Survey builder | Survey “ESRC-survey”

p. 1 Overview

Please note that your answers will be confidential with no identifying information passed on. Responses will be presented in aggregate form with text answers anonymised where necessary. You can withdraw from the study at any time. Your data will only be recorded if you complete the survey.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are interested to discover the experiences and issues faced by early-career social scientists. Therefore, they have commissioned this survey from researchers at the UCL Institute of Education to see how improvements can be made to existing support for early-career social scientists before, during and after their doctoral studies.

Early-career social scientists can be described in a variety of ways, for example, as those within eight years of the award of a doctorate. However, we do not want to use such a prescriptive definition as some people might describe themselves as an early-career social scientist despite having been awarded their doctorate more than eight years ago. Please note, we are not targeting current doctoral students.

Following the analysis of this survey, it is hoped to conduct a follow-up study involving interviews with selected early-career social scientists who are interested in participating. On the final page of this survey we will ask you if you are interested in participating in that qualitative study.

We do hope that you will complete the survey as your answers will help to improve the support for all researchers. We also hope that you will encourage anyone you know who is an early-career researcher in the social sciences and therefore eligible to participate, so please feel free to pass on the URL: bit.ly/ESRC-survey

The survey asks you about:

Your motivations for doctoral study
Your current employment and future aspirations
Availability of career advice and guidance – and what you used
Your education and personal information

The survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. Not every question will be relevant to you. Where this is the case please leave blank.

p. 2 Defining an early career researcher (ECR)

1 Would you describe yourself as an Early Career Researcher?

Yes
No

a Please outline the reasons for your answer

p. 3 Your motivations and aspirations

We’d like to know something about your motivations for doctoral study.

2 What was your main motivation for deciding to study for a doctoral degree?

My interest in the subject
Improving my career prospects for an academic/research career
Improving my career prospects outside of an academic/research career
I was encouraged by a former academic tutor/supervisor
The funding was available
It felt like a natural step for me
I felt inspired to work with a particular academic
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

3 What were your career aspirations for when you had completed your doctorate, before studying, during studying, after your award and now? (Select all that apply)

	Before study	During study	Immediately after award	Now

Career in higher education- primarily research and teaching	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Career in higher education - primarily research	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Career in higher education - primarily teaching	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Other role in higher education	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Research career outside higher education	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Self-employment/running your own business	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Teaching career outside higher education	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Other	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Don't know	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox

a If you selected 'Other' to any of the above, please specify.

p. 4 Your Employment

We’d like to know something about what you are doing now and what you would like to do.

4 Did you do any teaching at higher education level during your doctoral studies?

Yes
No

5 Immediately following the completion of your doctorate, what did you do?

Paid work in higher education
Unpaid work in higher education
Paid work outside higher education
Unpaid work outside education
Travelled
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

6 How long did it take you to secure your first paid post after submitting your thesis?

Less than 3 months
3-6 months
6-12 months
1-2 years
Over 2 years
I’ve not yet secured a paid post
I secured my first paid post before submitting

7 Which of the following best describes your first paid post?

Role in higher education - primarily research and teaching
Role in higher education - primarily research
Role in higher education - primarily teaching
Other role in higher education
Research role outside higher education
Self-employment/running your own business
Teaching career outside higher education
Other
I've not yet been able to secure a paid post

a If you selected Other, please specify:

p. 5 More employment

8 Which of the following have you done since completing your doctorate? (Select all that apply)

Role in higher education - primarily research and teaching
Role in higher education - primarily research
Role in higher education - primarily teaching
Other role in higher education
Research role outside higher education
Self-employment/running your own business
Teaching career outside higher education
Private sector employment
Public sector employment
Voluntary sector employment
Employment in higher education outside the UK
Employment outside higher education and outside the UK
Other
Further study for a qualification
Unemployed

a If you selected Other, please specify:

9 How would you best describe what you are primarily doing now?

Career in higher education - primarily research and teaching
Career in higher education - primarily research
Career in higher education - primarily teaching
Other role in higher education
Research career outside higher education
Self-employment/running your own business
Teaching career outside higher education
Private sector employment
Public sector employment
Employment in higher education outside the UK
Employment outside higher education and outside the UK
Voluntary sector employment
Further study for a qualification
Unemployed
Other
Don't know

a If you selected Other, please specify:

10 How would you describe the nature of your current main employment status?

Permanent or open-ended contract
Fixed-term contract (12 months or more)
Fixed-term contract (less than 12 months)
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

11 What best describes your main employment or role?

Full-time
Part-time
Hourly-paid (fixed hours)
Hourly-paid (ad hoc hours, i.e. zero hours contract)
Unpaid
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

b If you answered part-time above, what is the percentage of a full-time post?

