[drakew]

What is the work life like for a university lecturer in NZ. Over here it is just espected that you will work at least 60 hour weeks if not 80 hour weeks if you teach at the university level. It is all tenure track, so it is publish or perish and very high stress for the first 5-10 years of your carreer. You really do not get to see your family much. These are the reasons OH has decided he does not want to teach at the university level in the states. He would be interested in teaching at the university level in NZ if it is not so high pressured. Also how much of you responsibility is teaching and how much is research. He really wants to focuss on teaching since this is what he loves. He is working on his PhD in Ecology right now so in the sciences if that helps.

[stellachiara]

There is an interesting thread on this over at the Chronicle of Higher Education forum. Apparently it is NOT publish or perish in NZ, but I am not sure about the division of research versus teaching. I would definitely do a search on New Zealand at http://chronicle.com/forums .

[MichelleD]

There is a lot of emphasis on teaching out here, and it is way, way more laid back than in the states. I probably put in just as many hours - especially when its grant submission time, but as there is no tenure track system life feels a little less stressful.
There is a distinct lack of funding compared to the US, so getting research grants can be more difficult, and things take forever to get done in the University system, they run on Kiwi time.
If you need more specific info PM me, but I love my position out here, and wouldn't change it for the world :)