Do you like your job? Why or why not?
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
I would love to teach anybody but not for living.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
I think this field is all about passion .. people tell me i have really good teaching skills ... I have felt that too ... but then I dont have the patience required for this field ... but I know people who are lecturers and love their job ... not because of the perks or any other thing , but mainly coz they enjoy delivering knowledge and have the patience required in this role ..
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
hmm so no lecturers on GS?
I would hate to teach school kids.. urghh... never! Don't have the patience for that. But I'm seriously contemplating a career at higher level academia after completing my PhD.... and that too in Saudi Arabia... good luck to me. :/
I've tried emailing a few female professors currently working in some Saudi universities but I guess they have better things to be doing than replying to my lambi lambi inquisitive emails. Any advice on who I should talk to and how? Is there any arab forums like GS?
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Much much good luck to you. But why in saudia arabia necessarily? Aint you UK based?
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
It totally depends on which country and which university.
If we consider the UK, a good university and a science subject, you need at least 5 years postdoc experience before you can apply for a lectureship. It will never be a lecturing only post, most of your time will be spent doing research and brining in grants. To be more accurate, a professorship is only awarded by a university after a career of publishing high profile research and most people will be awarded a 'reader' post first.
In other countries, you can get lecture-only positions even with just an MSc. So you need to find out what is typical in the country you want to work in and you would only be teaching, or doing something else.
I think you will find out if you want to stay in academia when you do the PhD. My supervisor has graduated a lot of PhD students during his career and only two have stayed in academia. But they both graduated in the noughties so one has only been a lecturer for a few years and the other is a reader.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
I’ve been a Professor at the University level for the past nine years… and also taught as a lecturer at college levels for a few years before that.
Personally, I’m in this profession because I love what I do… and I decided to be in academia after trying out various other options including working in the private sector for a couple of years, spending a year in the public sector, and also completing a few consulting gigs with various firms.
As a Professor, I love both the teaching and the research aspects of the job. There’s a great sense of achievement in conveying information, helping students, and making a difference in their lives. Similarly, to know that your research is going to help others is also a very fulfilling experience.
That being said, academia isn’t for everyone. In addition to requiring a lot of time and hard work to obtain a PhD, the pay isn’t always commensurate with industry jobs ; there’s constant competition for research grants ; the work hours are horrible as there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that you often bring home with you (marking papers, reading graduate theses, preparing lesson plans, conducting peer-reviews etc.).
To get an idea of whether you have an aptitude for academia, my advice to most of my students is to pursue multiple research and teaching assistantship opportunities during their Master’s degree completion. If you can handle multiple research and teaching assistantships while completing your Master’s thesis, and you enjoy what you’re doing, you may be okay at the PhD level and beyond. It’s the route I followed myself. While it only offers a glimpse of what you’re going to be in for, but the shock level won’t be as bad, and hopefully you won’t be among the 60% who drop-out of a PhD program.
A while ago, I’d started a thread about “a day in the life of…” and I talked a little about what a typical day for me is like. A lot has changed since I started that thread, but it may be of interest: http://www.paklinks.com/gs/career-and-academics/175125-cornerstone-series-a-day-in-the-life-of.html
Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Nice post from LC.
But in the UK the set up is pretty different. PhDs can be teaching assistants for undergrad/Master's lab sessions and help supervise undergraduate projects but that's about as far as it gets. Master's students get absolutely no teaching opportunities. Even post docs don't lecture in the better universities. This is because UK is high school -> Uni, there is no college.
If you want to do a PhD, do it for its own merits and your interest in the subject. During the process, you will find out what academic life is like and if you want to continue it.
Going to another country purely to teach is a different situation altogether I guess.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
I think that's somewhat of a generalization... but you probably know better since you live in the UK. I have many colleagues who are lecturers/researchers right after finishing their PhD. Some of them have a title as a lecturer, while others are senior lecturers (those who had prior teaching experience). I am currently in talks with a couple of Universities where I want to spend a research term as a lecturer and there don't seem to be any significant hurdles as long as the University has funding for this.
In the US and Canada, PhD students can avail opportunities to teach classes at community colleges on a part-time basis if allowed by their own supervisors and academic institutions. In my case, I was lucky to be offered a full-time teaching position at another University while I was completing my PhD - so it worked out well. At the Master's level, most students are guaranteed either a teaching or a research assistantship position and what you are going to be asked to do in these assistantship really varies from one department to another, or even between professors who're hiring you. Some professors even get their TAs to fill in for them to teach a couple of classes while others would simply have them mark assignments.
To conclude, the situations, requirements and opportunities available do in fact vary considerably, but the candidate needs to take initiative to find and avail opportunities. It takes a lot of discipline and enterprising but its the only way one can succeed in academia.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Much much good luck to you. But why in saudia arabia necessarily? Aint you UK based?
