10 Things You Need To Know Before Starting Your Study In The Czech Republic
There are now 26 public, 2 state and 42 private higher education institutions offering a wide range of traditional as well as newly emerging disciplines. While the main tuition language is Czech, the range of programmes delivered in English is expanding and now counts about 1,000 accredited study programmes. Are you planning to study one of them? Then you might use some of our tips: 1. Apply for visa If you have been accepted for university studies in the Czech Republic and are from a country outside the EU, you have to turn to the local Czech embassy and apply for a student visa. There are short-term visas, long-term visas (for stays over 90 days) and long-term residence permits (for stays over one year). Registration at the Foreign Police Department is compulsory for all foreign nationals staying in the Czech Republic for more than 30 days. 2. Find a place to stay The majority of universities own its dormitories called “koleje”. Living in a dorm (around 120 EUR/month for a shared room) is a great way to get to know other people, as you will meet a lot of students from various backgrounds. If you prefer to live on your own, you can rent a flat or room in a shared flat (about 500-800 EUR/month for a 2–3 bedroom flat). It is common for international students to share bigger flats especially in the city centre. 3. Take care of your health Medical care in the Czech Republic is on a very good professional and technological level. Most medical facilities have a contract with an insurance company on provision and settlement of costs for healthcare. Students from the EU/EEA/Switzerland should apply for the free EU health insurance card. Other foreign students are required to purchase comprehensive health insurance coverage and will be asked to submit a proof of Czech health insurance when applying for visa. 4. Affordable costs While living standards are comparable with those in Western Europe, living costs in the Czech Republic are considered to be more affordable. The average living costs of students range from 350-750 USD/month, but prices vary according to your location, accommodation choices, lifestyle, and spending habits. Students can get many discounts with a student ISIC card usually issued by their university. 5. Working while studying Having a part-time job or summer work is very common. If you are enrolled in a full time accredited degree programme, you are allowed to work while studying, but please bear in mind that you are in the country with a visa for study purposes, therefore paid work cannot be your primary occupation during your stay. 6. No driving licence? No problem! Large cities have an efficient system of public transport using tram, bus, trolleybus or subway. If you are staying for longer, consider buying a long-term travel pass. Within the Czech Republic you can easily travel both by bus and train, as the country has one of the densest rail networks in Europe and an elaborate system of public bus transportation. 7. In the heart of Europe Studying in the Czech Republic puts you in the middle of Europe and you have a great chance to discover all European countries and places you might otherwise not have had the opportunity to visit. Take advantage of the Eurail train pass, low cost airlines or dense network of long distance buses and discover Europe in your free time! 8. Learning the language You can get around in English but some Czech language skills are always helpful and will make you feel more at home. Some Czech higher education institutions offer language courses for foreign students as well as full one year preparatory courses for those who wish to study in the Czech language. There are also many private language schools. 9. Czech cuisine Czech cuisine is famous for its meats, gravies, dumplings, soups and of course, the world famous beer. However, even as a veg lover you won’t go hungry. In the cities, you can find all sorts of cuisines and even typically Czech restaurants have learnt to include interesting vegetarian meals on their menus. 10. Prague is beautiful…but there is so much more to see! The Czech Republic has become a favourite tourist destination for many travellers who like wonderful fairy-tale castles and chateaux, world famous spas, unspoilt countryside with excellent national parks and conservation areas, historical cities and villages. Twelve important historical sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Find out more about studying in the Czech Republic at www.studyin.cz.
Czech higher education dates back over six hundred years. In 1348 Emperor Charles IV founded a university in Prague, now called the Charles University, which is the oldest academic institution in Central Europe. High quality education and research, especially in Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, therefore has a long tradition in the Czech Republic.
10 Tips for a Successful Start to Your New Academic Year
1. Pick your courses. Hopefully you've already chosen the courses that you'll be taking in the new academic year – but if not, get on this now! Check your student handbook to see what courses are a requirement for you degree, and have a think about what new skills you need to develop and which courses can help you with this. 2. Try studying something new. It's easy to get into a rut when you're studying, and find yourself taking the same courses and doing the same work as everyone else. But university is a wonderful opportunity to try new things and learn about new topics – so why not see if you can take a class in a subject which is new to you but which you've always found interesting? Consider studying one course from outside of your academic subject, to broaden your horizons and to teach you a different approach to learning. 3. Register for your courses. One you've chosen your courses, you may need to register for them. Check out your university's website to see when and how you need to register, and do this quickly as popular courses can sometimes be over-subscribed. 4. Get organised early. Find out as soon as possible what your deadlines are, and when you will have to submit work or sit exams. Start planning out your semester so that you can see how long you have to write your essays and assignments, or to revise for your exams. The early you start, the less stressful this will be. 5. Get a calendar (and use it!) Once you know when your deadlines are and when you need to be working on various projects, write all of this information down in a pocketbook or electronic calendar. Check your calendar regularly and update it as you get new information, so you'll always know what you need to be working on today. 6. Get on your university's CMS. Many universities now use an electronic Course Management System like Moodle or Blackboard, through which you can get information about your courses and assignments and download reading materials. Get a login from your university's IT department, and make sure that it works and you can access all the materials you need. This will make your life much easier than scrabbling to get it working at the last minute when you urgently need some information from the CMS! 7. Pick up extra reading from the library. Once you have your course introductory materials, take a look at the reading list and suggested extra reading materials. Take a trip to the library and pick up any books which you think will be helpful to give you a general overview of the course topic, and start reading these. You'll find it easier to read the latest journal articles or highly technical materials if you have an understanding of the broad themes under discussion your subject field. 8. Get to know your new coursemates. When you are in your second or third year of studying and are taking several courses, it can be tempting to skip out on social occasions with your fellow students. After all, you've already made friends and have lots going on. However, don't underestimate the value of spending time with your fellow students, as you can learn a lot from academic discussions with them as well as having fun socially. 9. Get to know your new lecturers. Lecturers all have different teaching styles and preferences, and different knowledge that they can share with you. Read over any notes or guidelines which your lecturers give you about office hours, their preferred method of communication, and their research interests so that you can get an idea of what they're like. After a few weeks, consider visiting them during their office hours to discuss how you are finding the course so far. 10. Make sure you're getting enough sleep. The start of the academic year can be busy and demanding, and you might feel like you have no time to relax. But you can't study effectively if you're already exhausted at the start of the year. Give yourself a full 8 hours sleep a night as often as you can, and you'll find studying and working to be much easier.
The new academic year is about to begin, so follow these ten tips for a successful start to the year!
