In our helpful guide, Preparing for Academic Consultancy: what you need to know, you can score yourself against these eight attributes, listed below. This list could help you to decide if a career involving academic consultancy is for you!
- You enjoy spending time talking and making contacts
- You’re a good listener who builds strong relationships
- You’re reliable, trustworthy and persistent
- You can forget disciplinary boundaries – your client isn’t bound by them so why should you be
- You can leave your ego behind and accept that your input may be ignored – it’s your client’s prerogative
- You can clearly communicate what you can and can’t do – your client will respect you if you say no
- You can focus on helping your clients solve their problems rather than furthering your research
- You’re disciplined and will deliver what you promise
If academic consultancy is something that suits you, then don’t forget to join piirus.ac.uk and to sign up to become a Piirus Associate!
About the authors of our guide
Niel Mclean – Niel has over 20 years’ experience of working within Government agencies in the education sector. He has commissioned and led research in the public and private sectors. Niel has also advised on policy, including developing evidence-based bids to treasury, shaping strategies and leading multi-million-pound Government programmes.
Tim Rudd – An independent researcher, Tim has a wealth of experience when it comes to designing and delivering national and international research projects. A founder of Livelab, a research and development organisation, he also works for the University of Brighton. Tim’s research specialisms include educational theory and educational technologies.
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