Thank you! =) If I was in the UK, I would probably stay there because it is as desified as it is British. I, however, live in a little pind called Ireland that has yet to be desified and I would die of suffocation if I spent the rest of my life here so isolated from my roots. The ideal option would be to move next door to the UK where you don't feel so cut out from your culture but doesn't the whole world want to live and work in UK/US! The competition would be immense and I don't think I’d stand a chance unless I had some awesome postdoc experience. So I'm not even going to bother trying there. I want to relocate to a place where I feel closer to my culture, religion, and my people. I wouldn't even mind serving my own country if the security situation improved in the next couple of years which doesn't seem likely. So Middle East it is for now. I think the quality of life is much better in that part of the world. The job itself comes with so many benefits that they aren’t going to give you in Europe including tax free income, free accommodation, medical and dental insurance, return tickets to your country of origin once a year, education allowance for your children and so on. Besides, I was born in KSA so I feel a connection with the place and I want to move back. fingers crossed
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Stoppit and LC, thank you for the thorough replies. I guess so many of the specific questions I have, only someone working in KSA can answer. But this sort of a discussion really helps so thank you both.
Stoppit, I was reading King Fahd University’s regulations for faculty promotion and they're the same as Ireland's really. With an MSc and some teaching experience, you can only start off as a Teaching Assistant unless you have years of industry experience in which case you qualify for the role of a lecturer. A PhD is the minimum requirement for the role of an assistant professor. After 5 years of service + research, you're promoted to associate professor and then after 3 more years you become a full professor. I actually think I’m going to find life way easier in KSA compared to Ireland with regards to securing funding and carrying out research. They have the monies whereas Ireland is getting ridiculously broke. I can think of at least 10 different funding sources in Ireland that have stopped accepting applications ever since the recession hit us. T’is a joke! So I know the research situation in KSA couldn’t be worse than it is here in Ireland.
Lucid bhai, I know you recently earned your PhD but I didn't realise you had been working as a professor for so many years, MashaAllah! As for your advice on availing of teaching assistantship, I am in fact doing that. I registered as a Masters student in 2010 and I was given teaching hours with the department of applied science that same year. For the 2011-2012 academic year, I'm supervising 4th years' project labs and also working as a lab tech for the undergrad science labs. I am also serving as the unofficial supervisor for one of the final year undergrad students who my main supervisor is supposed to be supervising. I already have a year of industry experience and by the end of my PhD (hopefully 2014), I will have gained 4 years of experience as a Teaching Assistant, 3 years of experience as a lab technician, and 7 years of experience as a tutor to college and university students. I’m also trying to get a part time job at a local college. I wouldn't be doing so much teaching if I didn't love it. Like you said, there is a great sense of achievement in helping students and then receiving positive feedback from them.
As for dropping out of PhD... I don't think I'll be doing that. This is my 2nd year of research and it is a constant struggle... it's not easy.. I never expected it to be... and I'm not even getting paid so it's been tough but nothing I can't handle. People who read my blogs will tell you how frustrated I have been at times (in fact I’m not doing too great right now with regards to stress levels) but it's all worth it, they say.
If I hear back from any of the faculty members I've contacted in KSA, I'll post an update here.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
It sounds like SA has a route more in-line with USA. All this university and research malarky is pretty new in KSA. They have been putting lot of money into it in the last 5-10 years, so I'm sure you would have more opportunities.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Yes, they have. KAUSTis an example of a recently established graduate university that has been flooded with expat researchers. Anyway, not for another 2-3 years…
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
not that i am educated or anything.........but gulf states are setting up lots of universities too....like providing the infrastructure and getting the goray to run the universities.....dubai, qatar,bahrain etc....
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Prince Mohammad Uni is also recently set up…u cud look into tht…my csn studies there…maybe I cud help u out with some qs regarding the uni…pm the qs .
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
not that i am educated or anything.........but gulf states are setting up lots of universities too....like providing the infrastructure and getting the goray to run the universities.....dubai, qatar,bahrain etc....
Yeah this.
BarbieCue, I don't know if your field is technical or not but a lot of my professors have mentioned that countries in the Middle East have started investing heavily in Nanotechnology related research facilities so you might want to explore countries outside KSA.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Having even a year or two experience in teaching in the "pind" Ireland may come in handy while applying for positions in KSA or elsewhere, IMO.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
I have my reservations about KSA universities. I interact with a lot of international students from KSA every year - supervised a few Master's projects as well... but can't say I've had very positive experiences with any of them yet. The investments being made in the education sector won't go too far until the Govt. stops favoritism and starts awarding degrees based on merit. Unfortunately, this is currently not the case. I wouldn't want to relate all my experiences here, but would strongly advise you to do your due diligence before accepting an opportunity in the KSA. I've also had one colleague who came back due to extremely poor working conditions in his University. May be other gulf countries are a better bet.
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
^ how you rate iranian university graduates?
Re: Any lecturers/professors in the house?
Much respect Lucid. Being a Professor, especially in the west, is a handful. Continued success to you. (Your students are fortunate - you seem to be just a natural mentor).