1. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Getting the best from a part-time supervisor

2. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Overview Decide what you need from your supervisor Consider any issues which may make that difficult to achieve Determine a way to optimise the relationship between you and your supervisor

3. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Supervisor-hero What should your supervisor be like…?

4. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Supervisor-hero But… they are only human Perhaps it might help if… they had a bigger brain or a smaller ego or extra arms or were a mini-me

5. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Now you have the technology In groups, draw your perfect supervisor Feel free to add genetic modifications or to ‘cyborgise’ them Decide what you need from your supervisor Don’t worry about any discomfort to the supervisors – make sure that they suit your needs 10 Minutes

6. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer The role of the supervisor Interested in your research Available to discuss your conclusions and ideas Able to provide feedback on your progress Able to provide feedback on your written work Encouraging you to participate in group meetings, seminars and occasional conferences Developing your professional research qualities by example

7. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Part-time supervision issues You may find your supervisor is not available when you need to speak with them has unrealistic expectations of how much you should be achieving in the time available is often slow to provide feedback. Any others?

8. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Supervisor-hero world? In groups, discuss what you understand of ‘supervisor-hero world’ What does an academic actually do, when not supervising postgraduate researchers?

9. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Other academic demands… Planning and preparing taught modules Teaching undergraduate and Masters’ students Marking coursework and exam questions Acting as personal tutor to undergraduate students Writing research proposals Carrying out and keeping up to date with research Attending and presenting at conferences Attending department and university meetings Serving on university committees Managing their own office (word processing, email etc) Social life, home and family time… plus much more…

10. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Part-time issues for your supervisor Your supervisor: cannot easily contact you in working hours does not know what your other commitments are cannot monitor how much time you are putting into your PhD can get frustrated if your research sometimes appears to be going very slowly.

11. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer What does your supervisor know about you?

12. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer The ideal postgraduate researcher Contacts their supervisor and updates them on progress regularly Produces ideas for discussion Participates in group meetings, seminars and occasional conferences Meets agreed deadlines for research targets Is committed to gaining their PhD

13. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Barriers to the ideal What working style do you prefer? Are there limitations on your time that may not be apparent to them? Have you encountered difficulty in areas of research that you have not brought to their attention? Do you need any specific help?

14. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Consider a discussion with your supervisor Spend a few minutes filling in the pro-forma provided and note what changes you would like to make in your supervision arrangements

15. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Communication Good communication between supervisor and postgraduate researcher is key You have a large responsibility for maintaining this

16. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Serious problems? What can you do if your supervisor repeatedly fails to respond to requests for help? All universities should have a mechanism to mediate in this situation If you feel your supervisor is not supporting you, approach the head of department, director of research or your graduate school for advice

17. ‛Getting the best from a part-time supervisor’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer for full conditions of use.www.vitae.ac.uk/resourcedisclaimer Finally: to do Arrange a meeting with your supervisor to discuss: Potential changes to method of supervision What frequency of contact is needed Specific help required What methods of communication will suit you both best (eg telephone, email)