Many graduate students work as teaching assistants, supporting faculty members when they teach undergraduate classes. This gives them the chance to learn directly from an experienced lecturer, while also earning money for their work. Could co-teaching be the right role for you? Today we're considering the question of whether graduate students should co-teach. Advantages of Co-Teaching The biggest point in favour of co-teaching as a graduate student is that you will gain invaluable experience from working directly with both students and faculty members. Many academic jobs required some teaching experience in order for you to apply for them, so getting this experience in graduate school will make you more employable. In the United States in particular, there is a large emphasis placed on the importance of teaching experience for junior academics. The big plus of co-teaching here is that the quality of your teaching experience will be higher if you have been observing and working with a knowledgable faculty member. A second advantage to taking a co-teaching job as a graduate student is that you will learn a whole lot from teaching. It's often said that one of the best ways to check whether you understand something is to try to teach it to someone else. You'll quickly see whether you can arrange your knowledge into a helpful and comprehensible form which you students can follow. Also, the questions that students ask and the points that they raise will help you to think about you subject in new ways. Having an experienced co-teacher with you means there's always someone to answer your questions if you're unsure. A final advantage of the co-teaching system is that it gives you the chance to get to know a faculty member well. Not only can you learn from your co-teacher's teaching methods, but you can also go to them with questions about your department or about academic life in general. You can get a more realistic impression of what academic life in the department is like for faculty. They can get to know you better too, so if you need a reference or letter of recommendation in the future, they can provide a very personal and accurate assessment of you. Disadvantages of Co-Teaching Although there are a lot of advantages to co-teaching, you should consider whether you will have enough time to dedicate to teaching in addition to your studies. Teaching requires lots of time, not just in the classroom itself, but also in making lesson plans, setting and grading assignments, and answering students' questions. This is particularly true in co-teaching, where you need to plan together with your co-teacher. Yes, there is someone else to help you with the work, but the two of you will need to co-ordinate carefully to teach effectively. You should also make sure that the work is divided up fairly between the two of you so that you're not left doing all the work by yourself. You should consider the rate of pay for teaching too. Some teaching jobs for graduate students are not very well paid, so if you have high living costs then you might need to consider another option. Alternatively, some grants or fellowships will cover your costs but expect you to teach in return. Find out what your obligations are and make sure that you're making enough money to live comfortably while you study. We hope this has given you some insight into whether co-teaching is right for you!
Co-teaching has become popular in recent years, especially in university teaching training. It involves two teachers, one experienced and one in training, coming together to teach a class together. They share the instruction, the setting of tasks, the marking, and the physical classroom space. The idea is that for a profession like teaching, in which teachers are constantly learning even after they finish their teacher training, more direct instruction is helpful. Observing and interacting with a more experienced colleague allows new teaches to learn more and get guidance if they are having any classroom issues.
Job Hunting in Academia: Why Didn't They Choose You?
You don't have enough experience One of the most important factors that hiring committees look at in an academic job hunt is the amount of research experience which you have – and that means publications. You will be expected to produce a certain number of publications as part of an academic role, and prior success in publication demonstrates that you're capable of doing this. It is unfortunate but true that many hiring committees are more interested in the quantity of publications than the quality when it comes to assessing applicants. Unless you have a publication in a very major journal like Science or Nature then it's possible that the hiring committee won't even read your publications, they'll just count how many you have. So if you're not finding success in your job hunt, ask around to find out how many publications typical applicants have. You might need to publish more work before you can land a position. You weren't a good match for the institution Another very important factor in hiring decisions is good fit between a candidate and the department. Even if you are a brilliant candidate with lots of experience, if your research interests don't match the department's, then you are unlikely to be hired. Do your research about the department before applying, and make sure that you have a really good understanding of the work which is done there. You need to find at least a few members of the department whose research interests coincide with yours, and spend some time thinking about how you work could add to the profile of the department. Too many people applying for the position Sometimes, being rejected from a position is not a reflection on the quality of your candidacy or your skills. In academia generally and in some fields in particular, there are many many more candidates looking for jobs than there are advertised positions. If this is the case in your field, even if you are perfectly qualified and perform very well throughout the hiring process, you still might not get an offer. This is frustrating but an inevitable part of academic job hunting. If this is a problem in your job hunt, the best thing you can do is to get a temporary or part-time job in another field to support yourself while you continue applying for academic positions. If your field is over-saturated with applicants then it can take a long time to get a job offer, so make yourself financially stable in the short term and dedicate yourself to a long-term job hunt. Your application materials weren't good If you're not even getting called for interviews when you apply for an academic job, then there may be a problem with your application materials. It's time to take a long hard look at your CV and cover letter. Too many people write cover letters which are generic and simply describe past job duties, rather than describing their particular achievements. Use the cover letter to highlight how you exceeded expectations in previous roles and what makes you unique as a candidate. This is one area in which people with a business or industry background are often much stronger than people from academia, so ask for help from friends from different fields! You didn't come across well in the interview One final issue to consider, if you're getting interviews but no job offers, is how you come across in the interview. Many academics don't receive any kinds of soft-skill training during their career, and sometimes the importance of inter-personal skills is not fully realised. If you're generally a bit timid and introverted, then you need to push yourself to show your best at interviews – and that means not being afraid to promote yourself and sell yourself as a candidate. Don't be afraid to talk yourself up a bit! However, if you come from a verbally assertive field like philosophy, then you might need to tone down your argumentative side during interviews. Make sure that you're letting members of the hiring committee talk and not dominating the discussion, and keep your tone even and neutral. We wish you the best of luck with you job hunt!
Applying for an academic job can be a frustrating process. If you've been rejected from an academic job and you're stewing over why, read on to find out the reasons that your job application might have been unsuccessful.
10 Things To Know Before You Start a PhD in Germany
1. It isn't essential to speak German Many universities in Germany now offer courses in English in order to encourage international applicants. When it comes to doing a PhD, the thesis can often be written in either English or German. And now there are even whole grad schools which specialise in international programs, and which operate entirely in English. Obviously, you'll still need basic German skills for going about your everyday life, but it's more common than you imagine for academic programs to be in English. 2. First, find a supervisor The first task when you are considering doing a PhD is to find a supervisor in your field with whom you can do your research. Don't underestimate the importance of having a supervisor who you get along with personally! Talk to as many people in your field as possible to get a feeling of which departments and researchers might be a good match for you. <11an>limit:3;categories:PhD Programs;disciplines:Economics;countries:Germany</11an> 3. Individual study vs joining a grad school One major decision to make when considering a PhD in Germany is whether you will study alone with the support of a supervisor, or whether you will join a structured graduate school. Both options are common in Germany. Studying individually gives you more flexibility to set your own work milestones, but joining a grad school will give you more structure and support. 4. You apply directly to the university to do a PhD Once you have found a supervisor, you will have to apply to your university or department to join as a PhD student. This typically involves providing information about your previous degrees, filling out an application, and getting a letter of support from your supervisor. 5. Get your academic credentials checked When applying for a PhD, you will need to provide copies of your previous degree certificates and transcripts. These will need to be translated into the German grade system (from the British-style “2:1” to the German-style “1.3”, for example). Your university's international office may be able to do this for you, or you may have to pay for this to be done privately. 6. Find a way to finance your PhD Once you've been accepted onto a PhD, it's up to you to find funding to support yourself. Don't forget to check out the funding available within Germany from bodies like the DAAD. 7. Non-EU citizens need a visa and residence permit If you are from outside the EU, the EEA, or Switzerland, then you are likely to need a visa in order to do a PhD in Germany. A tourist visa is not sufficient, as this cannot be converted into a long-term residence visa. In order to get a visa, you'll need to contact the German embassy in your home country and fill out an application before you come to Germany. 8. Housing is relatively cheap but can be hard to get Germany is relatively affordable in terms of housing, thanks to governmental rent control. However, in a popular city like Berlin, housing is snapped up very quickly. So you should be ready to move fast when you find a place that you like, or if you have the money to spare, you can pay an agent to find an appropriate house for you and deal with the application process. Alternatively, you can move into a shared house (a “WG”) with other students or young people, which is a good short-term option when you first arrive. 9. You have to register where you live in Germany Once you arrive in Germany and have found a place to live, you will need to register by going to your local Bürgeramt and filling in a form there. The registration is used for identification when paying taxes or dealing with the police, for example. When you move house, you must fill out another form to make sure that your registration is up to date. 10. Meet other students and make new friends Don't underestimate the importance of social support in getting you through your PhD! Do take some time to set up a fun social life for yourself in addition to your work. Grad schools make it much easier to meet fellow students, but there are also lots of other ways to make new friends.
