Introduction to Academic Life in the UK
This page is intended for those staff new to the UK Higher Education System. We have tried to find useful links to provide information about UK HE, research careers in the UK, career pathways and information about working at the University of Bristol, and much more. Should your answers not be found on this page or if you think something could be added, please let us know.
Contents:
Working in UK HE (Higher Education)
Speaking and Teaching, English Language Support
UK culture in the workplace
Building relationships (networking) – top 10 tips
Information coming soon!
Culture shock – W-curve; culture of student/lecturer relationships
As an international member of staff you will be coping with working in a new job in a new country, whilst settling into life in the UK, learning about British culture and how to interact with people, possibly without the help and support of your family and friends. Even if you are prepared for this, it can still all be quite a shock. The term 'culture shock' describes the impact of moving from a familiar culture to one which is unfamiliar.
What is culture?
We can liken culture to an iceberg – not that is hard and icy (well, hopefully not!), but that there is some of it that we can see above the surface – dress, language, food – and then more subtle things below the surface that require a little more thought to really understand why a culture is the way it is and does what it does. So, when we are living in a country that is not our own, we must recognise that there will be some 'culture' that we cannot 'see'.
Culture and values influence how we all interpret the world and the people around us, so even when we're looking at the same thing, we 'see' different things. Therefore we have to be aware of our own culture and realise we will see things differently to each other, e.g for international staff even greeting people can be confusing in a new country - where do you stand, do you make eye contact, what tone of your voice do you use, handshake or not, what questions do we ask?
Whilst we understand our own culture, not understanding our host culture can lead to confusion, surprise, embarrassment, lack of confidence or could be seen as offensive. This is part of culture shock.
What is culture shock?
The term 'culture shock' is simply a term to describe the emotions one gets when moving into an unfamiliar culture – inclusive of the shocks of being in a new environment, meeting new people, using a foreign language and being separated from family and friends.
There are many elements that can contribute to culture shock, such as;
- Climate - eg cold, grey and wet, this can have a psychological effect (even for British people!).
- Food - strange British food.
- Language - constantly speaking in a different language can be exhausting. Additionally, you will come across a range of regional accents in the UK, which can make understanding the language even more difficult.
Common symptoms of culture shock can include any of the following:
- Homesickness
- Headaches or stomach aches
- Easily tired
- Loneliness or a sense of hopelessness
- Distrust of people
- Withdrawal from people and activities
- Lowered work performance
- Anger, or anxiety and suspicion
You may or may not experience any of the above – but if you do, it is perfectly normal! (See below, W curve)
W Curve
Culture shock is completely normal and, given the above, it would be surprising if you didn't suffer from it. However, not everyone experiences it in the same way at the same time. The 'W' curve helps show what you might experience and explains why you may feel happy one day and down another. Understanding the 'W' curve helps understand the emotions you might experience as you adjust to life in the UK.
The W Curve – Stages of Cultural Adjustment
1 Honeymoon Stage – occurs when you first arrive in a new culture. The excitement of being somewhere new and different!
2 Disintegration Stage - may be noticeable after a few days or weeks. Those initially exciting cultural differences may now cause you to feel insecure or confused, as you struggle to understand the rules of the new culture you find yourself in. At this stage, you may find you miss your family and home support structures the most.
3 Reintegration Stage - you may find you feel irritated, or frustrated with the cultural differences you come across in daily life: perhaps with your new working environment, or in your relationships with staff or students, or with your accommodation. You will probably find you make comparisons with your home culture and decide you prefer home! You may be consciously or unconsciously assessing your own cultural values and trying to make sense of them.
4 Autonomy Stage - you will by now probably have worked out how to operate in your new cultural environment - how to satisfactorily interact with people and make friends, where to shop, eat and socialise, as well as to understand and cope with your new working environment. You will most likely start to accept the differences between your home culture and those of the new culture and to feel more relaxed.
5 Independence Stage - brings with it a feeling of self-assurance and more complete understanding of your home and the new culture. Differences and similarities are valued and important and you feel confident about handling most or all situations.
