Chapter 8: The Implications of an Exit Culture for Academic Career-Making

Drawing on an empirical research project conducted for the UK Economic and Social Research Council/Office for Students (ESRC/OFS) on trends in the development of the UK higher education workforce, this chapter considers the impact of less secure working conditions on the approaches of academic staff to their careers. Factors include the national economic environment, government requirements and local impacts, and range from a general uncertainty about the future to a more immediate prospect of exit, for example, from voluntary or targeted redundancy as a result of institutional restructuring. The chapter reviews responses from individuals in different disciplines and at different stages of their careers, across eight institutions. They include a spectrum of people, from those who undertake an ongoing appraisal of their career direction, exploring options and building professional capital along the way, to others who unexpectedly find themselves facing redundancy or early retirement. In the latter scenarios, this is likely to be accompanied by the need to negotiate some kind of deal with their employer, as well as a general reorientation of their lives and employment possibilities.