4th January 2022
It is exactly one year to the day that I started my first lectureship. I wanted to spend some time reflecting on what my first year as a lecturer has been like. I hope that these tips will be of use to early career researchers who are thinking of going down the same route.
Tip #1: Give yourself time to settle in
This tip sounds obvious on reflection. But I don’t think we give ourselves enough time to settle in to a new job properly.
As with starting any new job, I spent my first few days, weeks and even months fumbling around in the dark trying to remember my email password (no, not your MyHope password, Jamie, your email password) how to access the online systems, and how to use Zoom. This is the reality of any new job. Naturally, it will take a fair amount of your time to navigate these things. But in addition to this, as a new lecturer, it is likely that you also undertake several new roles including lecturing, pastoral care, admin, supervision, marking, moderating, and assessment setting. I’m still very much finding my feet with all these roles...
In your first year, you'll also be eager to impress colleagues especially your Head of Department who probably hired you in the first place. A colleague gave me some great advice: 'chill out, Jamie'. It’s very tempting to want to volunteer at the first opportunity to cover an open day or cover a class. But you should also recognise that unlike most other colleagues, you are new. Therefore, your sole focus should be to settle into your new roles and responsibilities.
Tip #2: Make teaching preparation and delivery your main focus
You will also find that you will be spending a large chunk of your time preparing teaching materials. In my view, this should be your number one priority. This is probably the most time-consuming aspect of the job and so where possible I would encourage new lecturers to reach out to colleagues and ask if they have any relevant materials, they would be happy to share.
Additionally, see if you can enrol in any classroom practice or assessment & feedback modules at your institution. These are invaluable in your first year when you are finding your feet.
Tip #3: Keep your research ticking over
The reality is you will not have anywhere near as much time for research as you previously did. I found this particularly difficult to accept at first. When I was a postdoc, research was my main job for nearly 6 years. However, my advice would be to keep little bits of research activity ticking over where you can. For example, I have spent this last year finishing up a manuscript and I have also started to think about what organisations I might want to collaborate with, as well as what grants I may want to target in the future.
Tip #4 Spent time reading
There will be several aspects of your subject that you will need to know about that you may not have covered since undergraduate. For example, your dissertation students may be interested in using qualitative methods for their projects. There are some excellent textbooks on such methods, and it feels like a treat being able to legitimately spend time reading about them.
Tip #5 Schedule your time
I have always been quite an organised person but this year I have felt that organisation is something that I really struggled with, particularly when I first started. Both my previous postdoc roles had clear, rigid schedules (which I like!) but a lecturer role is much more fluent. I try to populate my calendar at the beginning of each week and schedule tasks around my teaching. Additionally, I try to devote deep thinking time, often for research, at least a morning a week.
Tip #6 Get enough Rest & Recreation
I think this should be another priority. For me, this involves exercising a few times a week, eating well and sleeping well. By taking regular breaks away from the job, you are much more likely to be productive when you are on the job.
Tip #7 Don’t be afraid to fail
This was a great tip that my Head of Department gave me in my first week. The reality is you will try new things, perhaps in your teaching practice, or in your assessment setting, and not all of them will go smoothly. And that’s okay. I genuinely think it is better to try something new than to not try anything new at all.
If you are looking for more tips, I would highly recommend Gavin Buckingham’s blog posts