Top Tips for dealing with Culture Shock
Suffering from culture shock is normal
- If you are down remember that this will pass, you came to experience a new culture and a new challenge!
- It is natural to feel down – remember the W curve.
- You are going through big changes and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes so don’t be too hard on yourself.
- There are places within the University that you can find help – staff counselling service
Ask questions
- Don’t be afraid to ask when you don’t understand something.
Enjoy a healthy social life
- You will be spending a lot of your time settling into your new role within the University, but remember to get out and meet people, it’s all part of being in the UK. The staff club is a great way to meet people, they offer a wide variety of interest groups such as walking, films, badminton or music.
- Visit sites in Bristol and around the UK
Development your language skills
- Watch TV, films, listen to radio, watch/play sports, make friends with British people - e.g. via the staff club or the language buddy scheme
A final word on culture ...
Culture is complicated: simple answers are dangerous (Avoid stereotyping!).
Culture is dynamic: it changes.
Develop your ability to tolerate ambiguity.
People who share the same values and beliefs will not necessarily share the same behaviours . . . and vice versa.
Similar behaviours can have different meanings and different behaviours can have similar meanings.
Out of context behaviour has no fixed meaning. Judging behaviour out of context is dangerous.
UK business etiquette
The University of Bristol is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and mutually supportive working environment for our staff and an excellent teaching and learning experience for our students, where staff are equally valued and respected, and students are encouraged to thrive academically. As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff, and this is reflected in the core values of the institution.
Diversity - We view the diversity of our staff, students and alumni as a great asset.
Equity - We believe in the equitable treatment of all.
The University of Bristol Equality & Diversity webpage has further information on this subject.
Working in UK HE (Higher Education)
Teaching in the UK
Although there can be no specific outlines to cover the formality of the relationship between members of staff and students, it is important to be aware of the cultural differences that may appear in the UK education system as opposed to the teaching environment in your home country.
Students, as voluntary learners, are considered to be largely autonomous outside of the teaching environment of the University. The relationship between staff and students should always consider the academic aspect as of primary importance.
Students requiring other support can be referred to the wide variety of student support services. Students may also approach staff with personal problems or may make confidential disclosures, the university offers support to staff in these instances if required. Staff should avoid making criticism or value judgements in regard to such information, but should try to offer impartial advice when possible, or make the necessary referrals.
It is important to maintain confidentiality and trust within the staff/student relationship, however, in some circumstances it may be appropriate to pass the information on, confidentiality cannot be unconditional, particularly where personal safety or legality are issues.
British students are encouraged to question and critically examine the information that they engage with. As 80% of learning is expected to take place outside of the classroom or lecture theatre students will have a broader knowledge than formally provided. As a result of this learning approach the relationship between staff and students in the UK may appear to be less formal or respectful than that to which you are accustomed.
Academic staff and students may expect to address each other on a first name basis, this does not indicate a lack of respect, but is a consideration of the student as an independent learner and as a student by choice rather than obligation.
The formality of the relationship is maintained by the adherence of staff to the duties and expectations laid out in the following guides:
The student/teacher relationship:
The nature of other relationships between teaching staff and students is examined in the article below:
Student feedback
Courses at Bristol University are routinely assessed by the students who have taken part in them. The purpose of this is to ensure the quality of the course as well as the standard of teaching. It is important to recognise that students with cultural differences will have different prerequisites when completing these forms, and there are natural limitations to the effectiveness of this system.
Education Support Unit
The Education Support Unit provides a range of support for departments and individual members of staff involved in teaching, supporting student learning, and assessment.
Assessment
Assessment is at the heart of the learning experience for students. Many purposes are served by assessment, including providing a means for measuring student achievement, enabling students to obtain feedback on the quality of their learning and giving staff the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching.
