Tertiary Lecturer
Pūkenga Whare Wānanga
Alternative titles for this job
Tertiary lecturers teach at universities, colleges of education, polytechnics, wānanga and other post-secondary education providers. They also carry out research and do administrative tasks.
Pay
Assistant tertiary lecturers and lecturers usually earn
$43K-$100K per year
Senior lecturers, associate professors and professors usually earn
$88K-$200K per year
Source: CEAs, 2019.
Job opportunities
Vocational PathwaysPay
Pay for tertiary lecturers varies depending on qualifications, experience, the size and type of institution, and collective pay agreements.
Polytechnics and institutes of technology
- Lecturers at polytechnics and institutes of technology usually earn between $48,000 and $85,000 a year.
- Senior lecturers usually earn up to $95,000
- Principal lecturers can earn up to $106,000.
Universities
- Assistant lecturers usually earn between $43,000 and $77,000 a year.
- Lecturers usually earn between $70,000 and $100,000.
- Senior lecturers usually earn between $88,000 and $132,000.
- Associate professors usually earn between $116,000 and $148,000.
- Professors can earn from $135,000 to $200,000.
Sources: University of Auckland, 'Academic Staff Remuneration Schedule', 2018-2019; University of Otago, 'Staff Collective Employment Agreement', 2018-2020; Massey University, 'Current Salary Scales - Academic Staff', 2018-2019; Canterbury University, 'Collective Employment Agreement, Tūtohu Mahi Tōpūtanga, Academic and Associated Staff', 2018-2021; University of Waikato, 'Academic staff collective employment agreement', 2018-2019; Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, 'Academic Staff Collective Agreement', 2017-2019; and Ara Institute of Canterbury, 'Collective Employment Agreement', 2016-2018.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our pay information)
What you will do
Tertiary lecturers may do some or all of the following:
- prepare and give lectures, workshops and tutorials to students
- prepare and mark assignments, essays and exams
- give academic advice to students and supervise their research
- do research, write reports and publish articles on their subject area
- attend and present at conferences on their subject area.
Skills and knowledge
Tertiary lecturers need to have:
- up-to-date knowledge of their subject area
- teaching and lecturing skills
- research skills, and up-to-date knowledge of research methods
- skills in different styles of writing, such as writing courses, lectures and research
- knowledge of assessment methods and regulations.
Working conditions
Tertiary lecturers:
- usually work regular business hours
- work in lecture theatres, classrooms, workshops, libraries, offices and laboratories
- may teach students at work placements, such as boats, farms and kitchens
- may travel within New Zealand and overseas to conferences and meetings, and to do research.
What's the job really like?
Dr Eva Neely
Lecturer in Health Promotion
Engaging with students
Health promotion lecturer Dr Eva Neely enjoys engaging with her students and helping to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to step out into the world.
Eva says one of the best parts of the job is supervising postgraduate students who come up with interesting and original academic research.
Lecturing is a juggle but an awesome career
Eva enjoys the many parts of an academic job: teaching, researching, and engaging in service with the university and communities around her. Each part of the job has satisfaction and reward. The hardest thing is finding a balance between all the different parts of the job to ensure there is enough time for everything.
An academic mindset and research paved the way
Becoming a lecturer was never something Eva planned from the outset, but her interest in studying and academic development through school and university took her down a path which helped her find her passion in research and teaching.
“I love working in my faculty because everyone is dedicated to what they do.”
Advice for future lecturers
Eva says that undergraduate study is a great time to figure out whether lecturing might suit you. If you’re the kind of student who thrives on academic tasks and has a genuine passion for the work, then lecturing could be right for you.
Tertiary lecturer video
Lisa Pilkington talks about life as a university chemistry lecturer – 2.17 mins
Here is my office. My job does have 3 components: part teaching, part research and part service. For our teaching, that is really teaching, lecturing and also supervising postgraduate students. My research is about me leading my research group and conducting innovative new research. Also there is a service component to our role and that's really sort of service to our university, to the community. It can be things like outreach, contributing to the way the university is run and that kind of thing.
