Every year, October is the peak time for future PhD candidates in economics to start applying for their first-choice positions. For those students who want to stay in their current institutions, the process may be fairly straightforward. However, for candidates seeking opportunities internationally or simply at a different university, the prospect and the process may be somewhat more daunting.

The increasing importance of evidencing teaching effectiveness In recent years, the UK higher education environment has noticeably changed. Research Assessment Exercises and then the Research Excellence Framework have highlighted the importance of academics not only being research- active but regularly publishing high quality outputs in internationally recognised academic journals.