PGR/ECR Careers Training Day
British Association of Victorian Studies
University of Warwick, England
June 18, 2018
What can you do with a PhD in Victorian or nineteenth-century studies? Plenty of things, including – but by no means limited to – an academic career!
Undertaking a PhD is an enriching but exhausting experience. Deciding what to do afterwards can be another challenge, especially when contending with the realities of the academic job market, or if you’re unsure whether an academic career is for you.
To support PGRs and ECRs through this stage, the British Association of Victorian Studies will be holding a careers training day aimed at scholars of the Victorian period and long-nineteenth century to be held at the University of Warwick on Monday the 18th June.
This event is tailored to address the needs of PGRs and ECRs (from any institution, UK or beyond, and affiliated or unaffiliated) who wish to pursue careers either within or outside traditional academic paths. The need for specialised training has been emphasised by a recent Vitae report ‘One Size Does not Fit All’.
It found that many PGRs and ECRs in the Arts and Humanities wish to pursue professional development training but feel underserved by available options.
Such training is especially necessary in light of the fact more than half of Arts and Humanities doctoral graduates go on to have a career outside of Higher Education within three years of graduation.
Consequently, the report advocates for a cultural shift in which Arts and Humanities researchers are actively encouraged to undertake discipline-appropriate professional training and career planning from an early stage.
The day will begin with a keynote address by Dr Naomi Paxton, a researcher, writer, performer and AHRC/BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinker 2014-15 who has worked at Parliament and for the BBC as well as within academia.
She will draw on her extensive and diverse experiences inside and outside of academia to provide a stimulating talk celebrating the multi-faceted value of doctoral study.
For PhD students and ECRs who are interested in pursuing an academic career (strand A), the rest of the day will provide guidance on applying and interviewing for jobs in the UK, as well as special sessions on writing fellowship applications, and applying for jobs and working in HE abroad.
The training will be delivered by University of Warwick staff, including members of academic staff from a range of disciplines who work predominantly on the nineteenth century and the Victorian period as well as the University of Warwick’s Careers Service personnel.
The day will also feature a dedicated strand of training for PGRs and ECRs interested in working in alternative or adjacent fields to academia (strand B). The University of Warwick’s Careers Service will provide focused workshops that will equip those wishing to develop strategies to move into new sectors.
Attendees will also receive additional insights and inspiration from a roundtable of post-PhD Victorian and nineteenth-century scholars employed outside of academia, working in a diverse range of fields.
The day will conclude with a session focusing on maintaining robust mental health during the search for permanent employment.
Cost: £15.
Support for this day has been provided by: the British Association for Victorian Studies; Cardiff University’s School of English, Communication and Philosophy; the University of Warwick’s Centre for Arts Doctoral Research Excellence; the University of Warwick’s English and Comparative Literary Studies department;
and the South West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership.
Provisional Programme
9.30 – 10.00
Registration
10.00 – 11.00
Plenary Session: Keynote Address by Dr Naomi Paxton
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee and Networking
11.30 – 12.30
1A: Roundtable on Applying for Academic Jobs
1B: Roundtable on Alternative or Adjacent Academic Careers
12.30 – 1.30
Lunch
1.30 – 2.30
2A: Workshop on Crafting Fellowship Applications
2B: Workshop on Identifying Transferable Skills and Alternative Careers
2.30 – 3.30
3A: Workshop on Academia Abroad
3B: Workshop on Non-Academic CVs and Non-Academic Job Interviews
3.30 – 4.00
Coffee and Networking
4.00 – 4.45
Plenary Session: Mental Health while Job Searching
To attend, please register by the 1st of June. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the event organisers Dr Jen Baker (Warwick), Dr Catherine Paula Han and Lucy Whitehead (Cardiff) at: bavscareersday@gmail.com