On being an International academic in the UK’s Higher Education

This study aimed for an understanding of being an international academic in UK higher education. Academic staff mobility has become an area of increasing importance, spurred by initiatives such as the Bologna process and the European Higher Education Area (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2015). Specifically in the UK, indications show escalating inflows of international academic staff, with the average number of academic vacancies being filled by non-UK citizens rising from 14% over the years of 2005/08 to 27.2% during 2013/14 (UCEA, 2009; Universities UK, 2015). As the transnational movement of academics continues to increase, it is important to focus not only on numbers, but on the quality of the socio-emotional and educational experiences of this large group to ensure that quality of teaching, student learning and research remain at high standards