Amber Besseling - Junior Lecturer at Vrije Universiteit

Amber is junior lecturer for the bachelor Biomedical sciences at the VU. Last year, she obtained her Master of Neurosciences. During her studies, she has worked in many different labs and was part of the honors program.

Can you give us some information about your background?

For my bachelor's, I studied Biomedical sciences at VU. I was also part of the honors program, which was really fun. Next, I did the Master of Neurosciences at the VU.

What does your job entail?

It is very diverse, which is really nice. First of all, we have to teach. We teach every course in the first year of biomedical sciences (bachelor). It ranges from genetics to human development, from statistics to immunology. We usually do work groups where we dive deeper into the materials of the lectures. Occasionally, we help with computer and lab practicals. Apart from that, we have our own tutor groups. This means that we have one on one conversations with students where we talk about their dreams, what they want to do with this study and ask them if they are happy about the study. Sometimes, they would rather do something else. We try to make them feel at home here at the university.

How is the working climate?

The job is 9 to 5 but it also is not. It is, since the team does expect you to be either in the office or online on your working days for at least the majority of those hours. It is not, because if we make overtime because of grading for a deadline the next day and some work seeps into your weekend or evening, it is okay to compensate those hours by starting a bit later on another day, for example. This is all okay as long as it is properly communicated.

In general, the team itself consists of nine junior lecturers. Next year, we will have ten members. Two new people have been hired and someone is leaving. We are all quite young. Most of us came immediately after our masters or only had some little jobs in between. It is nice that everybody is quite young, because it helps with linking to the students. There is always a lot of energy in the office. Because of this, it is sometimes a bit hard to focus with everyone being energetic and chatty. It is a very nice office and many of us call each other friends and not just colleagues. That is really lovely!

How did your job search go?

In that sense, you might have a particular case with me. Maybe I should be very frank and say, of course, like many of the neuroscience students, I was looking for a PhD. I struck out. Got to the last round in about four or five interviews and every time it was between me and one other person. I was the one that got rejected. I was devastated. I felt like I needed a job and felt a lot of pressure. I was frantically looking around for a job. A friend (also a neuroscience master student) said she got a job as junior lecturer and they were actually looking for people because they had way too many students for the number of junior lecturers they have now. She asked “Do you want me to pitch you to the team?”. I said that would be great because I did the same bachelor and have had junior lecturers myself before so I knew what the job would be like. I thought it fits me. So, I asked my friend to pitch me. That was enough for me to get into the job. I never went through the official application process. Simply because of networking, I got in. I did not have any teaching experience up until I applied for the position. That was a big downside, because how am I going to teach if I do not have experience? Because my friend could vouch for me, and she knew that I unofficially tutored students in our master's, she helped me get there. In addition, I was acquainted with our boss, the program director, because I worked in the same department and had met him in a lot of meetings. He knew that I was a hard worker and would do fine. Thus, because I knew people around, it was easier for me to get in.

What is normally the application process like?

This year, when we were recruiting two new people, I was in the selection team. This team consists of two junior lecturers, the head of the department and the head of our junior lecturer team. Of course, you need to hand in a CV and motivation letter. If you are interested in this job and want to apply, then I highly recommend that you show the people of the team that you are applying because you want to teach and will not disappear after a couple of months because you found your dream PhD. The job is really for people who want to teach. They hired me as an emergency because they had way too many students. But honestly, I am very much in the right place. Right now, I feel that a PhD is not my priority anymore. I am happy where I am. That is why they offered me another contract, because they saw that I wanted to stay longer.

In the interviews, it is the same thing: emphasize why you are passionate about teaching and what kind of experiences you have. How are you in communicating with a team, but also with students themselves. You need to be able to assert authority but also be friendly. It is really about communication and how to convey information, rather than having high grades.
We had a couple of people that had a great CV and letter. However, when they came to the interview, the conversation was very dry. You get one-word replies. We, as a team, feel like that is not something we want. Definitely for this job, being able to communicate easily is imperative for this job.

In addition, we were looking for people who could really help us with subjects we have problems with. Some subjects are very difficult. We are hoping to find some people who have either an experience or passion for them. Something to show us that they would really be an addition to the team. That is not something that you can prepare beforehand.

What are the requirements to apply for junior lecturer?

You have to have a bachelor or preferably a master in a related field. We have a lot of neuroscience people (VU, Maastricht, Neurasmus). It is good to have some teaching experience, whether that is a bit of tutoring or you have been a student assistant, even if that is only for a single course. That gives you a little plus. In general, if you have a good fascination for teaching, conveying information and good ideas about it, I would put those in your cv and motivation letter. The requirements are mostly a background in biomedical field and, if you can, some teaching.

What was the PhD interview process like?

It is very different per lab. You cannot really compare them. They always ask for a CV and motivational letter (takes a lot of time). Adjust your CV for every application; highlight different things. Some only asked for grades, some asked for references. When the interview came, some asked to prepare a journal club, present my master thesis (always happens) or read their research proposal and come up with an extra experiment for it. One was kind of strange where they asked me to do an online test of intelligence about mathematics and logic. It can go in all different kinds of directions. What is common across all of them, is that they all take a lot of time and energy. Note: do not apply for too many in the same time period. You will have no energy left for anything else.

How did you deal with rejections?