12 How long have you been in your current main employment?

Less than 6 months
6-12 months
1-2 years
2-4 years
4 years or more

p. 6 More employment

13 How many fixed term contracts have you had since completing your doctorate?

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 or more

14 If you are working in higher education, how many contracts do you currently hold (including different roles at the same institution)

1
2
3
4
5 or more

15 If you are currently not working in Higher Education, what motivated you to seek employment elsewhere?

a If you are currently not working in Higher Education, would you like to move back into a higher education role at some point in your career?

Yes
No
Don't know

16 What is the job title of your current main employment?

a Who is the funder of your current main employment? (Please select all that apply)

Education institution
ESRC
Other Research Council
British Academy
Government (central or local)
NHS
Research Institution
Business
Charity
Other

i If you selected 'Other' or 'Other Research Council' please specify the funder, type(s) of award(s) and the nature of your role(s)

b If ESRC, what is the nature of the award?

Future Research Leaders
Research Fellow on grant
Co-investigator on grant
More than one award
Other

i If you selected 'Other', or selected more than one award, please specify the type(s) of award(s) and the nature of your role(s):

c If British Academy, what is the nature of the award?

Post-doctoral Fellow
Small Grants
British Academy Rising Star Engagement Awards
Newton International Fellowship (NIF)
More than one award
Other

i If you selected Other, please specify or selected more than one award, please specify the type(s) of award(s) and the nature of your role(s):

p. 7 A bit more employment

17 Please list any other current employment (providing details of employer, job title and fraction of a full-time post and funding source if known)

18 If you have more than one contract, please give the reasons why

19 On average how many hours a week do you spend on the following research activities (even if you are not currently working in higher education)?


Reading academic articles
Data collection
Writing up research
Writing bids / applying for research funding
Knowledge exchange (e.g. consultancy; collaboration with business, public and voluntary sectors, etc)

20 Are you expected to teach at higher education level in any of your current roles?

Yes
No

a If yes, what percentage of your contracted time?

b If yes, are you paid for an appropriate number of hours (including preparation and marking time)?

Yes
No

p. 8 Employment ready

21 To what extent do you agree that your doctoral studies proved an effective preparation for your 'Current' employment and your 'Desired' employment (if different)? Please select only ONE answer in each column

	Current	Desired

Strongly agree	Radio button	Radio button
Agree	Radio button	Radio button
Disagree	Radio button	Radio button
Strongly disagree	Radio button	Radio button

a What could have improved your doctoral studies to make them a more effective preparation for employment?

22 What do you consider to be the biggest barrier to achieving your chosen career (if applicable)?

23 Postdoctoral funding applications


How many applications for funding for postdoctoral work have you made?
How many of your applications for funding for postdoctoral work were approved for submission by your institution?
How many of your applications for funding for postdoctoral work were funded?

24 Are there any institutional barriers to postdoctoral researchers applying for funding?

Yes
No

a If you answered yes, please outline those barriers

25 If you have been employed outside the United Kingdom, please indicate country, employer, employment type and source of funding

p. 9 Career breaks

26 Since completing your doctorate, have you taken a career break (i.e. caring, parental leave, volunteering opportunity, travelling abroad, long-term illness etc)?

Yes
No

27 If you have taken a career break(s), how many years was it for in total?

1 year or less
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years or more

28 If you have taken a career break(s), how long ago was the most recent?

Less than 1 year
1-2 years
2-4 years
4 years or more

29 If you have taken a career break(s), please state your reasons why.

p. 10 Career support, advice and guidance

We would like to know what career support, advice and guidance you were able to access and whether or not you made use of it. We are also interested in your current experience and what you would like in the future.

30 Where have you sought career advice and guidance before, during and after doctoral study? (Select all that apply)

	Before	During	After

Colleagues	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Doctoral supervisor	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Line manager	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Careers service	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Vitae	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Research funders	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Other	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox

a If you answered 'other' to any of the above please specify

31 Which of the following kinds of support have you received?

	Your doctoral institution during doctorate	Your doctoral institution after doctorate	Your current main employer

Careers service	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Mentor	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Supervisor	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Access to the library	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Access to academic publications	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Institutional email address	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Access to training	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Office space	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Funding for conferences	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Funding for publication fees	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Support for funding applications	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Honorary affiliation with institution	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox
Other	Checkbox	Checkbox	Checkbox

a If you answered 'Other' to any of the above please specify

p. 11 Available support

32 What support is available to you that is targeted at those who have a doctorate? (Please select the most appropriate column for your situation)

