Summary
Using this Toolkit
Who is this toolkit for?
This toolkit is designed for colleagues who are currently employed on fixed term contracts, or who are likely to enrol on fixed term or otherwise precarious contracts within UK-based higher education (HE) geography departments.
What is the purpose of the toolkit?
In our recent report, we describe how academic precarity concerns “employment conditions that do not enable the living of a fulfilling life and which prevent employees from planning for the future” (Participant, States of Precarity Survey, 2023). Precarity was therefore shown to affect a wide range of academic colleagues, from across career stages. The report contains resources for addressing different forms of precarity, targeting its causes and felt effects.
However, it is clear that colleagues on fixed term contracts are especially vulnerable to precarious working conditions, and may experience precarity in distinct ways. This toolkit - requested by current PhD students and colleagues on fixed term contracts - is intended to be an accessible resource that outlines important considerations for navigating life during different stages of a fixed term contract and provides a series of tips shared by geographers who have experienced similar situations. It is based on data gathered as part of The States of Precarity research project, which surveyed colleagues who were navigating precarious employment conditions in UK Higher Education (HE) geography.
The advice and suggestions outlined in this resource are not universal, nor do any of its recommendations constitute legal advice. Rather, it simply constitutes a compilation of suggestions and recommendations based on colleagues’ current and past experiences. While the guidance and tips enclosed have been helpful to some people, we appreciate that they may not be useful, evenly accessible or applicable to all readers and their institutional contexts.
For example, many of our respondents reflected on their intersectional experiences, sharing how disability, energy limiting health conditions, visa status, and caring responsibilities compounded challenges for navigating fixed-term contracts. These challenges ranged from pressure to conform to notions of idealised academics, navigating repeated relocations, or to feeling unable or unwilling to invest in new relationships and social networks. We therefore recognise that the diversity of people’s situations and experiences may mean that colleagues find themselves unable or unwilling to pursue some of the actions outlined here.
How is the toolkit organised?
The toolkit is organised into sections that address different stages or periods in the life of a fixed term contract. These are:
How was the toolkit made?
This toolkit is an evolving document that has been informed by colleagues’ responses to the 2024/25 States of Precarity survey. It reflects the experiences and contributions of 364 colleagues from across the higher education geography sector but has the capacity to incorporate further insights as they are submitted by users. If you would like to provide feedback, or offer your own suggestions, please email us at statesofprecarity@googlemail.com
1. Approaches to Applying for Jobs
Before we begin...
In this section, we present advice shared by survey respondents concerning how to review career options and locate job opportunities. However, it is worth first noting that the academic job market is competitive and the challenges of entering and remaining in academia are not experienced equally1, and not all of the advice shared here may fit your situation. Academia can also cause many of us to doubt ourselves and our worth, and thinking about career planning (especially amidst precarity) can be deeply stressful and exhausting. As you start searching for employment, try to remember that you are already a skilled and accomplished person. You may hold a PhD (or are nearing the completion of one) and you likely have a wide range of skills, experiences and accomplishments.
1 Sectoral insecurity and academic precarity impact ‘freedoms to choose’ in uneven ways that necessitate intersectional attention.
Tips for considering your options and finding career opportunities
Academic careers
If you are interested in pursuing or continuing an academic career, there are several things you can do to assess your options, depending on your position and career stage.
Looking for opportunities
Regularly check relevant websites, email listservs, and online networks for job opportunities (e.g. www.jobs.ac.uk - try using both general and specific search terms, Times Higher Education UniJobs, sign up to emails from relevant Royal Geographical Society Research Groups and wider networks, Critical Geography Forum is also a UK-based email listserv where users often share employment opportunities).
Exploring redeployment and internal opportunities
If you are already employed by an institution and have a line manager, it is worth reaching out to them to ask for information about any relevant institutional policies on redeployment and/or potential opportunities for continued employment. You could also try reaching out to your head of department/school. While not always possible, universities have a duty to support staff whose contracts are ending in finding suitable alternative employment within the institution. There may also be employment opportunities within the university but outside of research or teaching.