If you are looking for a PhD studies in economics, Germany is a great option. The high quality of education available, combined with free tuition fees at public universities, makes it an attractive destination when looking for opportunities to do your doctoral research in economics.
Academic Job Applications: What Can Go Wrong?
There can be a long wait time between applying and hearing back If you've applied for corporate jobs, you may be used to waiting a few weeks to hear back regarding a job you have applied for. But in academia, this can take much longer. It's not unusual for there to be waiting periods of months between applications being received and interviews being offered. Also, the interview process itself can take a long time, as it is generally overseen by a board or committee who have to approve hiring decisions. This means that you need to start applying for academic jobs much earlier than you would for other jobs, and to be prepared for the process to take months or more. If you are not currently employed, you shouldn't rely on a future academic job as your source of income for now. Often, it will be a good idea to get a teaching job or a part-time job in another area to sustain you while you wait through the academic hiring process. The interview process might not be what you expect Interview processes will vary between institutions, ranging from a somewhat casual sit-down with some members of the department, up to a long and complex process involving multiple rounds. It is also common for academic interviews to take place at conferences, when many of the professors and applicants will be in the same place. So it's not unusual for interviews to take place in hotel rooms or conference areas if that is convenient for everyone involved. There could be a lack of fit between you and the department Obviously if you've applied for a job somewhere, you will have looked into the work of the department that you wish to join. But it can be hard to ascertain whether you and your research will be a good fit for the department until you actually visit the place and talk with other department members. Even if your interests match well on paper, you may find that you have a different inter-personal style or research approach to the new department. So try not to get too caught up in the idea of a job until you've had a chance to visit the place, such as at an interview, and get a feel for whether it would match your needs. There may be practical or financial issues with your application If you are planning to move to another country for an academic job, you need to be especially careful to find out what paperwork you will require. You might need a work permit or visa, and unlike your time as a student, you cannot apply for a student visa but will need a working visa instead. Often institutions will have departments who can help you with this, and can provide information on what documents you need and how to get them. But you shouldn't rely solely on the place you are applying to, as individuals situations can differ, so do your own research on the legal requirements of living and working somewhere. It's also important to consider the practical needs of your partner or family, if they will be moving with you. As it is common for a couple to both be academics, some institutions now offer “dual placement” jobs. This is where the hiring institution makes an agreement that if they hire one member of a couple, they will find a position for the other member of the couple too. The facilities offered by institutions for families are widely variable, and might include either on-site child minding services or pay benefits to cover childcare costs. Dig into the details of what exactly is available, as these benefits can make a big difference to both your overall financial situation and the quality of life you will experience in your new job.
Applying for academic jobs can be a fraught process! If you haven't had much experience with the academic job market, it can be hard to learn as it is quite different from applying for places at a university to be a student. Even if you have experience with applying for professional jobs, there are different norms in academic hiring which can take some time to grasp. To help you through this process, today we're covering some of the things that can go wrong during academic hiring, so you know what to look out for and how to prepare yourself.
Types Of Difficult PhD Supervisors And How To Successfully Deal With Them
Micromanagers A micromanager is one who is overly controlling and wishes to make input on all of your decisions, however small. For example, they may want to check every single slide or piece of writing which you produce, multiple times. Or they may try to dictate the way in which you divide up your time and how you prioritise. Micromanagers can be difficult to deal with, as different students and supervisors have different ideas about how much management a supervisor should perform. For some PhD students, having a lot of guidance and having their work checked regularly can be reassuring, while for others, it feels patronising. So if you find you supervisor to be too involved, remember that this is an issue of preference and not necessarily an indication that your supervisor thinks that you are not competent. To deal with a micromanager, you'll need to take a dual approach: firstly, demonstrating that you can perform tasks competently without their guidance. If you show that you can prepare a presentation well, for example, without their influence, then they will feel less need to manage you in the future. The other approach is to talk with them and try to discover their underlying concerns. Do they feel like they need to micromanage because they are concerned about your ability to organize your time? Do they worry that your research will go over budget? Or are they trying to be supportive by giving you lots of feedback on your writing? Identify the underlying concern which is leading to the micromanaging behaviour, and try to demonstrate that their worries are not founded. <11an>limit:3;categories:Postdoc;disciplines:Economics</11an> Absentee Absentee supervisors are those who are not present during your PhD, either physically (i.e. they are away travelling a lot) or metaphorically (they are so busy that you never see them). This is a common problem with senior professors and those who supervise lots of PhD students. Without advice and guidance from a supervisor, performing your PhD research is much harder. To deal with an absentee supervisor, you can first try laying out an agreement with them about regular meetings. If you can arrange a meeting with them once a week or once every two weeks at a set time, you'll know that you at least have the chance to get their input on any issues. Often professors can be bad at replying to emails, so a face-to-face meeting is the best way to get their attention. If you can't get regular meetings with them, you can turn to your second supervisor or other senior researchers who you trust, and ask for input from them instead. However, if it is truly not possible to see your supervisor regularly, you should consider moving to a different supervisor who can give you and your research the time and attention which you deserve. Overly Critical It is part of the supervisor's job to offer criticism of your work, but some supervisors take this too far. Supervisors who yell at their students, who belittle them, or who make unpleasant personal comments are not unheard of. Dealing with such a supervisor can leave students stressed, depressed, and insecure about their own abilities. Doing a PhD can certainly be an emotional experience, but if students are regularly leaving the office in tears after speaking with their supervisor, then something is very wrong. To deal with such a supervisor, you will need to assess how severe the situation is. If you supervisor is generally well meaning but rather harsh with their feedback, you can try talking to them about your overall progress in your PhD. Some supervisors, especially if they are new to management, forget that it's important to give positive feedback as well as pointing out errors. They may in fact be very satisfied with your work, but they only mention the negative points that they see. In this case, by talking to them about your overall progress you can get a more positive picture of your work. In severe cases, however, this may not help. If a supervisor is abusive towards you and they are having an overall negative effect on your life and your work, then you need to protect yourself by leaving their group and finding a new supervisor. Remember that a supervisor should support you and assist you, not make you feel like a failure. You can always get another supervisor, but your mental health is of the highest priority.
Supervision is a difficult task, and there is often conflict between supervisors and their PhD students. Even if you find a supervisor with whom you have excellent rapport, there can still be problems. Here are some of the types of difficult supervisor which you might encounter, and tips on how to manage them.
