Ole Gmelin, Academic

Some people like Ole Gmelin started studying in the region and worked their way up to teaching positions. Gmelin got into a research master, part of which was a grant for a PhD. Thanks to his expertise in qualitative research methods, he got approached to help the RUG develop a course using these skills in the psychology department.

In order to improve your chances of entering this field, Gmelin recommends that candidates should have a certain level of expertise in their area along with teaching experience. In case they’re new to teaching, Gmelin suggests that one should show a motivation that they are willing to learn how it’s done.

“I think it’s a very open process in the Psychology Department where people are very willing to foster and to train you to become a better teacher, for example. So especially for low entry teacher positions and small teaching jobs it’s relatively easy to get in if you make a good impression. It’s more about how well you fit into a team rather than about your specific qualifications, I believe,” says Gmelin.

Speaking Dutch in the Netherlands will always open certain doors for you when it comes to finding a job. But, it isn’t always a must. Gmelin says he started learning Dutch but doesn’t speak it fluently enough to teach in the language. However, he admits that in this stage of his career it is becoming a bit of a barrier as it excludes him from certain Dutch-taught programmes.

Asked about if the location of the RUG affects a job in academia, Gmelin says that it sometimes limits physical collaborations with other universities as Groningen is quite far away from other places. On the flip side, he explains that here it is easier to develop a local network.

This article was originally published in The Northern Times. Article and interview by Christoph Schwaiger.