[The Lorax]

In the last month I have been offered several fully funded PhD places to start in Autumn 2012/13. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on whether it is better to accept an AHRC funded place (without any chance to teach) or a funded Teaching Fellowship that gives you teacher training during your PhD? The Fellowship offers the same amount of funding as the AHRC, but lately I've been told that AHRC funding is more "prestigious". Any thoughts?

[*Corinna*]

what about the institutions/supervisor etc? Also, how do you know you won't have any chance to teach? Many people with AHRC awards get to teach.

[The Lorax]

They are both top 10 universities, but the university offering the AHRC award have specified that they won't be offering teaching. The supervisors are both well-known English Lit professors so it really comes down to whether it's stupid to take a fellowship over an AHRC grant I think.

[*Corinna*]

it's not stupid. Teaching is an important part of a PhD as it is necessary for your CV later on. I would just choose the uni I feel more comfortable at to be honest. Or I would choose the uni that's more prestigious, if supervision doesn't matter.

[The Lorax]

Yeah that's what I thought. Teaching must be more important than an AHRC award in the long run.

[apotoftea]

(Original post by The Lorax)
Yeah that's what I thought. Teaching must be more important than an AHRC award in the long run.

Not necessarily. Some job advert specifications don't even mention teaching!

Just be careful all the teaching prep doesn't impede on your thesis if you go down that route...

[nonswimmer]

I concur with apotoftea.

AHRC by a giant country mile. At my institution all of the AHRC doctoral students have the opportunity to be teaching assistants, and take part in the accredited training, and get paid (on top of the AHRC award) for it as well.

However, with AHRC there are zero teaching requires so if you need more research time than you thought, you can just skip the teaching.

The received wisdom is that it's not teaching but research potential that tips it when it comes to jobs. My strategy has been to do some, but minimal (and the easiest), teaching, and focus on generating research outputs from my thesis.

[Shelly_x]

(Original post by The Lorax)
In the last month I have been offered several fully funded PhD places to start in Autumn 2012/13. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on whether it is better to accept an AHRC funded place (without any chance to teach) or a funded Teaching Fellowship that gives you teacher training during your PhD? The Fellowship offers the same amount of funding as the AHRC, but lately I've been told that AHRC funding is more "prestigious". Any thoughts?

Hi, sorry to hijack the thread. Just wondering what kind of grades you had at uni to get a funded place?

[The Lorax]

Nonswimmer: If you don't mind me asking, which university allowed that? Might be something I have to ask before I make my decision.
Shelly_x: I got a Distinction for my Masters and a starred First for my undergrad. It's pretty tough in the final stages now to get funding without a First. At least that's what I've found in the interviews I've been to. But I'm sure a strong research proposal probably works wonders too.

[nonswimmer]

(Original post by The Lorax)
Nonswimmer: If you don't mind me asking, which university allowed that? Might be something I have to ask before I make my decision.

Look in your PMs

[The Lorax]

Many thanks for that. Seems that university has a structured system of teacher training during the PhD, unlike Durham.

[apotoftea]

(Original post by nonswimmer)
I concur with apotoftea.

AHRC by a giant country mile. At my institution all of the AHRC doctoral students have the opportunity to be teaching assistants, and take part in the accredited training, and get paid (on top of the AHRC award) for it as well.

That's what the situ is with my institution too. Slightly different as in as much we don't have our own undergrads but have agreements with neighbouring unis.

The received wisdom is that it's not teaching but research potential that tips it when it comes to jobs. My strategy has been to do some, but minimal (and the easiest), teaching, and focus on generating research outputs from my thesis.

I was told this from the beginning of my undergrad days

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by nonswimmer)
I concur with apotoftea.

AHRC by a giant country mile. At my institution all of the AHRC doctoral students have the opportunity to be teaching assistants, and take part in the accredited training, and get paid (on top of the AHRC award) for it as well.

However, with AHRC there are zero teaching requires so if you need more research time than you thought, you can just skip the teaching.

The received wisdom is that it's not teaching but research potential that tips it when it comes to jobs. My strategy has been to do some, but minimal (and the easiest), teaching, and focus on generating research outputs from my thesis.

but the OP said that his university already told him that there is no chance for teaching. For my subject at least I don't think anyone would stand a chance of finding a job in academia without ANY work experience.

I agree that your strategy is good, but on the other hand no teaching at all seems a bit dangerous to me.

[nonswimmer]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
but the OP said that his university already told him that there is no chance for teaching. For my subject at least I don't think anyone would stand a chance of finding a job in academia without ANY work experience.

I agree that your strategy is good, but on the other hand no teaching at all seems a bit dangerous to me.

Yes, and to be fair I hadn't read that part before I made my original reply.

I'm not sure whether "not offering teaching" = "definitely no teaching under any circumstances" or "don't count on it". It's a bit ambiguous.

As other posters have suggested, there are other ways to get some teaching experience - eg by working at other nearby universities.

I'd still take AHRC over the teaching thing.