Top Mistakes To Avoid While Writing Your PhD Thesis
1. Starting too late With a project as big as a PhD, it can feel like there's always more work to do, and always more time before you have to start writing. But the earlier you can start, the less stressful writing up will be. Even if you just start making notes or jotting down a few bullet points of issues you want to raise in your thesis, this will be very helpful when you start writing in full and you're not left staring at a blank page. Try writing small sections of a few hundred words per day to get you into the zone without becoming overwhelmed. 2. Being a perfectionist PhD students often feel as if their thesis needs to be the pinnacle of their career, and that it has to be the perfect expression of all of the work they have done over the years. But focusing too much on making your thesis perfect will stop you from getting it written at all. Accept that there will be flaws in your thesis, and that there will be some questions which you can't answer, or some issues which you can't overcome. That's okay! You want to make the thesis as good as you can, while still ensuring that it gets finished. 3. Doing more research Too much research? Surely there's no such thing! Well, in fact, there is a time at which you need to stop reading new articles, books, or sources, and to focus on your write-up. If you have come to the end of your PhD, then you already have all the knowledge that you need to write your thesis. You don't need to collect even more information; you need to focus on getting what you already know down onto the page. <11an>limit:3;categories:Postdoc;disciplines:Economics</11an><o:p></o:p> 4. Trying to write up in one draft The secret to successful writing is to not spend hours worrying about making each word you write perfect the first time around. Instead, get a rough draft finished as soon as you can, and then gradually edit and re-draft over several iterations. One you have a draft, you can see your thesis in context and start making changes to make it better. Editing an already-existing document is so much easier than writing from scratch! 5. Not taking feedback Once you have a draft, you should solicit as much feedback as you can. Your supervisors, colleagues, and friends can all give you useful feedback, even if they are not specialists in your field. When you receive feedback on your thesis, it can be hard to accept if it is critical. If you find it hard to hear feedback without being defensive, try waiting 24 hours between receiving the feedback and acting on it. You'll usually be much more receptive once a day has passed. 6. Forgetting about formatting and paperwork Formatting might not seem to be terribly important, in the grand scheme of things. However, it does take time to get your thesis into an acceptable format for submission and printing. In addition, there is probably a pile of paperwork which you will have to hand in to your university. You don't want to scrabbling to get everything finished at the last minute, especially if you are already stressed. Leave yourself a few days to sort out all the formatting and paperwork, so you don't have to rush. 7. Trying to do your own proofreading It's tempting to think that because you spend so much time writing your thesis, you will spot any spelling or grammar errors. But actually it is almost impossible to proofread your own writing accurately. Rope in some people to be your proofreaders – they don't need to be specialists in your field, so this is a great role for your family or friends to help you out with. Ask them to check just the spelling and grammar in your thesis, give them a week or two if possible, then you can add in their corrections before submission. 8. Not taking care of yourself Even if everything goes as well as possible, writing up your PhD thesis is still a hugely stressful time. It's understandable that you'll be more focused on your work than anything else. However, it's important that you take care of yourself during this period too. In order to do your best work, you need to make sure that you are eating and sleeping enough, and that you get away from your desk or office at least occasionally. This will help you to focus and not to burn out while you're writing up. Good luck with writing up!
Will you be writing up your PhD thesis soon? Avoid these eight mistakes and the writing process will be much smoother.
5 Reasons Why Your PhD Application Was Rejected
1. Your project proposal was too vague Obviously, when you're applying for a PhD, you won't have a full overview of exactly what your project will involve. However, you do need to be able to lay out a reasonable roadmap to show how you would go about answering your research questions. You need to be specific in your project proposal – what kind of experiment or study will you perform? What statistical tests will you use? What meaning would either positive or negative results have for your field of study? You need to address these questions in your application. Without specific information on what kind of research you are planning to do for your PhD, your application is unlikely to be accepted. Try to make your research proposal as precise and concrete as possible. 2. Your project proposal was unrealistic We all want our research to be informative and meaningful – but you need to be realistic too. If your PhD research proposal suggested that your work could radically alter the foundations of your subject and revolutionise the way your topic is approached by the academic community, then you were probably being overly ambitious! Three years in which to do a PhD sounds like a long time, but actually research projects always take much longer to complete than you would imagine. You need to make sure that the research you are proposing is realistically achievable in the few years that you will have available to you. Aiming for a smaller-scale project which it is possible to execute well in just a few years will show that you have a level-headed and grounded approach to your research. 3. You didn't demonstrate why your skills were right for your project Universities are looking for candidates who have a proven track record of research in the area of study for their potential PhD. This is easy to address if you proposed a PhD which followed on naturally from your undergraduate or master's work. However, if you want to change fields for your PhD or to move into a different topic, you need to be careful in the way that you address this in your proposal. You need to show that you already have many of the skills needed to complete your project. For example, maybe you did a psychology undergraduate degree and want to do a PhD in business – in that case, you should talk about the statistical skills you have gained, and how your knowledge of human behaviour would help to guide you when dealing with management issues. Find example from your past of the skills that you would use in your new field and use these to demonstrate your capability. ​<11an>limit:3;categories:PhD Programs;disciplines:Economics</11an> 4. Your project was not a good match for the institution Both universities and departments within each university will have topics or subject areas which they specialise in. For example, in psychology, some departments are very academically minded and specialise in evidence-based approaches, while others have a more clinically-based approach and focus on a certain school of psychotherapy. If your PhD does not fit neatly in with the department's interests, then your application is unlikely to succeed. The specialisation of any given department can be quite difficult for an outsider to ascertain, as it is not usually stated explicitly. So the best way to work out the interests of a department is to check the pages for each individual professor and researcher on the departmental website, and check over their publication list. Try to find a university and department whose interests match as closely as possible to your project. 5. Your academic profile was not a good match for the institution Finally, you yourself also need to be a good match to wherever you are applying. “Institutional fit” is a high priority for admission committees, meaning that they want to know that you, your project, and the department will all fit together harmoniously. Emphasise your relevant skills, from previous jobs or volunteering that you have done, as well as your academic background. Try to show that you understand the language and priorities of the department and that you could perform your research there effectively. Good luck with your PhD applications, and don't despair! Sometimes it takes a few attempts before you find the right PhD place for you.
Applying for a PhD can be a long and difficult process, with not many opportunities for you to hear feedback on your application. If your application was not successful and you're not sure why, here are some of the most common reasons for PhD applications to be rejected. If you plan to improve your PhD application this autumn, download our free guide "How to successfully apply to a PhD in Economics".
8 Kinds Of Life Experience Which Will Help You As A Student
1. Organising social events If you're the friend in your social group who's always organising the social occasions by planning parties, trips, or holidays, then good news – this experience will help you in a university setting too. The ability to take a desired outcome (a trip to a certain place), to see all the steps required to achieve it (transport, tickets, picking a date), to inspire and motivate others to join you, and then to put the plan into practice, will help you in planning and executing your projects, and in organising group work. 2. Working with others or playing a team sport People sometimes think of studying as being a solitary pursuit, but actually you'll often need to work with others at university. You'll have group projects to complete which will require you to work as part of a team, and sometimes you'll need to take a leadership role. Having had practise at this by playing as part of a sports team or other social group will help you to complete your university assignments efficiently. 3. Being a member of a book club If you've been a member of a book club, or if you like to discuss books that you've read with your friends and family, then this is useful experience. You've learnt how to analyse and critique a text, to identify its key themes, and to communicate your analysis with others. This is very similar to the process you'll go through when analysing a text in your studies and when writing an essay. 4. Being a debater If you're the sort of person who can't resist a political debate over the dinner table, then you'll have sharpened your critical thinking and communication skills from all that arguing. Happily, university classes are the perfect place to work more on your debate skills. 5. Having had a casual job If you've had a job before you study, even if it wasn't related to your field of study, then you'll still have picked up useful skills. You'll have learned how to present yourself in a professional way, to perform tasks within a certain timeframe, and to motivate yourself to get to work even if you weren't feeling up to it. These will be invaluable when you're starting off at university and finding out how to adjust to your student life. 6. Dealing with a difficult boss If you've ever had to deal with a difficult boss, then you may have learned skills like how to cope with unclear instructions, how to keep calm in stressful situations, and how to extract useful information from difficult sources. These are all extremely useful when dealing with a challenging situation in your studies. Also, the confidence that you gain from being able to overcome difficulties will help you too. So there were some advantages to that horrible summer job you had after all! 7. Drama or music performance If you have performed on stage as a musician or actor, then you will have some understanding of stage presence and connecting with an audience. This is excellent training for public speaking and oral presentation, which will serve you well when you have to give talks or presentations in university. Knowing how to stand, how to project your voice, and being comfortable in front of an audience are essential skills for good presentations. 8. Writing experience of all kinds Chances are that you've written a lot of essays throughout your education so far, and you'll be writing even more for your university studies. But it's not just essay writing which is useful for a student. If you've written newspaper articles for a school paper, tried creative writing such as poetry or fiction, or written an online blog on a topic you're interested in, these are all great preparation for university writing too. You'll have learned how to convey complex ideas in a simple way, how to adapt your writing for your audience, and how to gauge the appropriate level of detail for a piece of writing, all of which are beneficial for your essay and exam writing at university.
