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Who is a Lecturer?
Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire ~ W.B. Yeats
A lecturer is a professional who teaches at colleges and universities. Lecturers deliver detailed lessons, clarify doubts, simplify complex concepts, and help students with their development. The individual handles undergraduate and postgraduate classes, assigns coursework, and does evaluations. Student mentorship is another responsibility that a lecturer should take care of.
Lecturer in a Nutshell
A lecturer teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students in colleges or universities, develops course materials, and evaluates students’ performance. A lecturer also looks into academic research, publishes scholarly work, and provides mentorship. Some academic tasks require attention, such as curriculum planning and departmental coordination. Generally, a master’s degree or a PhD, along with research experience, is also required.
Quick Facts for Lecturer
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Industry
Education
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Average Salary in India
₹42750
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Suitable for
Male, Female, Others
Anyone, regardless of gender, can become a lecturer. Anyone can pursue this profession, regardless of gender identity.
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Any special needs
Yes
Individuals with diverse special needs can pursue this career. Individuals need to have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Lecturers are also required to conduct research and document and publish their findings for academic publications.
Table of Contents for Lecturer
What is the role of Lecturer?
Individuals in the lecturer profession overseas student study projects, such as master's or doctoral dissertations and final-year undergraduate projects. To help the department obtain funding from external sources for a variety of research initiatives, they conduct research, develop, and prepare offers and proposals.
A lecturer is responsible for planning the content to provide lectures and tutorials to students.
The role of a lecturer is to stay involved in conducting research and contributing to academic publications.
He or she is responsible for developing research agendas for academic grants.
A lecturer is responsible for contributing to curriculum revisions, course and degree requirements.
A lecturer is often required to provide consultation to academic boards, committees and councils.
Types of a Lecturer
There are various types of lecturers based on different specifications like skills, experience, expertise, and knowledge. This may include guest lecturer, part-time lecturer, head lecturer, and others. In this section, we have discussed the types of lecturer professions.
Guest Lecturer: A guest lecturer is a professional who delivers lectures on his or her area of expertise and takes one or two classes. A guest lecturer is not usually an academician. He or she may be a working professional in any other industry who possesses immense knowledge.
Contractual Lecturer: A contractual lecturer is basically a full-time lecturer employed on a contract basis. The duration of his or her service may vary depending on the requirements of educational institutions. He may teach his subject of expertise or may also teach two or more subjects at a time.
Part-Time Lecturer: A part-time lecturer does not deliver lectures on a full-time basis. He or she can complete the curriculum by providing lectures on an hourly basis. He or she usually gets paid depending on the number of hourly lectures he or she delivers in the academic institution.
What is the workplace/work environment of Lecturer like?
Lecturers usually work in classrooms or lecture halls. They also work in research that should be documented for academic publication. Lecturers play an important role in contributing to scholarly work.
Does Lecturer require travelling?
Likely
Individuals in the lecturer profession are required to attend meetings with other faculty members and academic staff. They are often required to travel for research purposes.
Employment Shifts
Full Time, Part Time
When it comes to work schedule, it can vary. In modern times, the work setting is also flexible, as in some lecturers teach through online mode. They are employed in full-time, part-time, and even on a contractual basis by educational institutes.
Employment Nature
Contractual, Permanent
The lecturers employed on a contractual basis have similar responsibilities as permanent lecturers. But the duration of their services in the institution is contractual, it could be for two months or two years. Individuals in the lecturer profession are paid lesser than permanent lecturers.
Work Place
universities
In career as lecturer, individuals deliver lectures in a university setting. They may often be required to travel for research purposes. Lecturers may conduct his or her research in the laboratory. Individuals in the lecturer profession are also required to attend meetings with the board of education and faculty members.
Presence in Geographical Area
Semi-urban, Urban
Most universities and educational institutions are situated at urban or semi-urban locations.
Time Pressure
Likely
There is a lot of pressure to complete the curriculum on time and provide timely assignments to students for their evaluation. Those who are into research are required to submit research proposals within the deadlines to receive the research grant from the academic institution.
Overtime Details
Individuals who opt for a career as a lecturer are often required to work extended hours and deliver lectures on extra classes to ensure timely completion of the syllabus and students are not left with any doubts.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 35 Hours
Individuals in the lecturer profession work a minimum of 35 hours per week. Their working hours may often get stretched due to research activities.
How to become a Lecturer?
Steps to become a Lecturer
If you enjoy teaching and sharing knowledge, then a career as a lecturer is both respected and rewarding. For those who are interested in becoming a lecturer, we have given the key steps to help you understand how to become a lecturer in India.
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Lecturer?
