‘I'd landed on the moon’: a new lecturer leaves the academy

Abstract

Assumptions are often made about new lecturers in terms of previous experience, development needs and orientations towards the new role. Postgraduate certificate (PgCert) programmes tend to operate on the assumption that new lecturers are already familiar with the research element of their discipline, in a default transition from PhD to lectureship. However, in an increasingly diverse sector, many lecturers enter academia from established careers in professional, clinical or creative practice on the basis of their work experience. Despite a wider focus on ‘academic practice’, tensions around identities and values in transition are not commonly addressed. Based on qualitative study, this paper will focus on an individual lecturer's experiences of alienation in the new academic context, and her subsequent decision to leave the academy. It will conclude by arguing that the emotional, ideological and subjective struggles which may arise in transition into the academic should also be acknowledged and addressed in PgCert programmes and by academic departments.

Keywords:

• new lecturers
• practitioners
• transitions
• educational development

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Duna Sabri (King's College, London) who worked as a consultant on the project, conducting the NVivo analysis and providing very helpful pointers for the literature review element of this paper. Thanks also to ‘Sophie’ for sharing her (at times painful) story with me.