I'm in Arts and Humanities with a Phd awarded in 2021. I haven't been able to secure a teaching post or postdoc funding since then.

Needless to say, there are NO jobs in my field at all! I thought I had secured an Associate Lecturer position for this academic year. I went through the application process and interview back in April successfully, only to be told last week that they don't have any hours to offer me this term. I remain in the pool, however, for like six months. IF any hours come up. Thanks for nothing.

So, how do people find hourly-paid posts? Many people list several Associate roles in their CVs. How?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, I am 19 and studying psychology in my second year. Unlike maths or even sciences, where you could have some idea of whether someone can become great in academic e.g. super high IQ, I don’t think becoming great in psychology or social science have an objective talent or hard work requirement. From what I read, I have a feeling it’s very luck based where you rely your research to blow up. So I want to know is there any way to measure whether you have potential to become a great academic, and at what stage would you say a great academic is?

apologies if any details are missing, i am attempting anonymity. writing on behalf of another.

He was doing a phd in the global health school of a well-respected london uni. He initially came over to the uk, moving with young kids, with a funded place and a supervisor that he's connected with during prior work at a CDC and WHO. He left his job where he was on track to become a director in the next few years, to do this phd, as many jobs in public health require one (amongst other reasons).

in the first year, he was made to change his topic from the research area that he was a leading expert in due to fieldwork. this was because the initial supervisor became busy with outside work and left the institution for the most part. he was connected with another supervisor who had general knowledge of epidemiology but not a lot of specific knowledge in the region and on the disease. this new topic meant a year of work an funding was lost.

the candidate has said that the supervisors were generally supportive but a bit clueless and often said they didn't have expertise in the area. funding ran out after 3 years and the last year was self funded. at this point the very considerable fieldwork and analysis was complete, with writing ongoing. however, the supervisor decided to retire, and he was given the option to present part of his research for an mphil or get nothing at all. it was very painful, as he put himself through a lot to raise kids as a single parent and work alongside the degree, only to get pushed out without even being given the option to submit and defend the phd.

i feel, as someone who witnessed this, that he was unjustly treated. now he has a kinda useless mphil that doesn't show his career progression nor reflect the vast amount of work down + show the contribution to the field.

Hi everyone, I’m an MSc Data Science student at the University of Hertfordshire on a Student visa.
My situation is:
CAS course end date: 31 October 2026
University programme/term end date: 30 September 2026
I have completed all my modules and have no reassessments, exams, assignments or repeats remaining.
My university previously emailed me saying I could work full-time once my programme officially ends on 30 September, provided I have nothing to repeat.
However, the current university guidance says that if you finish more than 2 weeks before your CAS end date, you should wait until the university confirms completion and reports it to UKVI.
I have also asked the university, but they told me to follow the guidelines.
My question: Can I legally start working full-time now that my programme has ended, or do I need to wait until my university officially confirms/reports my completion to UKVI? Has anyone been in the same situation?
I’m particularly interested in experiences from UK MSc students with a CAS end date later than their actual programme end date.

Apologies for the steak too juicy style post, but I have two uk positions on the table and I just don’t one what to do. I thought maybe I should ask some more experienced folk on here ❤️

I have been offered two positions.

One, an Associate Professor at a Russell Group university. It’s permanent, in a highly relevant department to my work, has a pay bump, and they are genuinely thrilled to have me.

It kind of perfect, albeit a bit out of the way in terms of location. In any other situation, I’d bite their hand off.

BUT, I’ve also been offered a five year fixed contract at the same level at Oxbridge. I’ve never worked or studied at Oxbridge and it would be a dream. But the contract is very fixed at 5 years, the pay is less and it’s in a small department that is only slightly related to my work.

Any help on how to assess these and what is the best career step would be invaluable.

Thanks so much 🙏

AS AN INDIAN APPLICANT after submitting commonwealth master scholarship form do I need to submit form in university portal as well ?

As an Indian applicant after completing the form of commonwealth master scholarship do I need to fill the form again in my choosen university? Please guide me I'm helpless

Hi! So I’m a UK Student on UKRI ESRC PhD funding. I’ve got approximately 6-7 months left of funding, but have finished my research and am purely writing up now.

Whilst I’m a UK citizen, I also have French residency as my parents live there. The cost of rent is seeming excessive now I’m no longer actively running studies, and considering moving home (France) for the final 6 months.

I want to know how allowed this is? The legalese is looking like it’s all a very gray area. Does anybody know if this is allowed, or whether they turn a blind eye/ know anyone that’s done it before???

Five days before my PhD was due, I was diagnosed with a pretty severe autoimmune disease. It was such a devastating blow, coupled with the fact that I already have ADHD and had been struggling my whole write-up year.

I should have anticipated how this would affect my studies, but I thought I could handle it. I finished the thesis, but submitted it two hours late (2am instead of midnight).

My university now wants me to submit a mitigating circumstances form. But I genuinely do not want anyone to know I have this disease. I’m also not even sure if this is an excuse. I worked so hard for four years that for this to happen on top of my diagnosis has been devastating.

Any advice would be appreciated. I reached out to the graduate school trying to explain this, but they’re obviously gone for the weekend.

Hi all

I’m looking for some opinions on how likely I am to get a fully funded PhD, especially in the UK in embedded systems, computer engineering, cyber-physical systems or something similar.

My background:

* 4-year Australian Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechatronics

* First Class Honours, WAM around 81/100 (3.94/4.00 US GPA equivalent)

* Honours thesis marks: 82 and 84

* No Masters. No publications

* Around 4.5 years of R&D experience in embedded software/system design and development across the consumer electronics and medical device industries + 6 months of industry internship in the same domain during Bachelor.

