecturer and you may have to accept posts on a part-time or fixed-term contract. You may be working at more than one institution at a time and have to travel between places of work.