The\u00a0expansion of higher education\u00a0(HE)\u00a0over\u00a0recent\u00a0decades\u00a0has\u00a0certainly highlighted\u00a0its importance as an\u00a0employment sector.\u00a0With over\u00a0160 HE\u00a0institutions\u00a0in the UK, inclusive of\u00a0130\u00a0universities, there is greater demand\u00a0for skilled staff\u00a0to fill the\u00a0many\u00a0roles\u00a0necessary\u00a0to operate successfully.\u00a0Many new roles\u00a0have\u00a0been created\u00a0with support staff now\u00a0outnumbering\u00a0academics.\u00a0Add to\u00a0that the impact\u00a0of globalization and we can see how\u00a0HE\u00a0is\u00a0now an\u00a0exciting,\u00a0attractive\u00a0employment\u00a0prospect,\u00a0well worth\u00a0taking a look\u00a0at.<\/p>\n
As universities offer courses leading to degrees and qualifications, what usually comes to mind are academics giving lectures, seminars\u00a0and marking\u00a0essays. But supporting them is an army of\u00a0professionals doing a wide variety of jobs: recruitment, enrolment,\u00a0welfare,\u00a0accommodation,\u00a0marketing and PR,\u00a0timetabling, to cite several examples.<\/p>\n
The sector is\u00a0not only\u00a0large\u00a0but\u00a0also\u00a0diverse:\u00a0no two universities are the same.\u00a0Apart from the\u00a0historic\u00a0Oxford and Cambridge there are\u00a0the\u00a0\u2018redbricks,\u2019\u00a0dating back to the 19th\u00a0century,\u00a0\u2018plateglass\u2019\u00a0universities\u00a0established in the 1960s,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0former polytechnics awarded\u00a0university status in 1992.<\/p>\n
Advantages and benefits exist no matter whether you are working at Oxford\u2019s \u2018dreaming spires\u2019 or a revamped former Poly in the middle of an inner-city area.<\/p>\n
All\u00a0universities\u00a0have different histories and developments\u00a0but there are\u00a0key\u00a0commonalities\u00a0when thinking about\u00a0opportunities\u00a0in this sector.<\/em><\/p>\n This article\u00a0considers some of the key\u00a0benefits of\u00a0working in\u00a0HE.<\/p>\n It could be said that a career\u00a0in\u00a0education is\u00a0inherently\u00a0satisfying\u00a0because\u00a0it involves\u00a0assisting\u00a0students\u00a0to\u00a0attain\u00a0professional as well as\u00a0educational development.\u00a0Even\u00a0in an indirect capacity, non-academics\u00a0are\u00a0an integral\u00a0part of the systems\u00a0and processes that help\u00a0students\u00a0to\u00a0reach\u00a0their goals.<\/p>\n Some\u00a0students\u00a0might\u00a0start\u00a0university\u00a0lacking\u00a0confidence,\u00a0feeling\u00a0anxious about what is required of them\u00a0and perhaps lonely.\u00a0Non-academics might be\u00a0the first\u00a0staff\u00a0they meet in departmental offices. They can be\u00a0guided about\u00a0practical\u00a0matters such\u00a0as\u00a0where\u00a0lecture\u00a0rooms and\u00a0student\u00a0facilities are,\u00a0how to get library membership\u00a0and\u00a0how to\u00a0submit their assessments.\u00a0They may also be\u00a0given\u00a0advice about which campus food outlets serve the best coffee!<\/p>\n Helping students from the\u00a0start\u00a0to the end of their\u00a0degrees can provide a\u00a0sense of job satisfaction for\u00a0support staff, just as\u00a0with\u00a0their academic counterparts.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n We can add to that the diversity within the student body and the interesting variety of cultures they bring with them.\u00a0Generally,\u00a0this has impacted positively in terms of the cultural life of universities. This\u00a0can be seen as\u00a0beneficial for support staff not only during working hours but also in the varied events, student societies and celebrations seen on campus.<\/p>\n Coming into contact\u00a0with\u00a0students from across the globe, whether\u00a0Chile,\u00a0Czech Republic\u00a0or China,\u00a0can make\u00a0distant places seem\u00a0more familiar\u00a0as\u00a0information\u00a0is\u00a0gained about their homes,\u00a0customs, and\u00a0languages.<\/p>\n Most universities\u00a0actively\u00a0seek to incorporate the\u00a0different\u00a0cultures of their student body into the everyday life of\u00a0the institution for the benefit of all.\u00a0Many interesting and long-lasting ties\u00a0can be\u00a0established, for example through alumni associations. Graduates\u00a0with\u00a0fond memories of their UK\u00a0universities,\u00a0and those who helped them on their\u00a0HE\u00a0journey,\u00a0often seek\u00a0to retain these\u00a0links.<\/p>\n Related to this is the mission of most HE institutions, no matter their size or student\u00a0numbers,\u00a0to\u00a0promote a\u00a0sense of belonging, with everyone being part of something bigger than their course,\u00a0subject or department. Much work now goes into helping to promote this sense\u00a0of identity and support staff play an integral part in\u00a0that.<\/p>\n \u2018Academic staff\u2019\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0broad\u00a0term. It\u00a0includes lecturers, teaching\u00a0fellows, professors, heads of department, newly qualified or \u2018old hands\u2019, full and part-time\u00a0staff members\u00a0plus other roles that\u00a0involve research.\u00a0Just as with students, there is a\u00a0diversity of\u00a0interesting\u00a0people to work with.\u00a0New\u00a0teaching staff may appreciate support and help with practical matters,\u00a0just as\u00a0students\u00a0do. With different subjects being researched, books and articles written as well as lectures and seminars planned and delivered\u00a0by academics, this\u00a0can be a stimulating work environment for support staff to operate in.<\/p>\n Once again, the importance of\u00a0the\u00a0sense of belonging\u00a0can be highlighted. In\u00a0universities\u00a0across the country, support staff\u00a0collaborate\u00a0with\u00a0academics at all levels to foster a sense of\u00a0teamwork and collegiality\u00a0to help students reach their potential and the university to attain its goals.<\/p>\n Some roles are linked to specific members of staff in the institution\u2019s hierarchy, such as\u00a0heads of departments\u00a0and\u00a0professors. No matter what the role, relevant\u00a0experience and skills are\u00a0required\u00a0and rewards\u00a0follow\u00a0from assisting them to\u00a0fulfil their job to their best abilities.<\/p>\n Universities are\u00a0outward-facing\u00a0in many ways, not only in recruiting new students but also working with local communities, businesses,\u00a0voluntary\u00a0organisations\u00a0and even the media. Support staff play a key\u00a0role and many\u00a0posts\u00a0involve working with different members of the public, whether\u00a0parents of potential students at Open Days or business leaders at conferences and other events.<\/p>\n It is often support staff who\u00a0carry out liaison work with\u00a0the public\u00a0in order to help establish relationships, such as those\u00a0enabling\u00a0students to volunteer with local schools or homes for older people. This requires\u00a0interpersonal and communication skills and offers opportunities to work with different people outside the university. Such work can lead to mutually beneficial\u00a0cooperation with all those involved gaining\u00a0an\u00a0enhanced level\u00a0of job satisfaction.<\/p>\nWorking with students<\/h3>\n
Working with\u00a0academics<\/h3>\n
Working with the public<\/h3>\n