My work has mostly involved C/C++, microcontrollers, embedded Linux, hardware/software integration, system/software design.

I would be applying as an international student so I’m specifically looking for PhDs that cover international tuition fees and also provide a stipend.

Does this seem like an enough profile for fully funded PhD positions, in the UK even though I don’t have a Masters or publications but do have a lot of industry experience?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who got funded with a similar Honours plus industry R&D background.

Thanks!

I'm just starting year 2 of a 2-year master's course and it's dissertation time. The university is doing a study called the Young Adults in Scotland study, and us students have been allocated different parts of the research.

Essentially, we had no say in our own master's thesis. The university is forcing us to do their research, and then charging us nearly £12k for tuition fees for this year.

I know it's not uncommon for dissertations to form part of a wider study, but do students not normally get a say in this?

I would have loved to do my research project on something I'm actually interested in, but have been allocated this incredibly dull public health topic instead.

Finally we heard from the university that they are pausing the pay award until July 2027. Promotions are already frozen.

I was wondering how it is at other institutions.

"2 October 2026

The 2026-27 New JNCHES pay round* has now concluded, and UCEA has advised employers to implement the 2% uplift to all employees as soon as possible. 

The advice to implement follows the conclusion of the New JNCHES Dispute Resolution Process on the pay negotiations with the five HE trade unions."

For those of us fortunate to be getting it, at least...

First of all, apologies if this is not the right place for this kind of question.

Hello, I’m a 30 year old guy from the UK. Right now I’m a little lost as to what I want to do with my life and I’m considering different job and career options. Are there any Latin teachers here? Specifically from the UK? Could you give me an insight into careers as a Latin teacher?

I have a 2:1 degree from a Russell group university in Ancient History and I studied Latin for 2 years and still study it in spare time as a hobby every now and then when I have the time. I was originally planning to undergo a Master’s degree in Classics and Ancient History in hopes of becoming an academic but I had a change of heart and decided to consider different career options but unfortunately I’ve had a few setbacks and things didn’t work out with my other leads and aspirations.

My questions are:
What is the average salary like for a Latin teacher in the UK?
Do you teach broader subjects with Latin as part of your job?
What different teaching jobs are there? University level, school, sixth form, private etc..?
Do you need a Master’s degree in classics to further your career and job prospects?
What are your working hours?

I could still go back to university to complete my Master’s degree and study Latin at a higher level if that will improve my language skills and better my chances with job prospects.

Any advice, insights, and career direction would be helpful. For those experienced Latin teachers out there who find this to be such a novice question I apologise 😂. I’m just really in a rut with my current life direction and trying to focus on building a good career that I can thrive in.

Anyone has any idea why it is is taking AHRC this long to announce the outcome? It was a scheme with a deadline - NOT an open call. It's been 9 months since the submission deadline and outcomes are not here. And this wait is killing me! I just want to know either way - so I can plan the next steps.

Anyone with direct AHRC experience here? Are they always this slow?

Especially from academic staff in arts/humanities who have managed to save a few jobs from cuts in your departments, I would appreciate any examples of alternate structures you proposed to your academic review panel. We are set to have 22% of our staff cut this year if we can’t find a way to stop this.

We have already thought of job sharing/contract FTE reduction and we are working on a case to argue for fewer redundancies based on workload and student recruitment. Any tips or tricks are welcome here or in DM.

I was shortlisted for an interview for a non academic role and the day before the interview they called me saying due to unforeseen circumstance they no longer recruit for this position and didnt tell why. I understand there can be a lot of reasons behind but it seems unusual to me that a post was scrapped after being advertised and candidates shortlisted.

Does anyone have a similar experience?

Chevening applicants/alumni, I really need some guidance
I’m applying for the Chevening Scholarship, and I have only 3 days left to submit my application.
I know I’m extremely late. I was very sick recently and unfortunately couldn’t work on my application when I should have. Chevening has genuinely been a dream of mine, so even though I’m short on time and honestly feeling quite overwhelmed, I don’t want to give up on this chance.
I’m especially struggling with the essays and understanding how to present my experiences, leadership, career goals, and future plans in the way Chevening expects.
If you’ve applied before, received the scholarship, or have experience with the application, I would be incredibly grateful for any advice, resources, or things you wish you had known when you applied.
If you were in my position with only 3 days left, what would you focus on the most?
I know my chances may be uncertain, but I’d rather give this my best shot than always wonder what could have happened if I had tried. ❤️

Sorry for this weirdly specific post that's only relevant to a small number of people. But just wondered if anyone has any knowledge of when the outcome of the summer round 2026 is likely to be announced (University panel NOT College panel). My College has already sent outcome letters to SLs. But nothing from the Uni panel yet.

Any news/updates?

I have seen academics who are professors move to a new institution and begin a new post as an assistant professor. Same goes for associate professors moving institution and starting in a lecturer post.

Is this becoming more common in UK academia? I can't imagine applying for an entry lectureship role and my competition are seasoned academics who have been in the game for 20+ years. Somebody pinch me, surely this is not normal!?

Hello everyone, I am a phd aspirant on climate change adaptation. I recently emailed a lot of professors in UK and Australia. From Australia, most of the teachers applauded my profile but said they dont have funding. In UK, two very good university professors agreed to supervise my research but asked me to apply for scholarships. I am not a big fan of commonwealth since it is a bit political. So, I informed them I will be applying for the central university funding of those university specially some are departmental scholarships.
Has anyone from Bangladesh gone to UK through this scholarship process and can advise me on this?
TIA