What I Offer

Academic careers change considerably over time. The questions facing someone writing their first papers are very different from those facing an established professor considering the next stage of their career.

Old Rectory Academic works with academics at all stages.

Entering the academic job market, or moving from a post-doc to a tenure-track post has never been so competitive as today. You will need all the help you can find, and sound career advice at this stage might be a better destination for your research funds than attending some lesser conferences.

Once you are tenured (or on tenure track), you are responsible for your own research projects. You must find the right portfolio, the perfect sweet spot between being seen a one-trick pony and a jack of all trades, You must also find the right balance in the number and seniority of your co-authors. You don't want to look the junior partner in too many of your papers, but you must also show that you can speak as an equal to senior people. You don't want to be seen as a loner, but you must show that you can produce single-authored work. And the right balance between too narrow and too wide a focus. I could go on. Most important of all, you must ensure that you continue to enjoy the process of academic work - the proving of theorems, the convincing establishment of causal relations, the delivery of lectures to students - at least as much as you enjoy its measurable outcomes - the acceptance of your papers for publication, or the examination evidence that your students have learnt from your teaching.

As you become more successful,  choices become more frequent and trade-offs more tempting. Opportunities for leadership roles, promotion and horizontal moves, changes of institution or country will arise more often as your visibility grows. Decisions may also involve family, and so can be potentially disruptive. An experienced external observer may help clarify your own preferences and decision making process.