Careers Interview #5: The Head of Durham’s Anthropology Department and a senior economics lecturer

The Head of Durham’s Anthropology Department and a senior economics lecturer talk to Vision about their careers in academia.

1.What does your job actually involve?

Anthropology: As head of department I’m responsible for all aspects of the department. I have to prepare work programs as well as supervise 35 academic staff, 9-10 administrative support staff, 7-8 post-doctorates, 70 PHD students and over 600 undergraduate students.

Economics: I am teacher and a researcher. That means designing programs of learning for students and seminar programs, choosing areas of study and what books the course will include. The challenging part is condensing and selecting information in a way that appeals to students. Due to the seniority of my position I am culpable if my modules receive bad marks. Rather than simply recycling the same material year out, we have to adapt it based on where students succeeded and failed and factors external to the course.

2.What previous jobs have you had?

 A: I had a number of part time teaching jobs during my PHD which I completed in 1984. My first proper job was as a researcher looking at the costs and effectiveness of conciliation procedures in divorce and separation. This was followed by other research job looking at the impact of divorce and separation on housing, domestic violence and fathers after divorce.

In 1991 I got a lectureship position in Anthropology at Durham, moving away from the social policy research I’d been involved in over the past 8 years and back to my PHD research I’d undertaken in Sri Lanka.

E: I’ve been an academic since the age of 25. Before my degree I worked as a stats assistant and I’ve done chunks of time working with central banks and consultancy firms.

3.What qualifications do you have?

A: I went to an inner city comprehensive where kids didn’t really go to university- only two from my school. I took 3 A levels and got a C in maths and a D in chemistry. I also took General Studies, which didn’t really count at the time. I was lucky that there was more of a focus on aptitude and potential than obtaining 3 As when I was going through the system.

Even so, my grades were no-where near good enough to get onto an Anthropology course so I had to manage to get onto a general science degree through an interview. After the first year I changed course to Anthropology honours.

Universities can no longer take a chance on people in this way and there’s no room to acknowledge that the people with the best grades may not be the best option. In Anthropology at least, someone with a unique cultural heritage may be more adept to the course despite lacking the relevant qualifications.

E: A PHD in economics and a B and a D in maths and economics at A level. My university life was split between Durham and Newcastle for my degree and PHD respectively. Moving universities during the course of my higher education made for an invaluable experience. We wouldn’t encourage a student to stay in the same institution if a viable alternative is available.

5.Is it what you expected?

A: I didn’t really expect anything as it was never really a plan for me. Basically, I really liked being in Durham, had experience in Anthropology and so a teaching job within the city made sense. The thing with a CV is that it makes sense retrospectively, but you can’t see that linear progression at the time.

One of the main factors in taking my studentship to Sri Lanka was so I wouldn’t have to worry about work for three years.

E: I don’t really remember. I feel the decision to go into academia was made for me. I was applying for a job, asked a lecturer for a reference and he said I’d be bored in 6 months and that I should do a PHD instead. I suppose I tumbled into it.

6.What is the best aspect of your job?

A: The best aspect of being an academic is having the freedom to explore your interests.

Has this become more so as you’ve become more senior?

A: No. As I’ve become more senior this freedom’s been nibbled away in some senses. For example, I really like working with students. I enjoy establishing a rapport, finding out what they want to do and I really get a buzz out of that. But I get this less and less.

E: The pleasure of seeing students graduate and knowing I’ve played a part on them- a quiet pleasure.

7.What is the worst aspect?

A: Being tied up in bureaucracy, despite its importance. There is a debate about the extent of work academics should be doing in certain aspects of bureaucracy. It’s a business in itself which relies on changing external circumstances. A big issue recently is the £9000 fees. Before there was a mutual understanding that you(students) leave us alone and we leave you alone, but now 4 hours of contact time a week seems poor value for money.

The solution isn’t as simple as adding more hours to the average timetable. Academics already work long hours, often 70 a week, many of which are unpaid preparation and marking. It’s a demanding job but one you’re prepared to do for the intellectual and organizational freedom.

E: Beaurocracy and the times one feels one is not being treated as a professional.

8.What kind of person generally succeeds in your industry?

A: There’s the kind of person you’d like to think succeeds, and then there’s the person who actually succeeds. The one you’d want is creative, offers different perspectives and has a solid value core and the ability to get students thinking. What we now see is a system that measures how many firsts people get; a bench mark that doesn’t always correlate to how much people know and requires a different kind of academic. The problem universities are grappling with is juggling the notion of students as the monetary bounty, a notion that requires giving them an enjoyable experience, and giving a challenging experience they may like less.

E: The focused, strong researchers who find their niche for publication.

9.What advice would you give to someone looking to get into your line of work?

A: A piece of advice someone gave to me, and I’ve never been able to live by myself, is to figure out what you want to do and follow it with a white heat of intensity. If you can have that kind of spiritual connection with something and forget about the car, the house and the salary, everything else will fall into place.

E: Don’t.(joke)