Days to new job: three
Nails bitten: all of them!
Having waited for several years to actually get a permanent position, now my start date is looming I am filled with a mixture of excitement and fear! I suppose it’s the same whenever a long sought after goal is fulfilled, whether it is in the realm of your career or personal life, but I think it is just dawning on me that actually getting the job was not even half the battle, doing it well and holding on to it is a far greater challenge.
Looking for a job is a difficult habit to break. Most days I still find myself checking the jobs.ac.uk website and also others such as H-Net for jobs overseas. And this despite having secured myself a permanent job. However this repetitive behaviour is not as daft as it seems, there is a good reason for keeping an eye on who is hiring and who is not. It gives you a different sort of understanding of your discipline. (more…)
New lectures written: 2
Lectures still to write for next term: 15
Feelings about new term: excited but scared too!
While many academics are still enjoying their summer holidays, my attention is turning to teaching. Because I’m starting a new job in September, this first year is going to be a steep learning curve. Not only will I be familiarizing myself with new surroundings and procedures, but also I have to write lots of new material for the courses I’ll be teaching. So…like a sensible lecturer I am trying to get ahead by preparing the first few now, rather than have to research and write them all week by week as I am going along. It’s really important to get as much teaching experience as possible I reckon, so that when you are lucky enough to get hired, you do not feel too frightened by the prospect! (more…)
Books to read over the next 3 days: 30
Exhausted but blissful moments of enlightenment: there will be many, I am sure!
Following on from my last post, I am actually going to the library to do some research. Just sitting in the august surroundings of Duke Humfery’s Library imagining all the famous scholars who have worked there is inspiring in itself. I do feel sorry for scientists at time like this, they must feel trapped in their smelly, artificially-lit laboratories whereas us arts scholars jet off to libraries and archives the world over, if we can afford it that is!
August is traditionally the time of year when lecturers can finally turn their attention to their research. Of course in theory we are supposed to be undertaking this throughout the year, but with teaching loads, admin pressures and so on, most scholars with any teaching responsibilities at all have little time to work on articles, books, conference papers and so on.
So in a few days I shall be off to the archives to start researching my next book, one of the most rewarding, and daunting, aspects of the job. In fact, many academics would hardly call this ‘work’ at all, rather a labour of love. The only fly in the research ointment…the RAE!
