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[chezr2d2]

I am an asian PHD in a first-tier UK school with a well-known supervisor and hope to find a job in UK. I am intending to complete my degree before July. At this point, I only submited  4 application (too little?) and will do one more in UK. So, before submission I hope to know your guys comments.
The job I need to do only asked me to submit form, cv and cover letter
but I want to do one more thing is research and teaching statement to show my skill in research-led teaching performance.
do it or not? or how to do it in a better way?

Thanks so much for every comment. :)

[totoro]

4 applications is very little. I would follow instructions and submit what was requested. The cover letter can cover the key points you want to make.

[chezr2d2]

thanks if I do all these things:
CV + Cover = personal specialisation complete
Teaching and research interests = some philosphy related to school teaching direction, 2.5 years experience in higher ed, future teaching module,
how publication could benefit school's REF, future research plans, some on-going pojects (not phd), a trach record of funding and award.

anything else, I should add in? many thanks

yes... shame... I only applied 4
cos the job market in my field is so thin... and I don't apply US jobs, only UK + HK so that's the result... and this post is the only opening I can see in my field at this moment..... so is it actually no so-called hiring season in UK? as ususally US has.... cheers

[chezr2d2]

Hi again, if they are hiring a lecturer for a permanent term, should I mention that my publication would be protentially benefit the department's REF score ? and I am in the field of Asian studies, the publications are in Chinese, is it okay to be counted?

[cranefly]

It's unlikely that a Chinese publication would count for much in the REF. Venues (journals, publishers) have rankings, and unless the place you've published is officially ranked (and ranked well) it's not worth much.
There are so very few jobs now, and the jobs available get stellar applicants. I think you will find that your chances of finding work are slim unless you get a lot more quality publications out.

Also, this is an academic forum. Please use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.

[chezr2d2]

Thank you so much for your advice. :)

[totoro]

I am at an interdisciplinary school in Australia where Asian studies (economics and policy though) is a big part of what we do. We are in a larger school where culture/language is a big part too. Stuff published in journals in China in Chinese wouldn't count for us, unfortunately. Maybe one day there will be strong journals published in Chinese etc. But not now. Maybe this is different in the language/culture/history side of Asian studies. So you need to apply for far more jobs (and why not apply in Australia/NZ, Singapore etc?) and have publications in English.

[mingus]

Dear chezr2d2: You should definitely apply for whatever lecturing jobs there are out there, and, as has been pointed out, you will need more (quite a bit more) than 4 applications.   

From what I have been able to gather (from this and your other thread), here's  the best advice I have to give: focus on looking for a postdoc (or similar position), in the UK or elsewhere.    That will give you the  time to notch up a few more publications, polish your communication skills, etc. 

[chezr2d2]

Thanks mingus and totoro.

I asked some former PhDs they said they had only done 10-15 applications last year, as the job market in our field is so thin. I am intending to apply 10 positions totally (hopefully more openings will be coming soon). I was also thinking of post doc, but at the moment I hope to build my teaching portfilio. About the publication, as I completed my PhD in three years, it may be too harsh for me to work my master thesis into an article and get it printed in English. Anyway, I did it. I will send a revised version of my master research to a US peer-reviewed journal soon.

Many thanks again. I will try my best!

[totoro]

15 is nearer the number you need. In my experience I found for every 5 applications I made I got at least a phone interview and it required about 5 interviews to get a job. If you are in a more oversupplied field or have a weaker track record (I had about 5 journal articles when I finished my US PhD in geography) it will be harder and you'll need more applications, ceteris paribus. My first job was a post-doc in the UK (I was born in the UK).

[chezr2d2]

Many thanks for your kind advice. I am in the field of literature/culture. Maybe you have heard that Phds have been overproduced in my field or/and humanities. I am a bit confused with the use of publications sometime, (of course, generally speaking I still believe that it is the most convincing item) because I also heard some former students offered a post without any publications. Anyway, I will try my best.

[cranefly]

Unless you're specifically applying to a teaching-focused school, publications will get you a job 99 times out 100 compared to teaching experience.

[mingus]

You are intent on pursuing a career in academia but are "confused with the use of publications"?   Hmmm.  A postdoc (more publications, better communication skills, etc.) is a step towards getting a lecturing position, but you'd rather focus on building your teaching portfolio?  (Where?  How?)   

Have a chat with your PhD supervisor.

[totoro]

In my field (economics) it is possible for graduates of the top US schools to get good jobs without publications, though more and more of them are published. But all of them have draft papers. The publication process is just so slow at the top journals.

[britmom]

Hmm, am I correct in believing that you're in the Humanities? If so, I'm not sure postdoc's will be of any help at all. They tend to be very competitive and research-focussed. It seems to me that your best chance of getting a job is either as a Research Assistant (to someone with a big grant), or a temporary teaching post (usually a 9 month appointment as a replacement for someone on research leave.) Perhaps I'm missing something here, though?