So you have been asked to take the minutes of a meeting? Here are some tips and techniques to do this effectively. 1. Before the meeting If the meeting is one of a series, check the previous minutes for the format expected. Most professional minutes are now in ‘short-form’, with summaries of each agenda item…>
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Applying for Teaching Positions – Top Tips
For many PhDs and postdocs securing any, but especially, a fulltime, permanent teaching contract is their ultimate career aim. Research across Europe*# consistently shows over 60% of PhD students stating they are seeking a permanent academic career. A lot of people are applying for teaching positions, but they are few and far between. So, if you…>
Top Ten Tips for Applying at Local Council
These ‘Top ten Tips’ were written by Claire Barrie, an HR Professional working for a Local Council. Helping to explain how to apply, interview and hopefully get the job, plus the differences to other sectors. 1. Read the particulars carefully Read the particulars carefully, it explains how to complete the application form and what we…>
Presentation at an Interview
Have you had any experience of delivering a presentation at an interview? How do you prepare? How do you engage your audience? Presentations are a common part of the recruitment process for graduate, research, teaching, consulting and other professional roles across a range of sectors. Whether you have had a lot or limited experience in…>
My First Year Teaching in China
Foreign academics will face a series of challenges but also many opportunities in their first year teaching in China. In many disciplines, the appeal of hiring a foreign academic is that he/she can teach through the medium of English, and speak the language of the quality of a native speaker. Moreover, they may offer a…>
Working in the Omani Higher Education System
From October 2012 for two years, I worked in a College of Applied Sciences (CAS) for the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). It was my first academic post, post-PhD, outside of my home country. Entering in as an Asst. Prof. my responsibilities were to develop and teach a variety of courses from English teacher training…>
4 Reasons Your CV Could Be Ignored
Are you fed up with receiving rejection letters in your pursuit to step up the ladder of your academic career? It can be tempting to give up, or even take a change of direction, if you feel like your applications aren’t getting you anywhere. Take a look at these four reasons why your academic CV…>
Work in China – Country Profile
At just under 10 million square kilometres, China is the second-biggest country in the world by land area. In the times of the ancient dynasties, China was a leader in culture and science…
Collaboration, Co-operation and Contribution
Collaboration, cooperation and contribution are the necessary ingredients for a recipe of enriched learning, knowledge consolidation, and active participation in further and higher education. I often reflect on the ever-changing world of learning. Our educational institutions have become somewhat vast yet empty; popular yet disfavoured; necessary yet peripheral. Too often, educational institutions model students as…>
Finding A PhD Place In Europe
If you’re thinking of trying for a PhD in Europe, there are both European-wide and national issues to take into account. Since 1999, the “Bologna process”—an EU-wide attempt to make the widely divergent higher education systems in Europe work together—has been moving forward, leading to more mobility for students, researchers and academics. However, each nation…>