Planning the departure from the institution
I'm in an ongoing role in a good University in Australia but have decided to not go for 'confirmation' (similar to getting tenure in a TT role); which is supposed to happen at end of 2027.
I've got myself in a moderately good financial position so I think I will get by on casual, low-paid (less demanding, and more flexible) jobs until retirement kicks in. I have a couple of health problems that are compounding, plus parents overseas will probably need my support in a year or two. Having seen colleagues deal with similar, opting out seems the best choice.
I've not seen many examples of people leaving from this sort of position and am wondering what the next year or two might look like. I've left plenty of jobs in other sectors but not from a university, and never with such a long "exit ramp".
There are a couple of reasons why I feel it would be courteous to let close colleagues know what I'm thinking:
- I should be actively recruiting PhD students but that seems like a daft idea, because I'd leave the student and my colleagues in the lurch.
- I should be actively applying for 3+ year grants but again, that's not helpful to anyone.
But, I'm aware that it's quite possible for them to terminate my present contract early, so of course I'm cautious about letting people know. (Though they struggle to find teaching staff so it seems they would potentially keep me on until they replace me).
My current strategy is to just do the minimum: look like I'm applying / recruiting but not try too hard) and focus on trying to do a decent job of the activities I'm already involved in, not take on anything new. Does that seem like the right approach?
Would love to hear how others have navigated the departure, any gotchas, etc.