This is where I work. I have my chemistry memorabilia up on my wall as you can see from over here as well. So a bit of a tea collection. And these are some of my recently graduated students. That's one of the highlights of my job, is the student achievement and being there on their special day.
So my Undergraduate, Honors and PhD was here at the University of Auckland. My Masters was at the University of Oxford in the UK. All up, that was about 8 years and my other Masters was a year by itself.
So we're going to my lab now. So this is where my research group do their research, operate their experiments and things. This is one of the lecture theaters that I sometimes lecture in. The first time I stepped into a lecture room and gave a lecture to students was actually in the same room that I had my very first lecture in as an undergraduate student. That very much felt like I'd come full circle. The idea that I had gone from being somebody that I had idolized as an undergraduate student - then being on the other side and feeling that sense of accomplishment, that was really amazing.
Most lectures are less interactive than a classroom environment. Your lecture is about delivering the content and then you apply it more to different exercises and problems in your own time.
My advice to anyone wanting to be a lecturer would be to believe in yourself - that you can do it. It is a lot of work. Try do the best that you can do and work hard for it.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for tertiary lecturers vary depending on what and where you want to teach.
Universities
To lecture at a university you need to be studying towards or have completed a Master's degree, or have a Doctorate degree. You also need experience in teaching and research. Having published research is an advantage.
Polytechnics and institutes of technology
To lecture at a polytechnic or institute of technology you usually need a minimum of a diploma and work experience in the subject you teach.
Secondary education
A tertiary entrance qualification is required to enter further training.
Personal requirements
Tertiary lecturers need to be:
- excellent at communicating, including being able to network effectively with other academics and professionals
- good at planning and organising
- able to understand different cultures
- skilled at analysing information
- skilled at using problem-solving skills
- approachable and open-minded
- enquiring and accurate when carrying out research.
Useful experience
Useful experience for tertiary lecturers includes:
- work in your field of subject expertise
- teaching or tutoring experience.
What are the chances of getting a job?
Tertiary lecturer shortage due to a range of factors
The shortage of tertiary lecturers is due to:
- an ageing workforce, with many lecturers retiring
- academics moving between universities, including overseas establishments, for career progression
- highly qualified candidates taking up roles as scientists, technologists and researchers in the private sector in New Zealand and overseas
- too few candidates with higher tertiary qualifications
- growing demand by industry for people with tertiary qualifications.
University lecturer and post-doctoral fellow appear on Immigration New Zealand's regional skill shortage list. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled tertiary lecturers from overseas to work in New Zealand.
According to the Census, 14,283 tertiary lecturers and tutors worked in New Zealand in 2018.
Opportunities for lecturers with published research
A major focus of lecturers is publishing research, particularly research that has commercial value. This focus has increased demand for senior academic staff with a proven research record.
More part-time and casual roles
Lecturers are increasingly being employed in part-time and casual teaching and research positions because of the high cost of hiring permanent senior lecturers. Part-time and casual staff meet the demand for teaching academic courses, completing research projects on time and filling staffing gaps.
Lecturers of applied subjects in demand
The strongest demand for tertiary lecturers is in applied fields such as health, sciences, physical and social sciences, environmental studies and engineering.
Types of employers varied
Tertiary lecturers may work for education institutions such as:
- universities
- polytechnics
- institutes of technology
- wānanga
- private tertiary providers.
Sources
- Immigration New Zealand website, 'Regional Skill Shortage List', 27 May 2019, (www.immigration.govt.nz).
- Stats NZ, '2018 Census Data', 2019.
- Universities New Zealand website, 'Delivering quality teaching and learning', accessed May 2019, (www.universitiesnz.ac.nz).
- Universities New Zealand website, ‘University Teaching Quality’, 28 March 2018, (www.universtiesnz.ac.nz).
- Universities New Zealand website, 'Responding to an ageing academic workforce: Summary of the Academic Workforce Project 2020 Report', accessed May 2019, (www.universitiesnz.ac.nz).
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our job opportunities information)
Progression and specialisations
Tertiary lecturers may move into more senior academic roles such as senior lecturer, associate professor or professor.
Lecturers spend 40% of their time teaching
Last updated 15 November 2022