You'll need a good degree in a subject that's relevant to what you want to give a lecture. For almost every discipline, you'll also need a doctorate in a related area. For further vocational courses, you will usually need several years of experience working in the relevant field, as well as a degree or professional qualification. Employers will set their own entry requirements.
On average, it takes eight years in academia to get to the point where you have completed your doctorate and can get a teaching position. Remember that, however, you will be researching, publishing papers, and gaining teaching experience during this time. Many universities, in particular the top universities and those of the Russel Group, give high priority to departmental research. You may have to perform administrative tasks for your department, participating to some extent in student admissions, college open days, and introductory programs.
Once you have secured a permanent position at a university, lecturing is a financially and intellectually stimulating career path, with opportunities to achieve personal fulfillment through publication, promotion and success for your students. If there are no opportunities to be part of formal teaching in your doctoral department, you may be able to support teaching by organizing additional workshops related to certain tasks or topics, relieving pressure on teachers' office hours. This means that, often, especially in the beginning, your position at the university will likely be contingent on the production of a certain amount of publishable research. Presenting your work to the international academic community will play a big role when you're a teacher, so practicing presentation and networking will help you develop your academic credentials right from the start.
Having a good portfolio of published work is crucial to securing your initial teaching position and maintaining your position at your university. Most higher education professor positions are advertised online through university websites, so it is worth creating a list of top institutions and consulting them regularly. You will also be asked to represent the university in the national and international academic community, attending and presenting their work at conferences. You could work for public universities and colleges, law and business schools, or universities and schools in the private sector.
Universities are looking for research that has the potential to generate recognition and build reputation, so any reputable publication, regardless of readership and reach, is an advantage. University departments employ professors who strengthen their existing staff cohort, and this is often decided based on whether their research is complementary or fills a gap within the current provision. If your university has one, send some of your undergraduate essays to the student-run academic journal. Teachers usually teach students every year, so they will teach a variety of courses at different levels during their careers.
Some universities will request that applicants for professorship positions have or are willing to work towards an HEA scholarship awarded by Advance HE. Professors with strong research skills and the desire to continuously produce research for publication on the international stage are fundamental to universities.
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