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Human Resources

Career progression and promotion for Teaching Staff

Teaching Staff - Definition

Specialist professional educators who concentrate on teaching and administrative duties but not research, as follows:

  1. In professional disciplines, where it is essential that a complete range of modules are offered every year to satisfy professional requirements.
  2. In disciplines where professional or technical skills are at the heart of teaching. Effective teaching in these disciplines therefore requires some staff to provide professional and practitioner experience.
  3. Appointments made in response to staff success in winning external funds to cover specific teaching duties (teaching buy-out), often of a fixed-term nature.

Appointment and career progression

Appointment and career progression for Teaching Staff will match the titles and grades as follows:

  • Teaching Fellow; (grade 7 and grade 8) - equivalent to Lecturer
  • Senior Teaching Fellow; (grade 9) - equivalent to Senior Lecturer
  • Professorial Teaching Fellow (grade 10) - equivalent to Professor

At Durham, the career paths of Lecturer and Teaching Fellow are treated as distinct and separate with no expectation of ‘sideways transfer' between the Lecturer and Teaching Fellow pathways, in either direction. This ensures that our Teaching Fellows have a standing and professional respect for the very distinctive role they play within the University.  Teaching Fellows may develop a research profile, but this is not a contractual requirement of their post and this will not lead to an expectation that there can be a side-ways transfer to a Lectureship (irrespective of grade). Movement between pathways will only occur if a member of staff applies for a post through open competition and is appointed to it.

There may be rare exceptions to the general principle of no right of ‘sideways transfer' which relate to particular funding streams that support the appointment of a Teaching Fellow which after a fixed number of years transfers to a Lectureship - Lecture-track Teaching Fellowships. These posts require the approval of the Faculty PVC, of the exceptional terms and conditions indicated in the job description and at the time of advertisement, and the mechanism and criteria for transfer must be made explicit from the outset. 

Probation

Teaching Staff will be subject to a standard probationary period of three years.

In relation to probation, new full-time Teaching Fellows are subject to the same probationary course requirements as probationary Lecturers.  New part-time Teaching Fellows will be required to complete an induction programme either in the form of a new ‘Durham Certificate of Achievement in Learning and Teaching' or Module 1 of the PGCLTHE.   Full time Teaching Fellows with a contract for 12 months or less are expected to complete the Durham Induction programme.  

For full details of Initial Professional Development for Teaching Staff see http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/probation/profdvlp/.  Where staff have previous probationary service the same approach will be taken as for Lecturers.  These details are set out at http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/probation/acadprobation/lecturer/

As probationary Teaching Fellows have to take probationary modules of the PGCLTHE or the Durham Certificate (depending on their contract), and they are likely to need to prepare teaching and learning material, they are expected to have a lighter workload in terms of day-to-day duties and administration, than a Teaching Fellow who has already passed probation.  The exact load is determined by the Head of Department or School.  Probationary Teaching Fellows should have access to a mentor, a colleague who will advise and guide them during their early years at Durham and the reporting structure will match that of Probationary Lecturers.

The criteria for the duration, confirmation of appointment and Annual Staff Review are based on the terms and conditions of the individual post. They will however follow the same procedures and be considered by Academic Progression Committee (see http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/probation/acadprobation/lecturer/).  In an advertisement/job description for the post of a fixed-term Teaching Fellow, it is particularly necessary to be clear about the exact teaching load the appointee will be expected to carry, since the primary purpose of these appointments is often to cover to staff teaching as a result of success in winning external funds for teaching buy-out.

Progression and Promotion

There is no expectation that staff automatically progress from grade 6 to grade 7 or from grade 7 to grade 8.  Re-grading from grade 6 to 7 and grade 7 to 8 will take place according to current arrangements for grading review based on role evaluation see http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/promotion/grading-review/.

Promotion will be available for the following grades:

  • a. From Teaching Fellow (grade 8) to Senior Teaching Fellow (grade 9);
  • b. For all, promotion to Professorial Teaching Fellow (grade 10).

The procedure will follow that for Lecturers and will occur at the same time as promotions for academic staff.  Promotions from Teaching Fellow (grade 8) to Senior Teaching Fellow (grade 9) are considered by the Academic Progression Committee in April and promotions to Professorial Teaching Fellow (grade 10) are considered in May.  Applications are considered on the basis of agreed factors. See ‘Evidence for Promotion' at http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/promotion/prominfo/.

Promotions will be determined in the following order: Senior Teaching Fellow, then Professorial Teaching Fellow.  Staff who fail to gain promotion in three consecutive years to Professorial Teaching Fellow are not allowed to re-submit in the following two years promotions rounds. This arrangement does not apply to promotions to Senior Teaching Fellow, but only to Professorial Teaching Fellow where procedures require that external references are sought.

College Officers with part-time teaching-only posts within departments, should submit their applications to their Head of Department.  As relevant, Heads of House will be asked to comment on those responsibilities that relate to College activities. The process for the submission of a case for promotion will follow exactly the same procedures as for the equivalent academic grade.  

Contractual Obligations

Teaching-only staff will be required to carry out their duties at a level appropriate to their grade.  Generic role descriptions are set out at http://www.dur.ac.uk/hr/policies/promotion/grading-review/roleprofiles/

The exact range of responsibilities will vary depending on the specific post.  Teaching staff will carry an additional teaching load compared with the benchmark of a full time equivalent member of the lecturing staff.  Lecturing staff have research responsibilities which are not part of the post of Teaching Fellow, which accounts for the higher load of the Teaching Fellow. The exact balance between teaching and administration will be determined by the Head of Department.

There are no contractual requirements for teaching staff to undertake research. For teaching staff there is no expectation of the provision of research facilities or regular University research leave as exists for Lecturers.  There is no entitlement to study leave, but it may be approved for defined objectives in support of a specific departmental need and if it fulfils the aims of the departmental and University Learning and Teaching strategy.  The University takes the issue of professional development seriously and these issues should be discussed through the Annual Staff Review process and line managers.  It is the Head of Department who has responsibility for submitting a request to the Faculty PVC for a decision.

Fractional and Part-Time Appointments

Staff who hold fractional appointments may apply for Grading Review or promotion (and thus a change in grade) for the portion of their contract that relates to their teaching responsibilities.  Any application needs to be made in accordance with the Grading Review process .