When you think about what skills a student needs to be successful, you probably think of academic skills like research or academic writing. If you're becoming a student for the first time, this can be intimidating – you've never learned those skills before! But there are lots of other skills you will have picked up in your life which will help you through your studies. Consider the following:
8 Things You Will Never Hear From Your PhD Supervisor
1. “There's no rush with that. Take your time.” In your PhD, you'll need to be able to move quickly, and to produce work fast. The work may not be as good as you want it to be, but sometimes it's more important for something to be done than for it to be perfect. When your supervisor asks you for work, they'll often want it done on a tight time schedule. <11an>limit:3;categories:Postdoc;disciplines:Economics</11an><o:p></o:p> 2. “Don't work too hard this weekend.” It is vitally important that you have free time as a PhD student, to relax, to see friends and family, and to indulge in your hobbies. But you cannot rely on your supervisor to help you with this – you have to set your own boundaries about how much you should be working and when you need time off. Your supervisor would rather you worked all of the time, so don't wait for their permission to give yourself a break. 3. “This is perfect and needs no corrections.” You need to learn that no piece of work that you produce will ever be perfect. There will always be room for improvements, and ways to make something better. Don't be discouraged if you have worked hard on a piece and your supervisor points out ways that it could be improved – this is part of the process of learning and growing as a researcher. 4. “Some things are more important than your PhD.” Everyone has different values about what is most important in their life, and PhD students tend to be very career-focused and ambitious. But if doing a PhD is negatively impacting your physical or mental health, or your relationships with your friends and family, then you need to reconsider your work-life balance. Your supervisor will always push you to focus more on your work, so you need to strongly advocate for your own well-being. 5. “There are jobs outside of academia.” Because they have spent their careers in academia, supervisors tend to forgot about preparing their students for the world of industry. If you're interested in eventually working in industry or in another type of role outside of the academic system, your supervisor is unlikely to offer much help or encouragement. You should start networking with those in industry positions, and talking to other former academics who have made the transition out of academia. Your supervisor is not the best person to advise you on this. 6. “I'm asking you to do this because I don't want to do it.” PhD students are at the bottom of the totem when it comes to assigning work. Unglamorous assignments like teaching introductory courses, marking exams, or writing peer reviews are often passed on to PhDs because more senior researchers would rather not do them. This is the nature of delegation, and you can actually learn a lot from doing these routine tasks. But be prepared that, as a PhD student, you will be asked to do the less interesting work. 7. “Sometimes I feel unsure and insecure about my own work.” All people deal with doubt and insecurity, and academics are no different. There are times at which everyone has thought that their research was pointless, their ideas were stupid, and that they were personally not up to scratch. Because supervisors are more senior, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to reveal these insecurities to the students who work for them. However, remember that when you have doubts about your competence, you are definitely not the only person to feel that way! Even the most senior and respected of people struggle with doubts, though you probably wouldn't hear them admit to it. 8. “Good job!” This one is not entirely true – some supervisors do work hard to give positive feedback. But often, supervisors can forget that giving praise is as important as giving criticism when it comes to motivating students. It's possible that it will be very rare for anyone to tell you that you're doing well or that a piece of work was excellent, so you need to develop your own motivational skills. If you think that you've done good work, then congratulate yourself! Don't let your supervisor's opinion become more essential to your self-worth than your own opinion.
Your supervisor should play a helpful and supportive role in your PhD – but you should also be realistic about what to expect from them. Here are 8 things you'll never hear your PhD supervisor say:
How To Balance Your Course Load As An Undergraduate
Prioritise The first thing you need to do is to work out which courses are essential for you to succeed in your degree. You will likely have some mandatory courses which are stipulated in your handbook or departmental guidelines, as well as a range of elective courses which you can choose from. Find out what your mandatory courses are, exactly when the lectures, seminars, or tutorials are held, and add them to your calendar first. These are the essential foundation topics of your subject, and you will need to know this material well. Once you have your mandatory courses laid out, you can start to consider elective courses. Find out how much time each elective course will take per week, how long the course runs for, and what kind of assessment will be required. Schedule these courses in around your mandatory courses. Be realistic Everyone starts the semester with great intentions – they're going to work super hard and get so much done! This is a fine aim, but do be realistic. If you hate getting up in the mornings, don't book yourself onto courses starting at 8am four days a week. You might hope that you'll be forced to adapt out of your late-mornings habits, but the more likely outcome is that you'll just stop attending those morning classes. Similarly, it's good to work hard and to make use of your spare time. But don't over-schedule yourself so that you're constantly running around, late and stressed. Think about how much time you will need to travel between lectures, how much time reading and research will take for each course, and how much time you will need for exam preparation or other issues. It's much better to take on 3 courses at a time and do an excellent job in all of them than it is to take on 4 courses and perform at a mediocre level. Consider the end of the semester as well as the start When you're planning your courses, it's tempting to look at the requirements for the first few weeks and assume that will be a guide for the whole course. But that's usually not the case! Courses, especially introductory undergraduate courses, will often start out slowly, with not too much material covered, so that everyone can keep up. Over the semester, the amount and quality of work that is expected will increase. At the end of the semester you may have to sit an exam, take part in a practical, or submit coursework. Remember to consider the work required across the whole semester when planning your course load. Give yourself time for research and revision, especially in more advanced courses. Know when your key deadlines are for submitting work and plan around them, so that you don't have a load of stress all at one time. Take an interesting range of courses Although it is important to specialise eventually, you don't want to be too narrow in your undergraduate studies. Where possible, try to take courses which will teach you different skills – like essay writing, maths and statistics, oral presentation, research skills, and so on – as well as covering different subject topics. Having a broad range of courses will not only help you to develop as a student, but it will also help you to stay motivated and avoid burnout. If you have a wide array of electives to choose from, do take advantage of this! Take up the chance to study something totally new, or a subject which has always interested you. Having variety in your courses will help to keep you engaged.
When you're starting out as undergraduate student, there is so much to think about and to remember that it can be hard to know how to manage your course load. With that in mind, these tips can help you balance your courses so that your undergraduate experience can be as rewarding and positive as possible.