An individual in the career of a lecturer requires a variety of skills like Interpersonal skills, Industry expertise, Pedagogy skills, empathy, and others. Here, in this section, we have discussed some of the skills required in a career as a lecturer.
Teaching skills: In a career as a lecturer, individuals must be familiar with public speaking as he or she has to deliver lectures among a whole class of students. This class size may vary from 30-60 students in general. The lecturer must be comfortable with teaching such large crowds.
Pedagogy skills: Individuals who opt for a career as a lecturer have to develop an academic curriculum for various undergraduate and postgraduate courses. If you are wondering how to become a lecturer, then you should focus on these particular skills. They add various chapters required in the curriculum to upgrade the skills of students.
Interpersonal skills: A lecturer must possess interpersonal management skills to manage various tasks along with providing lectures to students. This helps in maintaining good relationship with the students and understanding them to help them on various academic and daily life issues.
Industry expertise: A lecturer must be aware of the functioning of the academic industry. If you are wondering how to become a lecturer, then you should focus on these particular skills. He or she must know about various academic progressive roles offered by universities in the industry.
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Lecturer?
We have mentioned below certifications that individuals may opt for who want to establish a career as a lecturer. If you want to know how to become a lecturer in India, then read the entire article.
Internship Availability
Several universities have made it mandatory for PhD students to teach students and deliver lectures to undergraduate students as per their academic curriculum. We can say PhD students get to teach and train themselves during their academic years.
Lecturer Jobs and Salaries
Junior Lecturer
Contractual/Permanent
- Average Salary 27000
Job Description
A junior lecturer is required to take up teaching responsibilities such as lesson planning, checking answer sheets and in some cases assisting a senior lecturer in their classes. They also identify students who need help academically and help them catch up with their studies.
Salary Description
Salary of junior lecturers depends on several factors such as expertise, experience and location of the institute or the grade of the institute. The starting salary is around Rs. 2.6 Lakhs and goes uptill Rs. 4.0 Lakhs at the top level.
Senior Lecturer
Contractual/Permanent
- Average Salary 58500
Job Description
A senior lecturer is responsible for developing and instructing undergraduate and postgraduate courses. He or she is responsible for providing advice and support to students in both academic and extracurricular activities. A senior lecturer is generally responsible for supervising, training and evaluating assistant lecturers.
Salary Description
The salary of a senior lecturer varies depending on various factors. An entry-level senior lecturer could earn more than Rs. 1500,000 per annum. A senior-level Senior lecturer could earn around Rs. 3 Lakhs to Rs 25 Lakhs per annum according to payscale.
What is the job outlook for Lecturer?
As far as career growth is concerned, it depends on several factors such as handling additional responsibilities in teaching, research and administrative work. When it comes to promotion, they are usually based on an individual’s research contribution and their ability to multitask.
Even though there is competition, there are also opportunities for individuals with a PhD. Apart from teaching at universities and colleges, lecturers can also run coaching classes for students and educators.
Frequently Asked Questions for Lecturer
Que. What is superior to Ph.D. or M.Phil.?
Ans.M.Phil. is a postgraduate level programme while Ph.D. is a doctoral degree programme.
Que. How to become a lecturer in government colleges?
Ans.To become a Lecturer you must have a master's degree programme with a minimum of 55 per cent of marks and qualify UGC NET, CSIR NET, UGC-CSIR NET, GATE, SET or SLET competitive examinations.
Que. What is the average salary of an assistant professor in India?
Ans.The average salary of an assistant professor in India ranges Rs. 30,000 to 50,000 per month.
Que. What is JRF?
Ans.JRF stands for Junior Research Fellowship. It is provided to selected students enrolled in Ph.D. or M.Phil. programme who fulfil the eligibility criteria. An amount of Rs. 16000 is provided to students on a monthly basis.
Que. What is the eligibility criteria for JRF?
Ans.The aspiring individuals must complete their master’s degree programme with a minimum of 55 per cent of marks and qualify UGC NET, CSIR NET, UGC-CSIR NET, GATE, SET or SLET.
Que. How many years to become a lecturer?
Ans.To become a lecturer it will take 7 to 9 years and takes 3 to 4 years to complete a bachelor's degree program, and 1 to 2 years to complete a master's degree.
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Did you know?
Fact 1
Former Indian President S. Radhakrishnan started as a lecturer and later taught at Oxford.
Fact 2
India awards 10,000+ PhDs yearly, feeding the lecturer pipeline.
Fact 3
Lecturing began formally with 3 universities in 1857.
Fact 4
India has 9+ lakh higher ed teaching posts, many held by lecturers.
Fact 5
India ranks 3rd globally in higher education, driving lecturer demand.
