Comments on: What interview panels are looking for

By: Erica

Erica — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:45:47 +0000

I haven’t gotten a job yet, but the advice of my UK friends is that the prestige hierarchy is less important in the UK, and the focus will be on the quality of the research papers. In the US there is a large problem of people “cascading down the prestige hierarchy” meaning that you are likely to go from the level of your program to one slightly lower (or sometimes significantly lower) when getting tenure track employment. Because teaching obligations increase as you go down the food chain, one is not able to spend as much time on research and so gets locked in to this level of university.

Single class adjuncts have the worst lot, because they are only paid on a low, per-class basis, and so must cobble together a living wage out of several teaching gigs, which makes it impossible to spend enough time on research. In my opinion, a person is actually better off taking a different 9-5 job for a while, especially if you can get higher pay, rather than doing this freeway flyer routine, because then you may actually be able to have time to do some research on the weekend. And then maybe adjunct one course to get a university affiliation. So much the better if you can find a day job in a research center, nonprofit or other related area. (Also note that US student loans will begin to come due 6 mos after finishing, rather than being based on income levels as in the UK.)

Whereas I hear a common story of people in the UK who take a less than desirable first job and are able to work their way up more easily. This is anecdotal evidence, but seems possible, given a few people I know.

By: Catherine Armstrong

Catherine Armstrong — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:37:48 +0000

Hi Jan,

Thanks for your comment. I think that’s a really valid point. I think that your first class degree and your subsequent MA will be what interests interviewers, and not the so-called ‘weaker’ university which you attended because of personal circumstances. And the author of the American article did point out that the candidate’s university would be the very last point considered by interview panels all other factors being equal. Does anyone else have any personal experience on this point?

Catherine

By: Jan M

Jan M — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:53:17 +0000

I found that last point quite worrying, it also could link to the debate on weaker schools & exam results. I gained a First from what some would term a ‘weaker’ university. Not because I couldn’t get a place anywhere else, but because I am a mature student whose travel is limited by family commitments. I am now doing an MA at a top university. I wonder how will I be perceived? (I am aware it is from an American point of view).