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[mock_turtle]

The moment the RAE census date for being in post passed, our dean mused upon new criteria for promotion to senior lecturer.  What he is proposing is roughly double the usual quantity of publications for UK SL promotion or US tenure review.  The message I took from this is that we are not going to promote anyone until the RAE results are in, and maybe not even then.  I now regret not having applied for various UK posts last year, but I was preoccupied with getting a new research project started.

I was so annoyed by this that I sent in a couple of applications for senior posts in the US.  I grew up and was an undergrad there and have spent a few visting gigs in the US in the past decade, but I did my PhD over here and have only really worked here.  I then realized that I know nothing about how the job search works in the US, and so I discovered the CHE fora, which have been very useful.  I am beginning to wonder whether this is the solution, though.  I moved to Europe about 15 years ago with a single suitcase; now I have a wife, 2 kids and a house.  The thought of moving back is pretty scary ... 

[expatinuk]

Welcome Mock Turtle. First of all don't be totally frightened of a move across the pond. Secondly worry about the details of the move when you get a job offer.

I'm sorry that you are having RAE difficulties.

[qrypt]

Just remember there are idiot deans in the US as well.

[august_leo]

Have you talked to your chair to check this is really going to happen?

Don't be afraid to move. My mom moved me to an EU country where we didn't speak the language when I was growing up and I can't imagine our lives if we hadn't done that (in a good way :) ).

[science_expat]

How much influence does the Dean have on the promotion criteria?

Here they are determined by a central committee.

[mock_turtle]

My dept. chair is very nice and thinks the dean is just a bit muddled.  I don't think that's the case.  He may be evil, but he is not clueless.  I don't know whether he will be successful in getting the promotion criteria changed, but it does send a message to those of us who would be thinking of applying for promotion this year.  And yes, evil deans are everywhere, but the reason I am thinking of the USA is that I don't expect any interesting jobs to come up in the UK until the effects of the next RAE report are felt.

[the_walrus]

The advice given elsewhere on this board has been that you're unlikely to be able to convince a US institution to hire you with tenure coming from the UK as a lecturer, but instead need already to be at SL.  So, are you interested in going pre-tenure?

Given some of the insane tenure decisions I've seen even at good US institutions, I think I stick with the idiot UK dean.  Better an idiot UK dean that won't promote you (but can't fire you) than an idiot US one...  Of course, if you get an offer to go with tenure, then all bets are off.

[expatinuk]

The advice given elsewhere on this board has been that you're unlikely to be able to convince a US institution to hire you with tenure coming from the UK as a lecturer, but instead need already to be at SL.  So, are you interested in going pre-tenure?

Given some of the insane tenure decisions I've seen even at good US institutions, I think I stick with the idiot UK dean.  Better an idiot UK dean that won't promote you (but can't fire you) than an idiot US one...  Of course, if you get an offer to go with tenure, then all bets are off.

Just to add a note here about tenure in the US. It's extremely difficult for even someone at the SL/Associate Professor rank to move WITH tenure. They may put you on a 'fast track' to tenure at your new place... 1-2 years... which in effect serve as your probationary period, but they don't really want to get 'stuck' if you suck.

[mock_turtle]

Thanks for the warnings about tenure.  I probably could not convince the wife to move over there unless I'm offered something permanent.  One of the job ads mentions the possibility of appointment at associate with tenure.  But I suppose they may well require one to have been through the process already at another US institution.  We shall see ...