Seeking mentor support
If you are already at an institution and have a mentor, make sure you request time to talk to them about your next steps, including career aspirations and options or any research projects you may be interested in developing. If you don’t have a mentor, consider reaching out to a trusted academic friend or colleague (if you have one) for informal mentorship, asking to discuss the topics above. Mentors may be able to offer forms of support beyond your institution’s career support and/or staff training programmes. This may include support in skills such as academic CV writing and preparing postdoctoral fellowship applications. Try to be as direct as possible with them about your situation (e.g. visa restrictions, geographical restrictions). If you are thinking about developing a fellowship bid, it is similarly worth speaking to mentors or trusted academic peers about available funding schemes in your field, possible co-investigators, and for input on your proposal drafts.
If you are still in the process of completing your PhD, your supervisor may be willing to provide mentorship. You could initiate a discussion with them about when the right time might be to start applying for jobs, how you might approach this, and for which kinds of roles or positions. Some universities also offer free coaching services which may provide similar forms of support.
Connecting with your research group lead or head of research
If you are already working within an institution and are interested in extending your employment by applying for external fellowships based on an independent research project, why not ask for a meeting with either the head of your research group, or your department/school’s head of research? You can ask them for advice on funding schemes, about the forms of support available for developing your proposals, and whether your institution holds any examples of successful past applications. Remember that any application that you submit, successful or otherwise, can be mentioned in job applications as evidence of engagement with the funding process and demonstrate that you are actively pursuing your own independent research.
Exploring diverse academic career paths and experiences
There are many pathways to a permanent academic contract. For example, some geographers in our survey entered a permanent position following their PhD. More often, however, colleagues first completed one or more research fellowships or teaching-focused positions. Others entered academia following a period of employment in a non-academic industry. A common observation across the survey was that speaking to colleagues from across career stages about their academic trajectories was a useful experience.
Knowing your rights
If you are a member of the University College Union (UCU) and have been on successive fixed-term contracts at your institution, consider consulting and/or seeking Union guidance related to successive fixed term contracts and permanency. The UCU also provides a range of guidance around ‘knowing your rights’ and the ‘ending of a fixed-term contract’. If you are a UCU member, it may also be worth contacting your local UCU branch to determine if they have any hardship, solidarity, or bridging funds that may offer some temporary financial support whilst job searching. Further UCU resources can be found at the end of this toolkit.
Careers beyond the academy
It might not appear this way, but many geographers leave academia and lead successful and fulfilling careers. Whilst recent decades have seen considerable growth in the number of people receiving PhDs, the number of academic jobs has not risen to accommodate this growth. The skills developed through PhDs are in demand by employers, but we rarely receive sufficient support to think about how our skills and experiences may be translated into opportunities in other sectors. There is also a wider stigma around pursuing alternative career paths. As one respondent noted, we need to work towards “creating a culture where leaving academia is not a failure”. While the wider UK job market has its own challenges, especially for marginalised groups and visa holders, it may be worth exploring non-academic career pathways to see what might be available.
Searching for non-academic jobs
Searching online for resources using terms such as ‘alt ac’ (alternative academic) can help in highlighting professional roles that utilise research skills both in and beyond the academy. Alongside useful guidance on understanding, preparing, getting started and ‘going alt-ac’, examples of active and supportive ‘alt ac’ communities include the ‘AltAc Careers - Leaving Academia’ Facebook group. Consider also consulting the Royal Geographical Society’s career resources related to ‘using Geography’ beyond the academy and developing your career. In addition to advertising UK-based academic roles, jobs.ac.uk also includes listings for jobs across a range of sectors.
Seeking support from your institution
Most universities have an active career service division. If you are already based in an institution, have a look at what they offer and consider arranging a meeting with a career advisor. You can also reach out and ask if they offer guidance on writing non-academic CVs and preparing for interviews. Some institutions may also offer longer-term support for former students and staff, meaning it may be possible to draw on resources from previous institutions, if needed.
Seeking inspiration from peers and mentors
While many senior academics have limited industry experience, they may still have useful ideas or contacts related to alt-ac career paths relevant to your area of research. If you have friends, colleagues, or former colleagues who occupy senior roles, you could ask them about the career paths of previous PhD candidates or postdocs, what they consider to be particularly relevant industries or roles, as well as support in developing a list/record of the kinds of transferable skills you have accrued on your academic journey.
Tips for seeking feedback and support
2. Ways to Prepare for Starting a New Job
Congratulations - you have been offered a job! Whether fixed term or permanent, this is a great achievement. Now on to the next step: navigating the period between the job offer and the start of your contract. This can involve considerable legwork and navigating a sea of emotions, so is worth giving the following topics and issues some consideration.
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