======= Date Modified 17 24 2009 10:24:23 =======
============= Edited by a Moderator =============
My post doc has now come to its official end. I am practically running my PIs department on my own. On the plus side its a been a completely new learning experience compared to my PhD. On the downside, I know I will in all likelihood have to start again at a new institution, have to move, make new friends all over again.

I have been applying to full time lecturer jobs and thought I would have been quite an attractive candidate with good research track record, a few grants, in a fairly popular field and a lot of organisational skills. I have been to conferences and meetings and made quite a few good contacts. However, I get shortlisted for most of my applications, but never actually get offered the job. They tend to go to internal candidates or people that have already been pencilled in as they already know the department or have worked there in an honorary capacity.

My PI knows he is onto a good thing and has offered me an ongoing temporary contract. The only thing is the money is a lot worse that I am currently on (because my ending fellowship came with money, and he is not willing to make up the shortfall).

There is a distinct shortage of lectureship jobs at the moment unless you are in the applied field (I am not) or willing to emigrate ( I am not). I would really like to get a full time permanent job in univesity, but I can't keep doing this forever. To be honest I really do feel like giving up, applying for some graduate scheme and starting again from the bottom, but the waste of time in academia will kill me. Plus there arent that many graduate jobs on the ground at the moment thanks to the recession. Is it just me, or is it like that for other post docs as well?

...are there any career development fellowships around in your field of work? They don't pay much, but it is a good way to get your foot in the door and get some cross-discipline experience?

A number of my contacts tell me that despite the lack of graduate jobs, a candidate with a PhD would be hugely attractive, and I expect a postdoc equally so.... So your academic career wouldn't necessary be wasted....

If you're in science, from what my friends say two postdocs are very normal before you become really competitive for a lectureship, so I wouldn't beat yourself up. And if you're getting interviews for lectureships then the odds are that sooner or later you'll get one. Have you managed to get feedback on any of your interviews? Or is there anything in your interview performance that you have an uneasy feeling might be letting you down, that you could get any help with through the careers service? Maybe run your job talk past a knowledgeable and critical friend? Honestly, if you're getting interviews, then you're competitive on paper, so if you don't think you're messing up at interview then it's probably a matter of time before you get lucky.
But yes academia isn't great fun career-wise as a junior scholar. The early years appear to demand that you are willing to live anywhere, uproot regularly and exist on really bad money (OK not so much in science but for the rest of us, those part-time teaching stints rarely pay enough to pay the bills), in the vain hope that you might strike lucky and get a lectureship. Normally I'd say give industry a try (you can probably spin your academic time - let's face it there are nowhere near as many lectureships as PhDs who want them, so it must be doable) but as the wider economy is so bad and you look like you're within striking distance of a lectureship, so could you stand (and afford) to stay in your current job for one more academic year? Perhaps say if I don't get an academic job in the next year then I'm gone? And then in the meantime get as much advice as possible on making yourself an attractive candidate for non-academic jobs, so you have a plan b that you feel more optimistic about?

I've also been told that I will need at least 2 postdocs to get a lectureship so it seems you are doing OK.

There are hardly any graduate schemes available at the moment! In my field, there are virtually none. It's definitely NOT a good idea to move out of academia at the moment.

Thanks for everyones comments. Its good to get some perspective, and I think now is really not the right time to be making exit plans for academia. Hey ho, another grant application here we come.

Wondering why the moderator edited out all of my paragraphs, as I now appear hyper-anxious and/or illiterate.

Welcome to the club...I am in a very similar situation (minus the temporary contract job with lower pay+ a dependent to feed) and feeling like giving up. I will definitely be unemployed from the 1st Sept...I have applied to research jobs, postdocs, fellowships, lectureships and have made two grant applications. All the same- some interviews but jobs gone to other people, in most cases to those with 3-5 years of a postdoc experience (i.e those who actually should be applying for lectureships but who cannot get them because there is a shortage of lectureship positions).

Welcome to the club...I am in a very similar situation (minus the temporary contract job with lower pay+ a dependent to feed) and feeling like giving up. I will definitely be unemployed from the 1st Sept...I have applied to research jobs, postdocs, fellowships, lectureships and have made two grant applications. All the same- some interviews but jobs gone to other people, in most cases to those with 3-5 years of a postdoc experience (i.e those who actually should be applying for lectureships but who cannot get them because there is a shortage of lectureship positions).

Welcome to the club...I am in a very similar situation (minus the temporary contract job with lower pay+ a dependent to feed) and feeling like giving up. I will definitely be unemployed from the 1st Sept...I have applied to research jobs, postdocs, fellowships, lectureships and have made two grant applications. All the same- some interviews but jobs gone to other people, in most cases to those with 3-5 years of a postdoc experience (i.e those who actually should be applying for lectureships but who cannot get them because there is a shortage of lectureship positions).

The press were reporting the other week that 350,000 jobs will be going in the public sector in the next few years (obviously after the election), and I wonder if universities are freezing recruitment in light of these cuts and the global economic downturn. I'm not sure if the cuts will apply to academia, but I get the impression universities are being very prudent at the moment.

Our uni has a complete moratorium on academic, technical and admin posts for the next 18 months. Some guys/girls' contracts will run out in that time and nobody knows what they are going to do. I am a bit lucky as I am holding down a permanent full-time job besides the PhD but it's getting harder to get into academia.

What field are you in? What are your options outside of academia?

When applying for my postdoc, I applied for numerous jobs in industry and other field unrelated to what I did my PhD in. It was a good way of finding out where someone of my skills and background could be needed, what kind of income I could command and generally to see what options I had. This maybe a good time for you to get out there and have a look around.

Also, have you spoken to your Head of Department of the Head of your Faculty/Division? They can often give you a no-holds-barred reply about your future prospects in academia. It maybe that you are lacking something that you are unaware of but which senior academics can identify straight away or your record sadly may not be as good as you think it is.

======= Date Modified 24 Jul 2009 17:57:26 =======
Well it looks like 6000 jobs may potentially go in universities and colleges:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jul/16/lecturers-redundancy-recession