Last Check List Before Submitting Your Master's Thesis
1. Check your word count It's important that your thesis stays within the word limit allowed by your university. Most departments are very strict about this, and you can lose marks or even have your thesis rejected if it's too long. So check the allowed word count in your departmental handbook or on your university's website. Generally, you are allowed to be within 10% of the stated word count – so if the count is 3000 words, you can submit between 2700 and 3300 words for your thesis. This differs between universities though, so check this too! If your thesis is too long, be brutal in cutting out any irrelevant information to make it as tight as possible. 2. Check your references carefully You should be adding references to your thesis as you write it. But you need to do a check of all your references at the end too. First, identify every statement in your thesis which requires a reference. Then, make sure your references are in place within the text and in the right format. Generally, in-text references are presented in the format: “factual statement (Author, year)”. Next, make sure that every reference in your text also appears in the reference list at the end of your thesis. This is where your full reference information goes, and you need to make sure that this is in the correct format for your university too. Finally, check that there are no references in your reference list which do not appear in your text. 3. Do your formatting Formatting a thesis is always a bother, so leave yourself some time to adjust the fonts, margins, and line spacing to your liking. Don't forget to add page numbers to the top or bottom of the page for easier reading. You'll also need a table of contents, which lists your section headings and which page they can be found on. If you're using Word, you can generate this automatically. 4. Put together your title page You will need a title page for your thesis, which generally includes the title, the university and department, and the date. Often, master's theses should not have your name on them, as they may be marked blind. In this case, you should have a candidate number or reference number which goes on your title page instead of your name. Double check in your departmental handbook if you are unsure. 5. Print & bind or submit electronically Often, for a master's thesis you can print it yourself on regular printer paper, and then bind it using a comb binder and a binding machine. The admin office at your university may well have these supplies which you can use, or they can direct you to where you can find them. This will be much cheaper than having the thesis printed at a print shop! Alternatively, at some universities you can submit your thesis electronically. You will need to convert your thesis to a PDF and then email it or submit it through the online form provided by your university. 6. Get a receipt Whether you submit a paper copy of your thesis to your university office, or you submit it electronically through an online form, it's a good idea to get a receipt or acknowledgement of your submission. That way, in case there are any problems with your submission or your thesis is lost, you can prove that you handed it in on time. A signed note from the university office should be just fine. 7. Celebrate! Congratulations, you've finished your master's thesis! Now go out and celebrate your big achievement.
Writing up your master's thesis is a big job, and you need to take some time to think about administrative issues as well as the content of your thesis. We've talked before about the final steps you need to take to make sure that your PhD thesis is ready to submit. Today, it's the turn of the master's students. If you're finishing up your master's, take a look at this checklist and make sure you're ready with everything you need to submit your thesis.
Frequently Asked Questions During PhD Applications
What should my research proposal be about? For most PhD applications, you will need to submit a research proposal which outlines what topic you plan to study over your PhD. This proposal should generally include an introduction and background material to your topic, a set of research questions, a proposed methodology for studying those questions, and an indication of how your results would be beneficial to the academic community. Most people write a PhD proposal which is an extension of their master's thesis – the advantage of this is that you have already demonstrated your ability in the field by having completed the master's. However, if you have an innovative or unusual idea, then you should put it forward in your proposal! Just make sure that your idea is well thought through and not too vague. What if my project changes from my proposal? Some applicants are concerned that if they submit a proposal, they will have to follow it exactly if they get accepted on a PhD. But this isn't the case! In fact, the proposal is meant to demonstrate that you are capable of thinking through a project and finding a way to address research questions. If you do get accepted onto a PhD, your actual research will almost certainly change dramatically from what was outlined in your proposal. So don't worry that your proposal might limit you in the future – aim to make it as clear and coherent as possible, and you can always change it once you actually start. <11an>limit:3;categories:PhD Programs;disciplines:Economics</11an> What paperwork or documents will I need to apply for a PhD? To apply for a PhD, you will need some paperwork. Firstly, you will need copies of your university certificates for your undergraduate and master's degrees. You may also need transcripts which show your grades in the various courses which you took. If you are applying to an institution in a foreign country, you may need to have your grades converted into the local grading system. Also, you will need to demonstrate your language abilities, by either showing that one of your university programs was in the teaching language, or providing a certificate proving your language skills. How do I write a statement of motivation? Often, you will need to provide a statement or letter of motivation in addition to your research proposal. This is where you demonstrate your personal interest and commitment to your research. This should briefly describe your academic career so far, but you should also talk about what your aims are for the future. Don't make the mistake of being overly descriptive – for example, you don't need to list all the courses you took as an undergraduate because that information will be in your transcript. Instead, focus on specifics – was there a course you took which inspired you? Did you see a presentation by a great researcher and want to learn more about their field? What unique experiences have you had which lead you to your research? Let your enthusiasm and individually shine here. How do I find someone to write a letter of recommendation for me? You will need to provide one or more letters of recommendation for your PhD application. These should be written by someone in academia who is familiar with your work – they could be a lecturer, tutor, or a department member who you have got to know. Ideally, the person writing the recommendation would be someone senior, like a professor, but it's better to have a recommendation from a more junior person who knows you very well than one from a senior person with whom you have only interacted briefly. If you have been working in industry, you could ask a manager to write you such a letter, but be aware that recommendations from people within academia are preferred. How can I make myself stand out from the other applicants? To make your application exceptional, firstly you need to fulfil all the requirements exactly. Make sure that you follow any guidelines which are given – don't skip any steps or miss any sections. When it comes to your research proposal, this is your chance to showcase your original academic ideas. Try to explain not only why your research topic is interesting, but also what your results could mean for the rest of the field and for the public. In your motivation letter, you can be slightly less formal and let your personality show – let everyone see how enthusiastic you are about your work. We hope this helps answer some of your PhD application questions!
If you're applying for a PhD, the process can be rather complex, so here are our answers to some frequently asked questions about applications. If you plan to start your PhD application this autumn, download our free guide "How to successfully apply to a PhD in Economics".
Last Check List Before Submitting Your PhD Thesis
1. Put in your thanks or acknowledgements Traditionally, there is one page at either the front or at the back of a thesis which is dedicated to thanking to colleagues, partners, or friends who have supported you. This is a nice personal touch and a way of acknowledging all of the help you've received. <11an>limit:3;categories:Postdoc;disciplines:Economics</11an><o:p></o:p> 2. Check your printing requirements Different universities have different printing requirements. Sometimes you can submit your thesis electronically, sometimes you will need to hand in multiple printed copies of your thesis in a very specific format. Check the requirements in your department's regulations. 3. Check your title page There are usually requirements about what information should and should not be included on a title page. It's also very important to double- and triple-check the spelling. It sounds silly, but the title page is usually the last thing which people write, and it's surprisingly common to see typos on them. That's embarrassing and doesn't give a great first impression! 4. Make preparations for printing Once you know what printing format is required, you can make preparations. Find a printing shop and visit it a few days before you submit, describe what you need, and find out how long it will take and how much it will cost. You don't want to be stressed out and trying to find a printing shop at the last minute. 5. Do one last proofread However carefully you've checked your work, there will almost certainly still be some small mistakes in there. Seeing typos in your printed thesis will be terribly annoying, so take the time to read the entire thesis, cover to cover, and check all of the text. 6. Check your images, graphs, and tables When you make formatting changes, this can often have knock-on effects and change the layout of objects like images, tables and graphs. After you have checked and corrected your text, go back and make sure each object is correctly positioned, labelled, and linked in your table of contents. Make sure that your labels are legible and that your images are high enough quality for printing. 7. Contact the office where you'll be submitting Most universities will have either a central office where theses are submitted (usually a sub-department of the library), or you will have to hand in your thesis to your department directly. Either way, contact the relevant office a few days before you want to submit. Let them know that you're planning to submit, find out when the office is open, and enquire about any paperwork you will need to complete. Also ask if there is anything that you will need to bring along with you when you submit, such as a university ID card or your passport. 8. Prepare all your paperwork You'll probably have to fill out some forms, agreeing that the work you are submitting is your own, and giving permission to the university to share the work publicly. You may also need to submit evidence of coursework that you have completed, or classes which you have attended. It will be less stressful for you if you can have all the required paperwork printed and signed before you arrive at the office. 9. Get a signed receipt Once you have given in your thesis, it's a good idea to collect an acknowledgement from the university office that they have received your work. This could be a formal receipt, or it could just be a note from the relevant member of staff in the office. Just in case there are any problems with the submission of your thesis, you have paperwork showing that you gave it in at a particular date and time. 10. Celebrate! Now your thesis is handed in, along with all the paperwork, you are free to celebrate! You've worked incredibly hard to finish a PhD, so take time to congratulate yourself.