[The Lorax]

(Original post by nonswimmer)

I'm not sure whether "not offering teaching" = "definitely no teaching under any circumstances" or "don't count on it". It's a bit ambiguous.

I'd still take AHRC over the teaching thing.

Yeah I think they meant it's very unlikely to happen and that it doesn't happen with current PhD students - rather than it would never happen.

From talking to several lecturers I've heard that the AHRC still seems to have a sort of prestige attached to it for some reason, but to be honest I'd welcome the chance to teach more. At least then you could say you chose teaching experience over AHRC funding, but...it's a very hard decision to make and I appreciate the input.

[flying plum]

From my own perspective, I don't think I would have wanted to have been forced to teach this year; i would have really struggled, I think. If i was in your position, i think I would rather chance it, and hope I could get teaching elsewhere if not in my own dept/institution. Also, having AHRC funding (or any research council funding) is like a big sticker saying 'i wrote a proposal and could get funding when lots and lots of other people couldn't - I can do this for you when I graduate'

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by flying plum)
From my own perspective, I don't think I would have wanted to have been forced to teach this year; i would have really struggled, I think. If i was in your position, i think I would rather chance it, and hope I could get teaching elsewhere if not in my own dept/institution. Also, having AHRC funding (or any research council funding) is like a big sticker saying 'i wrote a proposal and could get funding when lots and lots of other people couldn't - I can do this for you when I graduate'

in what way does the AHRC say that more than any other scholarship? I don't fully understand what this "teaching scholarship" the OP has is, if it's basically a job where you have to be teaching extensively and in return they fund your PhD then yes, it's more a job than a scholarship. But if teaching a few hours per week just happens to be the thing this uni asks in return for a fully funded PhD place then why would it matter less?
I also don't see a connection between getting the AHRC and being able to secure funding in the future as a professor. Surely a 500 word research proposal (which is what the word limit is in most unis I applied to, including Durham where I think the OP got the AHRC from) could not compare with the pages of serious academic scholarship that goes into a proposal for funding at the level of the institution.
I think for me the deciding factor would be how many hours they expect me to teach. If it was not that many then I'd rather get the experience. If it was too many and it would hinder my PhD then I'd go for the AHRC.

[apotoftea]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
in what way does the AHRC say that more than any other scholarship? I don't fully understand what this "teaching scholarship" the OP has is, if it's basically a job where you have to be teaching extensively and in return they fund your PhD then yes, it's more a job than a scholarship. But if teaching a few hours per week just happens to be the thing this uni asks in return for a fully funded PhD place then why would it matter less?

In my experience & having spoken to various academics over the years any research council money appears to carry more 'prestige' as such over a university's own studentship (outside a college studentship from Oxbridge). Whether it's because it's government money, or the thing everyone goes for and the majority fail to get or university studentships are seen as less competitive I don't know.

And in some ways, having AHRC, or ESRC or whoever on your CV is like having a benchmark of a certain standard where everyone knows the candidate has gone through certain hoops during the application and studying process (the AHRC contract has some quite definitive ideas over research training and limits on how much work you do outside of the actual thesis etc etc). A university studentship may well just be an excuse to get cheap labour and ease teaching pressure...

That said, ANY money on your CV at the moment is a good thing

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by apotoftea)
In my experience & having spoken to various academics over the years any research council money appears to carry more 'prestige' as such over a university's own studentship (outside a college studentship from Oxbridge). Whether it's because it's government money, or the thing everyone goes for and the majority fail to get or university studentships are seen as less competitive I don't know.

And in some ways, having AHRC, or ESRC or whoever on your CV is like having a benchmark of a certain standard where everyone knows the candidate has gone through certain hoops during the application and studying process (the AHRC contract has some quite definitive ideas over research training and limits on how much work you do outside of the actual thesis etc etc). A university studentship may well just be an excuse to get cheap labour and ease teaching pressure...

That said, ANY money on your CV at the moment is a good thing

What about other university scholarships that are not necessarily tied to teaching? e.g. Cambridge offers the CHESS scholarships for UK/EU students and many others for internationals, UCL has its research studentships (which are full scholarships and don't necessarily require you to teach), oxford has Clarendon, so on.
I am actually trying to understand how this thing works, that's why I ask.
And why did you exclude college studentships from Oxbridge?

[The Lorax]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
I don't fully understand what this "teaching scholarship" the OP has is, if it's basically a job where you have to be teaching extensively and in return they fund your PhD then yes, it's more a job than a scholarship. But if teaching a few hours per week just happens to be the thing this uni asks in return for a fully funded PhD place then why would it matter less?

I think for me the deciding factor would be how many hours they expect me to teach. If it was not that many then I'd rather get the experience. If it was too many and it would hinder my PhD then I'd go for the AHRC.

It's the Nottingham Teaching Fellowship: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/...h/funding.aspx

I've been told the teaching is between 4-6 hours a week, so not really exhaustive I'd think. There are 2 places for it, rather like the AHRC awards usually have.