Lecturer

Lecturers teach academic or work-related subjects to students in further or higher education. They prepare and hold lectures, seminars and tutorials. Lecturers assess work, report students’ progress and mark tests. They may also carry out research and have some administrative duties.

Work activities

Duties include:

Planning and designing courses.
Delivering lectures and demonstrations.
Setting up and leading seminars and tutorials.
Assessing and reporting on students’ progress.
Setting and marking exercises, coursework and exams.

Lecturers use resources such as audio-visual materials, interactive whiteboards and computers to stimulate interest and learning, meet the needs of students with differing learning styles and to produce course materials. They take part in team meetings with other lecturers to discuss course issues and have contact with outside organisations such as examining boards and local businesses. They help to develop students’ analytical skills and encourage independent research and study. They also help students who are experiencing difficulties with their studies.

Lecturers must keep up to date with developments in their specialist fields. HE lecturers research in their specialist fields, aiming to publish their findings. Lecturers also have to undertake some administration duties and might have budget responsibility. They might have to secure funding for their courses. Some lecturers contribute to the marketing of courses and development of new courses.

Personal qualities and skills

As a lecturer, you’ll need:

The ability to inspire and motivate your students.
Organisational and planning skills.
The ability to express yourself clearly in speech and writing.
Confidence to teach large numbers of students in lecture theatres.
Patience, tact and tolerance.
Research skills, especially in higher education.

Pay and opportunities

Pay rates for lecturers vary depending on the educational sector and type of educational establishment they work in. Some universities and colleges follow the pay guidelines agreed with the University & College Union. Higher education lecturers can earn between £33,000 - £55,000 depending on their level of responsibility. Some may be paid an hourly or daily rate. Hours of Work for HE lecturers are usually around 36-38 hours, Monday to Friday, but many work longer hours including evenings and weekends to mark work, prepare lectures and maintain research commitments. HE lecturers might have to supervise evening or weekend exams.

Full-time FE lecturers usually work full time, Monday to Friday. However, it’s usual for FE lecturers to work extra hours at home – marking students’ work and preparing lessons. Some lectures take place in the evenings and at weekends. They typically earn £24,000 to £40,000.

Lecturers can work in FE or HE colleges, private sector colleges, universities, the prison service, the armed forces, and in industry. There are also opportunities to work abroad, especially in HE.

HE lecturers can work as self-employed freelancers.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in the local press and national titles such as The Guardian and The Times Educational Supplement (TES), on university and college websites, and job boards such as jobs.ac.uk.

Entry routes and training

Entry routes vary depending on whether you want to work in further education (FE) or higher education (HE).

Entry to FE: Individual FE colleges make their own decisions about the qualifications they expect lecturers to have. As a guide, you will usually need at least a level 3 qualification in the subject you want to teach, as well as a qualification for teaching in the FE sector. There are a number of new qualifications:

Level 3 award in education and training. This is a short, introductory knowledge-based qualification.
Level 4 certificate in education and training. With a minimum of 30 hours’ teaching practice, this is suitable for people already working in a paid or voluntary teaching post.
Level 5 diploma in education and training. This takes between one and two years and involves at least 100 hours’ teaching practice.
Level 5 diploma in education and training with specialist pathway.

A new route into a career as an FE tutor is to do a level 5 (higher) apprenticeship in the role of learning and skills teacher. This is a more work-based approach to qualifying as an FE teacher, although you will work towards relevant qualifications alongside your training.

Entry to HE: You usually need a degree and a postgraduate qualification (usually a PhD). Entry without a PhD is difficult but might be possible for lecturers with professional or industrial work experience who teach work-related courses, such as accountancy. You can also undertake a level 7 (degree) apprenticeship as an academic professional, which would involve lecturing and other forms of teaching.

All lecturers need to keep their skills and knowledge up to date through recorded continuing professional development (CPD). Postgraduate qualifications, such as postgraduate certificates (PGCerts) in higher education are available. Some universities make it compulsory for new staff to take a postgraduate course; you can complete them alongside lecturing and research work. Several universities offer a postgraduate certificate in academic practice, for new and experienced HE lecturers.

Lecturers can take on a student support role, move into a marketing position within the college or university, or move into management, for example.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: Posts in FE colleges that involve working with people aged under 18 are exceptions to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

Further education: To become a further education (FE) lecturer, you’ll usually need at least a level 3 qualification in the subject you want to teach. Many FE lecturers have a relevant degree, foundation degree, higher national or professional qualification.

For entry to a degree in any subject, the usual requirement is:

Two to three A-levels.
GCSEs at grades 9-4 in 5 subjects.
Entry to a foundation degree or higher national qualification can be with 1 A level and 5 GCSEs (9-4).

Alternatives to A levels include:

Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 Nationals.
International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

However, course requirements vary, so please check prospectuses carefully.

To qualify for a higher apprenticeship, you will need two relevant A-levels as well as GCSEs in English and maths.

Higher education: Most higher education (HE) lecturers have a PhD. The entry requirements for a PhD are usually at least a 2:1 Honours degree; you’ll often also need a Master’s degree such as an MA, MSc or MPhil.

To get onto the academic professional degree apprenticeship, you will need two A-levels, plus GCSEs in English and maths.

Adult opportunities

Part-time qualifications for teaching in the further education sector are available.

Relevant higher education training includes part-time PGCerts in higher education teaching. Some courses are available through online learning.

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