At the very first couple of rejections, I was okay with it. There was one rejection where I was happy [that I got rejected]. When I got to the last round, saw the lab and people to whom I asked my questions, they treated me like I was dumb. I felt like I did not want to work there. If they would have accepted me, I would not have taken that offer. There were a couple where I was really convinced that I had a really good chance of getting it. In the rejection emails, I also got feedback that said they wanted me but the other person had a tiny bit more experience. They even apologized a lot, which made it even worse in a way that they were so sorry for you. How did I deal with this? First of all, I cried. Cry if needed, don’t feel ashamed! It sucks! Also, I tried to focus on the fact that a PhD is not the only thing in life. You are never too old for a PhD. Some friends of mine only started their PhD when they just turned 30 years old. That is totally fine! You have a feeling that there is a set path for you but that is not true. We can do whatever we want. It is silly to expect that everyone is going to do a PhD, because there are not enough PhD spots available. It is unrealistic.

How did your expectations about the job match reality?

A lot, because my expectations were aligned with the fact that I had junior lecturers during my bachelor. In a way, I knew what to expect. The only thing that might have been a bit different is the fact that the team is so big. Previously, there were around three team members and the study was much smaller. Now, the team consists of nine and next year ten members. In that sense, I did not know what to expect. Are we just a team that is at the office together? Of course, I was hoping for a dynamic team that would meet up after hours as well for drinks. We do that, which is really nice! I did not expect it, I felt like it would be more rigid.

What options are there for growth as a junior lecturer?

That is a very good question, because there is a very big point of debate right now. At the Vrije Universiteit (VU), if you apply as a junior lecturer, you get a maximum of four-year contract. After that, you cannot stay. Because you are not doing any research and do not have a PhD title, you are no longer allowed to teach at the university. However, you do get to achieve your junior teaching qualification within your four years. This means that you have an actual diploma showing that you can teach. This will help you apply for universities of applied sciences (HBO). In terms of staying at the university, right now, it is not an option. However, there are some things in the works that perhaps those of the junior lecturers that are really good and motivated may apply as senior lecturers so that they can stay longer. However, this is still in the works and it is not guaranteed that this will happen. I would say, that is a big downside of the job.

Are you planning to do a PhD?

I am not sure yet. Not thinking about doing a PhD for a year has really opened my eyes about other possibilities. For example, I am a person who really likes statistics. I know that is weird. I was looking into jobs as a statistical consultant. I know it is a field that not a lot of people want to be in. It might be a nice hidden gem that I could tap into. If I could find a PhD, it would be nice. Honestly, it is no longer a priority. Your life really needs to allow you to do a PhD. Mentally you have to feel okay. In terms of living, you have to feel a bit stable because the job is so demanding. If you do not feel okay and if you feel like you are not in the right place in your life, it is very likely that a PhD is not going to work. Some people push through, but it is going to be very hard. I feel like my life is good right now and I am happy. My life is also asking for other things and not necessarily going for a PhD.

With the students right now, I see that so many of them are thinking that they have to graduate cum laude, need to do the honors program, etc. Personally, I graduated cum laude and did the honors program because I felt the same way. In the end, I still did not get the PhD. Life still led me in other directions. People that did not graduate cum laude did get a PhD. It does not necessarily matter. Of course, try your best and do it if you want to. However, it is not the one thing that you should be aiming for. You should be aiming to gain knowledge and to be happy with what you are doing. That is the most important part.

Do you have any recommendations for us?

The main tip is don’t feel like you have to have a job immediately. You can take a bit of time off after your masters. It is a very busy time. I regret not taking a bit of time between my master's and my job. I rolled from finishing my thesis and master into starting this job, with only one week of summer holiday. Basically, I have been working non-stop since the master started. Feel free to take a break and take a break from the PhD idea. Figure out for yourself what you want. It does not have to be a PhD. It can be something completely different.

You did a lot of internships. Did that help in finding your interests?

I did a lot of internships because the honors program allows you to do internships for extra credit. It helped me in terms of discovering I really like lab work and science in general. That is why I am still considering doing a PhD or lab work. The internships allowed me to network a lot. During my bachelor internship, I presented my poster at the Dutch Neuroscience meeting. During this event, I met an Italian PI. In my second-year master internship, I went to Italy because I saw that this PI was working in a field that I was very interested in (electrophysiology). I contacted him and asked if he remembered me from the conference. He immediately recognized me and invited me over. I did not have to apply for anything. I almost had the same experience with my first-year master internship where I went to Cambridge. That was really cool, I never thought that I would be able to go there! Because I already had so much experience, the head of the lab at Cambridge was open for a meeting where we discussed internship details. It was really good for me to network so that it would help me get into other internships.

Are you already looking around for another job due to your limited contract option?

I got an extension of my contract until the summer of 2023. They saw that I was very motivated so they offered me a new contract, because they needed more teachers for the number of students they were going to get. I was offered two types of contracts; either an extra one year or an extra two years. I felt that a one-year extension would be best for me. Even though I really enjoy teaching, I do feel like there is maybe no room for growth. Maybe one more year and then something else.
It is too soon for me to start looking around. If I would look and apply now, the job would start around September or October. I feel like I am in the right place now. It is nice to have some stability for a little bit. I am not going to look until next April/May.
For a lot of jobs in this field, you do need a PhD. That is very true and a bit sad. It is likely that I will apply for some more when the time comes. Only if I feel comfortable with the project and lab. I will also look for other things. There are so many things that you can do. I need to explore a bit more. For example, I know of a woman in the UK who started her own company. It is kind of a project manager where she gaps the bridge between industry and academia. She helps academic research to get into the industry, align it and be applied in society. I thought it was a great job and sounded really cool! However, she also said that you have to have a PhD for that job.

Contact info: amberbesseling@hotmail.com

Amber Besseling - Junior Lecturer at Vrije Universiteit

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