Many PhD graduates choose to pursue non-academic roles. These can include:

• Re-entering a previous industry with enhanced expertise
• Applying research and analytical skills in policy or consultancy roles
• Transitioning into a new sector or career path
• Working in other Higher Education roles including professional services, administration, or industry partnerships

I want to work in ...

• Use our I want to work in ... resources to find out about a wide range of jobs, careers and sectors.
• Mentoring can be a great way to gain insights into a sector you are interested in. Our Mentoring Padlet provides links to external mentoring programmes in a range of sectors.

Understand Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Research the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plans and progress of the UK’s largest organisations and graduate employers. Use Windo to browse profiles and compare data of potential employers.

A PhD can be viewed as a stepping stone to a career in higher education. Although it can seem to be the obvious next step it is not necessarily an easy one.

An academic career can be both intellectually fulfilling and professionally demanding. It is unlikely that you’ll gain a permanent lectureship straight after your PhD. Most PhD graduates begin with one or more short term contracts or post-docs before getting a permanent lecturing position.

It can be helpful to think of academic roles as falling into one of three categories:

• Research focused
• Teaching focused
• Mixed roles with both teaching and research responsibilities

Not all universities label these in the same way, and you are likely to find variation in how job titles are used, so read job descriptions carefully when deciding if a role is what you are looking for.

It is possible and relatively common to transition between these categories of roles but understanding the different roles available and the desired skills and experiences for them will help you to improve your chance of successfully applying to a role that matches your interests.

Reflect on what you want from a career. Does the reality of academia match your expectations and hopes for your future career?

Academia is a very competitive market. The trend in the last twenty years has been towards short-term research or teaching contracts.

Understand the Higher Education environment

Make sure that you understand how academic work is measured and what policies impact the work of academics. In particular:

• REF (Research Excellence Framework)
• QAA (Quality Assurance Agency)

Talk with academics in your department to learn about their day-to-day responsibilities, challenges, and career journeys.

Network with academics at conferences. Ask them about their roles and their opinion on the opportunities available right now.

Try relevant academic opportunities

It’s difficult to truly understand if you will enjoy aspects of a job until you have tried them. Fortunately, there are usually lots of opportunities during a PhD to try out aspects of an academic career.

For research:

• Your PhD research
• Working part time as a research assistant
• Taking a short full time research contract (not all PhDs allow this)
• Editing or proof-reading journal articles

For teaching:

• Working as a tutor
• Undertaking marking work
• Invigilating
• Supervising dissertations

Other:

• Organising conferences or events
• Taking part in University outreach programmes
• Representing the PhD/PGR community on university committees

• Making the most of your PhD
• Finding Academic Roles
• Applying to Academic Roles
• Finding Industry Roles
• Applying to Industry Roles