Post-PhD life: dealing with the transition

Dr Jessica M. Keady, FHEA, is a Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. In today's post, she reflect upon dealing with the transition of finishing a PhD and entering the academic job market, offering some great tips along the way. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaMKeady 

After graduating with my PhD in Religions and Theology from The University of Manchester in 2015, I was offered the chance to teach the undergraduate module on ‘Biblical Hebrew’ at the University of Chester’s, Department of Theology and Religious Studies as a Visiting Lecturer. That was an opportunity that changed many things for me – I could teach a language for the first time, I had my own students from the beginning of an academic year to the end, I was able to really see first-hand the administrative responsibilities relating to an undergraduate module, and it was a chance for me to really get an understanding of what teaching at Higher Education level meant. That opportunity transpired into a wonderful 17 months at the Department, where I could take on a variety of opportunities: I was able to work as Researcher in Biblical Studies and Gender, to teach on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, to work on a recently funded project on Sexuality and Anglican Identities, and to be a part of a wonderful team of lecturers and researchers. Alongside my work at the Department, I was also editing my first monograph for publication, completing my Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (which I could do through the University of Chester), and I was also completing a Level 3 Counselling Skills course at a local college.

Postdoctoral Life: From Wales to Helsinki (and Back Again!)

In February 2017, following a successful postdoctoral proposal/application, I was offered a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the University of Helsinki’s Centre of Excellence in Sacred Texts and Traditions (CSTT), to work on the Dead Sea Scrolls and gender. The post is until the end of 2019 and it was an opportunity that I could not turn down. I turned up to Helsinki on February 28^th with a suitcase of clothes to last me a month, my laptop, and the support of my family and partner in North Wales to go and enjoy the experiences.

Helsinki is a wonderful place and the support at the University was instant. Since I started at the CSTT, I have been given some wonderful opportunities: I have presented my postdoctoral work to colleagues; I have taken part in a variety of workshops, including ‘Social-Scientific Theorizing and Biblical Studies’; I have attended and presented at my first CSTT Annual Meeting on Tradition at the beautiful Zoological Station of Tvärminne in Hanko; I have been accepted to present papers in London, Berlin and Boston; I have met some wonderful colleagues from around the world; and I have felt like part of a team.

In the summer (2017), I was offered a full-time, permanent lectureship in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. I started my new role in September and will get the opportunity to teach on Judaism at Undergraduate and Postgraduate Level, which I am really looking forward to. I am very much looking forward to continue my postdoctoral research and write up my second monograph.

 Publications and Certificates

Alongside the transition to being a Postdoctoral Researcher, my first monograph has been published with Bloomsbury Press and that really was a wonderful feeling to have the book in hand that I had worked so hard for.

After successfully completing my Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, I am now also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am particularly proud of that accomplishment as it was a challenging task to manage all other duties, alongside the work needed to pass the course.

What I have learnt about myself since finishing my PhD is that:

1.    I have a very supportive family

2.    I still want to be an academic

3.    I value being a part of a team

4.    I like a challenge

Post-PhD Preparation

Going back to the spring of 2014, the funding for my PhD was rapidly coming to an end and the ever-looming fear of ‘What am I going to do next?’ was seriously becoming a reality, so I started planning for my post-PhD life about 6 months before my thesis deadline. Although every persons’ journey is different, I took the following steps to begin to think of a life post-PhD.

·        Networking: For me, networking involved such activities as being present in research seminars in and outside of my own university, presenting papers, attending conferences, building up a social media profile, making links via email or in person with potential colleagues, and talking about my research project. To this day, there are academics that I met during my PhD who I am very much still in touch with and can work, collaborate and draw guidance from. 

·     Teaching Observation: I organised teaching observation at another University so that I could observe the teaching style, content and methods of lecturers working across different modules in the discipline of Theology and Religious Studies.

·       Post-PhD Project: Although it seems like a very difficult task to think of another project separate to the one that you are currently working on, having a postdoctoral research idea in mind is a powerful tool. It allows you to think of your life away from your doctorate and to begin to imagine what it is that you would like your wider research profile to look like.

·       Working outside academia: While waiting for my Viva and subsequent graduation, I worked in a behavioural unit in a local secondary school. I learnt a great deal about myself and about student behaviours and the range of specific learning difficulties that students’ experience. I also took an Introduction to Counselling Skills Course at a local college. Whilst working in the unit, I could take some time out of the PhD bubble and reflect on what I really wanted and the post reaffirmed to me my drive to teach and research in Higher Education.

What advice would I give to those beginning to think of a post-PhD life:

1.       Celebrate your achievements

2.       Embrace challenging opportunities

3.       Draw on the networks that you have built during your research

4.       Take time out when you need it