Education in the UK
An independent website which provides information for international staff moving to UK universities:
- Education in the UK: www.internationalstaff.org/education_in_the_uk.php
- Learning and Teaching: www.internationalstaff.org/landt.php
- Research in the UK - www.internationalstaff.org/reserach_in_the_uk.php
How the University of Bristol is run
The following provides information about the University's governance and legal structure.
- University structure: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/university/governance/ctteestructure.pdf
Academic staff career pathways
The Academic Career Pathway framework provides academic staff with clear career pathways. Each pathway consists of a series of levels with distinct role profiles associated with that level, each with its unique requirements. Each profile sets out what is expected of an academic member of staff at the particular level. The role profiles also set out a collection of competencies expected for each level.
Speaking and Teaching, English Language Support
For information on Academic English, English Grammar and General English read our English Language Support help sheet (PDF, 48kb).
Research in the UK
Information for UoB research staff
As an internationally competitive, research-led university, Bristol recognises the importance of attracting and retaining the very best Research Staff.
As a member of Research Staff here, in addition to support and training you will receive through your department and supervisor, we provide you with a range of specially-tailored training and development activities, resources and support.
Take a look around and see how we can help you to develop and succeed at Bristol...
- RED – Research, Enterprise & Development at the University of Bristol: www.bris.ac.uk/research
General information
- Times Higher Education supplement - read about what is going on in UK HE today– www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
- Information for international staff – www.bris.ac.uk/international/staffsupport
- Information for new staff - www.bristol.ac.uk/personnel/newstaff
- Support services structure – www.bris.ac.uk/supportservices
- University publications - www.bristol.ac.uk/university/publications
- Building your academic network in the UK - www.bris.ac.uk/international/staffsupport/documents/academicnetwork.pdf
Case studies
1) Female International Staff member:
Where are you from?
Brooklyn, NY, USA
When did you arrive in Bristol?
I have been in Bristol for 2.5 years
In what part of the Uni do you work?
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Was it your first time working in the UK?
I have worked in the UK previously as an M.Sc. student at Oxford (1996-97)
What did you find different about working in a UK University?
There are lots of different things about both working and living in the UK (compared to the US) but I think you don't start to see them till you've been here a while. The pace of work is definitely different which I knew having worked in Oxford previously but to my mind, in a very positive way -- things like morning coffee breaks are terrific for lab morale and also help research progress because it encourages the informal chats with co-workers that can lead to new ideas. I also think the work-life balance in research is better here, with good work still getting accomplished. I do sometimes, however, miss the vibrancy of larger US research departments, and the flow of international speakers -- I think one has to work a bit harder here to make sure you stay up-to-date on current research progress and also forge collaborations with colleagues in other universities/countries.
Do you have any advice for new international staff?
My advice would be to just enjoy the University, take advantage of all the events/holidays/etc... that are new to you because that definitely helps one to feel at home in a new place. I'd also strongly recommend taking advantage of things like research staff induction and the courses the University offers for research staff because it's a tremendous resource that I hadn't been exposed to in previous places I've worked.
Where did you find help or where did you find useful information when you first joined the University?
By and large, I have found staff to be very welcoming of international staff members and very helpful in terms of figuring out some of the practical differences of life in the UK -- just asking other people in the department has probably been my best resource for finding information, and also searching the international staff section of the University website has helped with answers to some of my questions.
Are you an international member of staff and would you like to write a Case Study for new international staff members to read like the one above?
If so email international-staff@bris.ac.uk with answers to the questions below:
- Where are you from?
- When did you arrive in Bristol?
- In what part of the Uni do you work?
- Was it your first time working in the UK?
- What did you find different about living in Bristol?
- What did you find different about working in a UK University?
- If you are involved in teaching, what do you find different – relationships/interacting with the students, time actually spent teaching, etc.?
- What advice would you give to someone working in HE for the first time?
- Do you have any advice for new international staff?
- Where did you find help or where did you find useful information when you first joined the University?
Contact Us
International Advice & Support
International Office
Union Building
Queens Road
Bristol BS8 1LN
Tel: 0117 9545849
Email: international-staff@bris.ac.uk