The big day is here – you're finally ready to hand in your PhD thesis! Years of work have culminated in this one piece of work, and you're prepared to submit it to your university office. You're almost certainly stressed, exhausted, and very glad to be done. But there are a few quick points you need to check before you formally submit your thesis, so take a look at this checklist and make sure everything is in order.
Using IELTS for Your Academic Career or Professional Registration
Why IELTS? The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test that measures the language proficiency of people who want to work, study, or settle in English-speaking areas. An easy-to-use 9-band scale clearly identifies proficiency level, from non-user (band 1) through to expert (band 9). You can take the test at more than 1100 locations and there are 48 test dates a year. In most countries where English is the main language of communication, evidence of acceptable English language skills is a prerequisite for applicants and international graduates seeking professional registration. IELTS can give you the evidence you need when applying for a higher education program or professional organization. It’s important to note that the level of English language proficiency required by organisations varies by profession, by country and by jurisdiction. It’s up to the individual professional registration bodies to set their own requirements. However, employers in industries such as medicine, accounting, engineering, law, government, tourism and more may all ask for IELTS from potential employees, making IELTS Academic an important step along the way to the universty or professional organization of your choice. IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training – what’s the difference? For those planning to study in higher education or those seeking professional registration, IELTS Academic assesses whether you are ready to begin studying or training in an environment where English is the language used. You can discover who accepts IELTS using this great tool. IELTS Academic is different from IELTS General Training. The General Training test is ony for those who want to study or train in secondary education, study or train at a college or training centre below degree level, or who want to migrate to an English speaking country. IELTS Academic is for those who want to study higher eduation or join a professional organisation in an English-speaking country. While all test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests, regardless of which version they take, the Reading and Writing tests differ in content, depending on whether you are taking IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training. Source: IELTS How can I prepare for IELTS? There are many great ways to prepare yourself for the test. Find out how with the British Council’s great tips and study techniques, take a look at some sample questions or take a free practice test online. How can I register for IELTS? Here is an easy how-to for booking your test - on your time and in your country. Ready to book? You can do so here and take the next step towards your new program or profession.
Do you want to study at a university at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, or join a professional organisation in an English-speaking country? Then IELTS Academic is designed for you.
The value of diversity resides on new ideas, creativity and innovation. To ensure the success of your international team, you should work towards inclusion, where every single member feels valued and integrated in the organization, mission, vision and strategy. When professors, students and administration members feel appreciated, they are more willing to generate ideas and make resources available for innovation and growth. There is no magic bullet or golden rule that will keep your team members happy - everything depends on the culture of your organization or university. But properly assessing the characteristics of your team will help you considerably. Focus groups, interviews and surveys are at your disposal to draw good conclusions in this endeavour. Some other good practices that will lead to success in your diversity team include: ● Recognise and respect the cultural differences of your team members: In an international team you will often face multiple interpretations of the same issue. While some of your team members understand a situation as normal, others can experience it as stressful. It is always worth getting to know your team members as well as possible in order to avoid miscommunication in the words and body language that you use, or even confusion as a result of workflows that to you might seem standard, but to others may be very foreign. ● Design processes to make your employees or students feel welcome: A new employee or student from a completely different cultural background needs to feel accepted. Make the first day of the new team member an important event and alert current employees about the new team member. ● Create mentor groups: Assigning a local mentor to people from different cultural backgrounds will make them feel comfortable and supported. ● Create a free space to share ideas and take them into account: Problem solving comes in different shapes in different cultures; so let your institution absorb the new ideas and approaches from people from other backgrounds. ● Use benchmarking: Other institutions have successfully reached a diverse multicultural environment - let them teach you and provide you with new ideas. ● Provide communication training for your employees and students: Whether communication coaching, language courses or assertiveness, being able to communicate messages propoerly will help your people blend into your workplace community ● Build up a strong leadership program inside your institution: Avoid all types of cultural bias about the styles and characteristics of a leader; the challenge is to enable each team member to become an effective leader matching their own cultural mindset. ● Listen to your people: Make use of surveys and interviews to determine the needs of different employees and students. Only then can you develop a strategic retention plan for your diverse talent. ● Focus on building trust in your team: The most basic way in which you can ensure trust in your team is by setting up good communication channels (intranet, posters, emails, social media groups, etc.) Make sure that your team members understand each other clearly, regardless of the ways that their background influences their behaviour and non-verbal communication. By organizing team-building activities, you will provide a space outside your institution to socialize and learn from each other. Managing a multicultural team of employees and students may be a signficant challenge but it also promises a big reward in terms of experience and learning. At INOMICS we are happy to support your recruitment activities and to provide you with tips for the effective management of your international talent. Please feel free to write to us at info@inomics.com if you are interested in knowing more about us, our research initiatives in the recruitment industry and the advertising opportunities for your institution. We will be happy to work with you to attract the best candidates for your institution.
Managing a multicultural team can be exciting and challenging. While employers might know what to expect from employees with the same background as them, a multicultural team demands more time and dedication since not all management and motivation techniques will work the same way with all team members. Last month we talked about diversity recruitment and how to hire multicultural talent for institutions. In this article we will address different suggestions that will help you keep your employees and students engaged.
