The other thread about this made me think: does anyone ever pursure a career after PhD as a research assistant? For instance if you want to be involved in furthering knowlegde in your subject in a field you enjoy but without the seemingly unavoidable hassle and sacrifice of pursuing a career via the lecturer-type route? Are there any prospects for career development within this type of work, or is generally always a spingboard for something else?

thanks for any opinions!

If you're doing research in a particularly good group then working as a post-doc research assistant can be a good option depending on individual circumstances. My husband did this and was recently promoted to Research Fellow, so pay does go up steadily. Not as good as a lectureship, but doing research he loves, and we don't have to move.