To lecture or not to lecture… that is the question

A few years ago, my future was simple. Get a PhD, become a lecturer, do lots of research, publish lots.

Then I got the PhD, the academic job market tightened up, the University of Bristol decided to shut down the undergrad Deaf Studies degree… and I found myself traipsing round the temping agencies with a CV in hand looking for a job, any job…

Now, I have a job… which pays the bills. But it has (almost) nothing to do with my ‘real’ work which I started (before) during my PhD. And I’m hankering to get back to that.

The easiest way in seems to be to apply for a lectureship.

But – and here’s the question – will a lectureship actually give me any more time than I get at the moment for research?

I’ve recently been doing some consultancy work at another (essentially, a teaching) university – where the staff complain that they don’t get time for research. Speaking to colleagues who are also in a ‘junior lecturer’ position, they don’t get much time for research or writing.

I’ve also just finished the endless round of exam preparation, marking, scrutineering, exam board meetings etc. for a single undergrad course that I taught last year. Certainly, if I were teaching more than 2 or three courses, there would be little time there to do much substantive research and/or publication.

I’m dying to get back into academic work if I can. But that, for me, involves at least a portion of research time. Simply becoming a jobbing teacher would not be good enough.

So, is it better to be in the academic field, not there yet but at least working in the right direction? Or is it better to attempt to get there by other means?

At this point in my life, I just don’t know!