Teaching Fellow - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

In the UK, teaching fellows are more commonly full members of academic staff who have the equivalent rank and pay as 'traditional' research-active academic staff. This equivalence in rank and status is relatively new in some institutions, since teaching fellows in the past were sometimes paid at a grade lower than their research-active colleagues. Institutions such as UCL as well as The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and the universities of Aberdeen, Stirling, Bristol and Manchester all employ academics known as teaching fellows. Thus, a senior teaching fellow may have the same salary, status and responsibilities as a senior lecturer. Teaching fellows in institutions such as the University of Aberdeen may also potentially reach the rank of professor. These teaching fellows undertake the full range of teaching, pastoral and administrative duties, but are often not required to undertake any research activity (though some may choose to). Other UK institutions may use the title of teaching fellow as an additional accolade, awarded to a member of academic staff who has shown excellence in teaching.