How to Become Assistant Professor in India? Steps to Apply

From the decades, teaching is considered as a noble profession. The teaching is not just a job but it gives you an opportunity to contribute shaping the future of the country.

Teaching is a grad career option due to the stability, attractive salary, holidays, and working schedule. Apart from all the perks the teachers have a different place in terms of respect in society.

One can be a part of the education system based on his choice to be a school teacher or a lecturer. Let’s have a look into the article about how can one become an assistant professor in India?

What is the Eligibility for Professor?

The graduate candidates are eligible for teaching in schools. To be eligible for lectureship in universities or colleges, the candidates need to have a masters’ degree.

The University Grant Commission (UGC) has decided the minimum eligibility for lectureship as follows:

·           The candidates must have completed the post-graduation degree with more than 55% aggregate marks to be eligible for teaching in the college, universities or other higher education institute.

·         NET Qualification

·         There is no age limit for lectureship. You may apply at any age for the assistant professor posts.

·         The aspirants should have the NET qualification in the particular subject of their master’s degree.

Keep reading to know more in detail.

Stage of the professor or lecturer

The interested candidate in teaching will be promoted or selected as an assistant professor if they fulfill the above eligibility criteria along with a NET qualification.

 The UGC NET and CSIR NET exam are organized for the selection of candidates for assistant professor and junior research fellowship.

After the assistant professor, the next promotion is for an associate professor for which the candidates must have the work experience of 5-8 years teaching.

For professors in universities, the candidates must have a Ph.D. in the respective subject and some published papers or research work.

Career requirements for lectureship in India

·         Educational: Master’s degree with NET qualification
·         Subject: Your post-graduation subject
·         Experience: Teaching and Research experience as a graduate assistant, lecturer, and/or assistant professor can be helpful
·         Key Skills: Critical thinking and communication skills; knowledge of instruction and classroom management, subject knowledge
·         Salary: 30-60 Thousand

Selection Process for lectureship

For assistant professors or lectureship, the candidates must have the NET/SET qualification conducted by the university grant commission (UGC).

The UGC NET and CSIR NET exam are a national level eligibility test for the selection of candidates for lectureship and JRF.

The candidates after post-graduation will be eligible for the NET exam, which is held twice a year.

The CSIR NET exam is held for science stream candidates for five subjects - physical, chemical, life, mathematical, and earth science.

On the other hand, the UGC NET exam is held for other stream candidates for more than 81 subjects. Similarly SET (stands for state Eligibility test) exam is held for the same purpose.

The difference between set and net is that candidates who qualify the NET exam will be eligible to apply for any university in India while the SET qualified candidates can apply for the universities of that state only.

However, qualifying the NET exam will not assure you about the job or employment, but it will give you an opportunity to get the job.

After qualifying the Net exam the candidates can apply for the vacant posts in the interested institutes and you will be exempted from any written examination for the same.

The selection of NET qualified candidates will be based on personal interview.

I hope it will help you to know about the selection procedure of the assistant professor in Indian universities s or institutes. Kindly share your thoughts about the same in the comments below.

All the best!!