An English lecturer is essentially a teacher who will instruct introductory level and even sometimes intermediate level English courses at a college or university. Many English lecturer positions do not require the teacher to hold a PhD, though a master's degree is usually required. An English lecturer will have some sort of expertise in the field of English, whether in the form of writing experience, research, or training. Lecturers are not on a tenure track, which is to say they cannot obtain tenure that secures their position from being terminated without some sort of extreme cause.
Teachers who act as English lecturers also usually do not have to participate in the research and publishing requirements to which a full professor or associate professor must adhere. A professor or associate professor advances in seniority and responsibility based on the contributions that he or she makes to the college, or to academia in general. A lecturer is not bound by such advancement requirements and is instead only bound to teach the courses he or she is assigned to teach. This is not to say a lecturer cannot advance or make contributions to academia; many English lecturer participants may use the position as a stepping stone to other educational pursuits or as a position held while trying to obtain a PhD or professorship.
While most English lecturer positions do not require a person to obtain a PhD, many lecturers do hold a doctorate. Such candidates may be termed a Senior Lecturer, thereby acknowledging their credentials. Lecturers are usually full time employees who receive benefits and a salary, though they do not participate in many of the other activities in which a full professor must partake.
English lecturers may teach introductory writing or literature courses to undergraduates, particularly freshmen. Such courses may include composition or intermediate writing classes, or basic literature courses. Some lecturers with expertise in a specific area may have the opportunity to design a course based on that specific expertise. If a lecturer, for example, has significant experience dealing with African-American literature, he or she may work with the English Department head to design an African-American literature course. The English lecturer can then teach that specific topic to students, even students beyond the introductory level.
In some cases, job candidates who would otherwise seek out employment as a professor may take a job as a lecturer because of a lack of availability of positions. The candidate, after securing the position, may work toward becoming an associate professor or apply for a professorship should a job open up. In such a case, the lecturer will almost always possess a PhD.