University of Huddersfield FAQ

Solid induction and recruitment processes, good atmosphere, staff morale is high, working environment is pleasant, great facilities, staff benefits are wide and varied, flex-time as standard, holiday allowances above average, salary scales for this industry at this level are better than most.

Not yet found anything to consider a downside in this post.

- Genuinely great people - Good location - I'm surrounded by world-leading researchers in my field - Has taken concrete steps over the past 5-10 years to invest in developing a genuine research culture at the university (moving away from its roots as a post-'92 institution). While this is a slow process, it does seem to be working. - While senior management have their flaws, they are not as reckless with spending/borrowing as other UK institutions have been in recent years, and has done well to operate within its means. This in turn means that we are better placed to deal with the present economic circumstances - Relatively high proportion of first-generation university students. While this is not without its challenges, I have found the teaching side of my job very rewarding. - Good sense of community, both between staff members and between staff and students - TPS pension scheme (not the USS pension that staff at many other UK institutions have been striking over)

- Too much pointless or unnecessarily arduous admin - Legal and quality assurance staff are extremely risk averse (prevents or slows down the progress of some tasks) - Some outdated systems/structures, and a lack of willingness to make substantive improvements to them - Recruitment far more difficult since the removal of caps on student numbers (though the blame for this obviously lies with destructive government policies)

- Radical overhaul needed of IT systems and databases. The university has made great strides in staff recruitment to improve research culture in recent years, but some of the tools/resources they are being asked to work with are not fit for purpose. - Be much faster at replacing departing staff