	Working in Higher Education	Working outside Higher Education

Career development	Checkbox	Checkbox
Careers outside academia	Checkbox	Checkbox
Career within academia	Checkbox	Checkbox
Publishing	Checkbox	Checkbox
Mentoring	Checkbox	Checkbox
Research management	Checkbox	Checkbox
Writing funding proposal	Checkbox	Checkbox
Writing job applications/covering letters/CVs	Checkbox	Checkbox
Presenting at conferences	Checkbox	Checkbox
Public engagement/knowledge exchange/media relations	Checkbox	Checkbox
Networking	Checkbox	Checkbox
Leadership	Checkbox	Checkbox
Teaching (training)	Checkbox	Checkbox
Teaching (qualification)	Checkbox	Checkbox
Time management	Checkbox	Checkbox
Other	Checkbox	Checkbox

a If you selected Other, please specify:

33 What support would you like to have access to?

Career development
Careers outside academia
Publishing
Mentoring
Research management
Writing funding proposal
Writing job applications/covering letters/CVs
Presenting at conferences
Public engagement/knowledge exchange/media relations
Networking
Leadership
Teaching (training)
Teacher (qualification)
Time management
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

34 Which support has been the most helpful / valuable and why?

35 Which support has been the least helpful / valuable and why?

36 Please detail any difficulties you have encountered accessing support, advice and guidance.

p. 12 Recommendations and future support

37 What specific training during doctoral study would you recommend to someone else undertaking a similar doctoral path to you? (You may select more than one)

Career development
Careers outside academia
Publishing
Mentoring
Research management
Writing funding proposal
Writing job applications/covering letters/CVs
Job interviewing
Presenting at conferences
Public engagement/knowledge exchange/media relations
Networking
Leadership
Teaching
Time management
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

p. 13 Your education

Almost done! Now, we are interested to know your educational history.

38 What type of school did you attend?

Fee-paid or Private
State

39 At what institution did you study for your first degree-level qualification?

40 What was the subject area? (You may select more than one if multi-disciplinary) If none are appropriate please select 'Other' and specify the subject area.

Accountancy
Anthropology
Business and management studies
Economics
Education
Geography
History
Law
Linguistics
Media studies
Politics and International Relations
Psychology
Sociology
Social policy & administration
Social work
Town and country planning
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify, or enter the title here if none of the above are appropriate:

41 What was your overall classification?

1st
Upper second
Lower second
Third
Pass
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

42 If you studied for any subsequent academic or non-academic qualification(s), please give the title(s) here, e.g. MSc Research Methods, PGCE

p. 14 Your doctorate

43 At what institution did you study for your doctorate?

44 What type of doctorate do you have?

Research doctorate (i.e. PhD)
Professional doctorate
Practice-based doctorate

45 In what subject area did you study? (You may select more than one if multi-disciplinary)

Accountancy
Anthropology
Business and management studies
Economics
Education
Geography
History
International Relations
Law
Linguistics
Media Studies
Politics
Psychology
Sociology
Social policy & administration
Social work
Town and country planning
Other

a If you selected Other, please specify:

46 How did you study for your doctorate?

Full-time
Part-time
A mix of full and part-time

47 Did you suspend your studies at any point?

Yes
No

a If yes, please tell us why

48 How did you fund your doctoral studies? (You may select more than one response)

ESRC
BA
Other Research Council (please specify below)
Non-UK Government
Charity (please specify below)
Corporate
Institution – full scholarship
Institution – part-time work required (e.g. Graduate Teaching Assistant)
Self-funded
Other

a If you selected Other, Other Research Council or Charity, please specify:

49 In what year did you begin your doctorate?

50 In what year was your doctorate awarded?

p. 15 Your biographical details

Finally, we’d like to know some basic information about you. You are not required to answer these questions, but it will be very helpful if you do so that we can explore the relevance of these factors.

51 What is your gender?

Male
Female
Other

52 How would you describe your ethnicity?

53 In what year were you born?

54 Do you consider yourself to be disabled?

Yes
No

55 Which category best describes you?

UK-British national
Other European Union
Non-European Union

56 Do you have any significant caring responsibilities (e.g. children, aged/ill relatives, etc.)?

Yes
No

57 If you have any final thoughts or comments, please enter them here.

p. 16 Next phase

Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey.

58 In the next phase of this study, we will be interviewing a number of respondents via telephone or Skype. If you are interested in participating, please enter your email address in the box below.

59 In addition, the ESRC - and probably the British Academy - are keen to follow up with respondents in future longitudinal research. To do so, they would like contact details for those willing to provide them. If you are happy to do so, please provide your personal email address and/or mobile phone number (since these are less likely to change than an institutional email) in the box below.

Finally, if you know of anyone else who might like to complete the survey, please do pass on the web address: bit.ly/ESRC-survey

p. 17 Thank you for completing this survey

No questions, notes or sections added yet.