PostDoc Discussion Forum

Hey,

I'm thinking of doing a PhD in Film and Television - only trouble is, I want to work in academia afterwards as a lecturer, but know that it's going to be seriously tough. Does anyone know roughly the likelihood of it happening, or have any advice?

Thanks

I would say this varies not only across fields (as pointed out above) but also across individual departments. There is a whole range of possibilities and probabilities out there!

My advice would be - unless the fact that getting a job after is tough really puts you off - go for it!

It might be worth looking at jobs.ac.uk to see what sort of jobs are available in your area and what exactly they are looking for. There are some research-orientated media / film departments but a lot of courses in your field seem more practically orientated and so industry experience and technical skills might be seen as beneficial too. And yes ToL is rightly pessimistic about the academic job market - you need a plan B like everyone else, so it's worth thinking about what you'd get out of a PhD irrespective of jobs and whether that really appeals to you. Also check into the reality of academia if you haven't already - many jobs are poorly paid / precarious and it's a long hours / high pressure field.