Early career researchers: ever thought about teaching in schools?

The dream may be to walk straight into a permanent lecturer post, but for many this is unrealistic. Zara Dinnen talks about her experience of working as a school PhD tutor. The academic dream may be to walk straight from a PhD into a permanent lecturer post, but the reality is that many PhD students and early career researchers (ECRs) find themselves looking outside universities for work.
In the final year of my PhD a colleague emailed me about The Brilliant Club (TBC), a non-profit organisation that helps to widen access to top universities for outstanding pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a PhD tutor at TBC, you go into secondary schools to deliver university-style tutorials to small groups of primary and secondary school pupils. You accompany students on university trips and talk to them about the university experience as a whole. Throughout the programme, you're trained, supported and encouraged to feel engaged in the working practices of the organisation. Read more...