How to become a lecturer? - (Aug/26/2008 )

How to become a lecturer?

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In Austria and Germany you have to write an "habilitation" thesis, that is a summary of your past scientific work; usually at least 6 years of Post Doc experience and some independent projects which you have conducted. This is then evaluated by a commission at your university (some profs., some scientists and some students) and two or three independent researchers in your field from all over the world. If they decide that you have done enough scientific work you get a titel (Priv. Doz.) and are allowed to apply to all kind of professorships in Austria or Germany (or elsewhere). And by luck you get a proper job afterwards

But I think it might be less complicated elsewhere

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I searched 'How stuff works'. It was not there

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you need at least a PhD, and some experience in lecturing; not rarely, you have to do research, so a qualified scientific work and a competitive track record is inevitable in many cases...

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in other words it is a kind of second book as in in America; in France is a similar process known;

a few years ago the social democratic party in Germany tried to ban Habilitation and invented the Junior Professor, which is ranked between Assistant Professor and Associate Professor; interestingly, here the evaluation process for tenure track is very similar to the habilitation process; and those who did not get a tenure then tried to get their habilitation, honored with the PD title;

in Universities too much is thought about evaluation processes; so it is absurd to abolish an approved and well established process with a several hundred of years tradition such as the Habilitation which would be substituted by a similar but less accepted system

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