Diversity Recruitment: hiring multicultural talent for institutions
What does diversity mean for HR and student recruiters? Until recently, a diverse working or study group may have simply referred to a balance of genders, sexual orientation and race. Nowadays though, diversity is extended in meaning to cover minority groups, older persons, people from different cultures and people whose native language is not that of the group or institution. Diversity now refers to the inclusion of people with different life styles and value systems, for example, geographic location, income, religion, hobbies, educational background, work experience, parental and marital status1. For HR recruiters, diversity ensures the success of the company. With today’s globalized markets, it is necessary to understand a different set of cultures, and their associated behaviours, needs and demands, in order to develop appropriate products and services. The most valuable market insight can come from employees who have a cultural background comparable to those of your target groups. For student recruiters, keeping diversity in mind enables them to deliver to students the opportunity to interact with different nationalities and learn from each other. Multicultural student and professor groups deliver a higher level of learning not only in a specific subject, but also in terms of teamwork, coping with stress, adaptability and awareness of different opinions and ideas. How can I put diversity recruitment into practice? The most common way to start applying diversity recruitment is to set goals towards a diverse team at your institution. For example, to receive and prioritize applications from your target countries/cultures and advertise your open positions or study opportunities in places where your target groups work and live. Additionally there are a variety of practices that could help you reach your recruitment goals: Create a diverse pool of candidates: recruiting in the same places and with the same techniques will always bring the same set of skills and people. Try to attain visibility in specialized places, where your desired target groups are located. Classify your channels according to your segmentation of desired candidates: shortlist the channels where you usually get people with a special set of skills, or where you know you can reach people with a specific cultural background. ​​​​​​​Attend and sponsor industry events: whether to look for valuable partners or to contribute to the growth of the organization, events provide you with a chance to meet people interested in specific topics and career opportunities in a specific industry. Look for your candidates at the early stages of their career: if you are looking for researchers or students interested in one specific topic, you can try to approach young people who are interested in the issue and are looking for opportunities to become experts on the topic. ​​​​​​​Work out a collaboration agreement between universities and companies. If you are a university, cooperate with research centres and companies by offering opportunities to develop research. If you are a company or research institute, share your vacancies directly with universities to find the perfect fit for your needs. ​​​​​​​Include diversity in your mission statement and marketing materials: if your institution publicises the high importance it attaches to a varied team, more applicants will be willing to take your company or institution seriously and apply for your jobs, programs, events etc.​​​​​​​ Break down stereotypes: pre-judging the capability of individuals to fill an open position can lead to missed opportunities, not to mention the risk of (justified) accusations of discrimination. ​​​​​​​Use international recruitment websites that provide you with a worldwide reach, so your message is delivered to a good spread of people. ​​​​​​​If you are applying techniques such as recruitment on campus, always be aware if your recruiting team is being trained in diversity awareness, challenge their comfort zone, and attract the best candidates. Recruiting a diverse team represents a challenge for recruiters but also a big reward in terms of long-term development of the organization. In our next newsletter, we will cover some techniques about how to maintain a multicultural team, i.e. to keep them satisfied and happy. Feel free to write to us at info@inomics.com if you are interested in knowing more about INOMICS, our research initiatives in the field of professional or student recruitment, and the advertising opportunities to reach top international students and researchers in economics, business and finance worldwide. We will be happy to work with you to attract the best candidates for your institution. 1Diversity Recruitment. NAS Insights http://www.mature-project.eu/materials/DiversityRecruitment_guidelines.pdf
Globalization has had a significant impact on the structure and function of organizations. Nowadays, HR and student recruiters are eager to offer positions to candidates from all over the world who provide a diversity of talent, the best skills and cultural adaptability. Previously we have discussed why hiring an international candidate can benefit your workplace and the multiple benefits of international students for universities. Now we want to go deeper into the topic of diversity recruitment and present some techniques to gather the best talent for your institution and maintain a happy, multicultural team.
5 Reasons Why You Should Learn A New Language
1. Work in a different country or location The most obvious career advantage to learning a new language is that it gives you more options for countries or locations where you can work. Particularly if you learn a common language like Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic, the number of potential jobs open to you becomes suddenly much larger. If you are willing and able to move to a new place for a job, this is one of the best way to improve your career prospects. Of course, to be able to take up a job in a foreign language requires extremely high levels of fluency, so this requires serious commitment. But if you're willing to put in the hours to learn the language thoroughly, you can find better pay, better living conditions, or more interesting work, depending on your preference. 2. Better pay in many jobs If you don't want to move from your current location, there are still career advantages of learning a language. With so many companies now doing international business, there are a large number of roles which require or benefit from a bilingual speaker. There may even be a need for language skills in your current role. If you can demonstrate to your current or prospective employer that your language skills are good enough to be a boon to your employer and an advantage to your work, then you may be able to leverage a raise or better starting salary. This is especially true if you speak a language which is unusual for someone in your area, but is particularly important for your business – if you are an American who works for a technology company and speaks Japanese, for example. 3. Demonstrate your ability to take on demanding projects Even if there is no language requirement for your job, you can still benefit from learning a language. It demonstrates your ability to take on a large and demanding project, to manage and motivate yourself, and to meet concrete successful outcomes. The ability to learn independently is valuable in all kinds of work, showing that you can take initiative and have a willingness to apply yourself to a difficult challenge. 4. Personal discovery A further benefit of learning a language is that it will teach you about your own learning style. Do you retain more information when you discuss it with another person or in a group? Or do prefer to learn alone, from books, at your own pace? Do you find visual cues helpful in retaining information? Or perhaps you like to have a physical object which you can handle, such as flashcards? The more you understand about the best ways for you to learn, the easier your future learning will be. As adults, we often don't think about learning styles much once we have completed school. But learning is a life-long process, and understanding more about your style will help you to make the most of training or instruction which you receive in the future. 5. Become a better communicator Finally, think about how learning a language can help you to become a better communicator generally. You'll find it easier to communicate with people who are learning your native language if you know what it's like to be in their position. You might be surprised at how often you use idioms or slang which is difficult for people from other places or backgrounds to understand. You can think more about how your form your sentences, about how fast you speak, and how you explain complex issues, and how to adapt these behaviours to communicate better with international colleagues or clients.
Learning a new language can be fun and rewarding, but all too often it's considered just a necessary part of schooling for children or teenagers. However, learning a language as an adult can bring your a range of benefits, including improving your employability and career prospects. Below we're considering some of the advantages of learning a language in terms of your job or studying.
Researching To begin your essay, you first need to research the topic at hand. The earlier you begin this process, the easier it will be, so try to start well in advance. You should collect materials that you'll need, such as library books or online journal articles, and read as much as possible that might be relevant. At this point, you can take notes on any specific issues which seem to be important, but your primary aim is to understand the bigger picture. Structuring Before you start writing, you want to ensure that you have a basic structure in place. This will help to focus your writing and prevent you from going off-track. Most essays will follow a similar structure, for example: What is X / What are the causes of X? A brief introduction to why the question of X is relevant or interesting to your discipline or to the world more broadly. First section: one view about X, often the traditional or older view, which you should set out as objectively and fairly as you can. Second section: a different view of X, perhaps a more recent or more controversial theory, which should also be set out factually and fairly. Third section: a discussion of what evidence or arguments supports the first view, and what supports the second view. You can begin some analysis here – making judgements about whether or not you find certain pieces of evidence or argumentation to be convincing. Fourth section: further factors for consideration. Perhaps there is a third theory or view to be considered, or a very new piece of research which shows some support for both the views you previously described. Or perhaps there is information from a different discipline which could be relevant to your argument. Here is the place to put your original ideas and to show your own thoughts. Fifth section: overall, do you find the first or second view presented to be more persuasive? Why is this? Show how the evidence or reasoning led you to one conclusion over the over. Conclusion: very briefly summarise everything you have said so far into a few sentences, to remind your reader of the take-home message. You may need to adapt this structure to make it fit with your particular essay question, but this format is generally what is expected. Writing When it comes to the process of writing, some people like to be secluded away with no noise and no distractions so that they can concentrate. Others find listening to music helps them to focus, or that they need regular breaks for brief socialising such as getting coffee with a friend. You should try out various locations and environments until you find one which makes you most comfortable for writing, but that does not have too many distractions. When in doubt, the university library will have all the resources you need, and little in the way of chatter to distract you. One useful tip is that you don't have to write your essay in the order in which it will be read. Introductions can be hard to write because they require you to summarise a very large amount of information. So you can start writing by skipping the introduction and beginning writing your first section, and then come back to the introduction once you are more comfortable with the topic. Editing Finally, it's important that you edit your work for clarity and to correct small mistakes of spelling and grammar before you submit it. Ideally, you want to take at least 24 hours away from your essay after finishing it before you edit. This will help to ensure that while you are editing, you are reading what you have actually written, not what you intended to write. If you must edit in a hurry, then it can be very helpful to have a friend check over your work. Even if they are not in your field and may not understand the content of what you have written, they can spot language mistakes and help with your editing process. We hope that these tips can help to make your next essay fantastic! For more tips for students, check out our other articles.
If you're working your way through your degree, you may well be required to write a number of essays for your assessment. This can be tricky if you don't have a lot of experience in essay writing, so today we're sharing tips on how to manage the essay-writing process.