Does clearing the GSET for lectureship in India guarantee that a professor will get a good job?

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, has declared 26th December 2021 as the 15th Gujarat State Eligibility Test (GSET) 2021. The candidates aiming to get selected as Assistant Professors in various Universities and Colleges of Gujarat State should appear for the GSET 2021 exam. 

Q. What are the career options after qualifying for the Gujarat State Eligibility Test 2021?

The candidates who qualify for the GSET are only eligible for being selected as Assistant Professor and not the award of Junior Research Fellowship. The candidates need to fulfill the academic qualifications prescribed for the post of Assistant Professor.

They will be selected as Assistant Professor/Lecturer in the Universities/Colleges in Gujarat only. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda has been authorized as an agency of the state government to conduct GSET and appoint Assistant Professors in universities/colleges across Gujarat.

The candidates who qualify for the GSET get many opportunities to grow in the chosen college/university. The candidates can clear the departmental exam organized by the University/College and get promoted to higher levels. Following hierarchy is followed by the Assistant Professor in a college/university:

1. Assistant Professor
2. Associate Professor
3. Professor

Assistant Professor: The candidate selected should have an excellent academic record with at least 55 percent marks in Master's Degree level and must have cleared the GSET exam. If the candidate has been awarded a Ph.D. degree, they shall be exempted from the minimum condition of NET/SET for the recruitment of Assistant Professor.

Salary of Assistant Professor: The candidates selected as Assistant Professor are entitled to receive a monthly payment in the pay scale band of INR 15600 to 39100 along with grade pay of INR 6000.

Associate Professor: The candidates should be holding an excellent academic record and Ph.D. degree in the concerned discipline and a Master's degree with at least 55 percent marks. In the case of GSET qualified candidates, they must possess a minimum of eight years of work experience teaching in a University/College to get promoted as Associate Professor. The candidates having knowledge of eight years in research in an academic/research position in an accredited research institution/industry are also eligible to get promoted to the ranks of Associate Professor. 

Salary of Associate Professor: The candidates selected or promoted as Associate Professor are entitled to receive a monthly payment in the pay scale band of INR 37400 to 67000 along with grade pay of INR 9000.

Professor: The candidate should be an eminent scholar with a Ph.D. qualification in the concerned discipline and published work of high quality. The candidate should be engaged in research work and must be having published work of at least ten publications as books/research or policy papers. The candidate should be having at least ten years of teaching experience in university/college or research experience at university/national level institutions/industries. The promotion criteria from Associate Professor to Professor is very stringent.

Salary of a Professor: A Professor's salary is not much different from Associate Professor's. The professor is also entitled to receive a monthly payment in the pay scale band of INR 37400 to 67000 and grade pay of INR 10000.

Further, a professor is the only person entitled to get promoted to the ranks of Head of Department or Vice-Chancellor of University of Principal of a College. A Professor is a rank that one can retain even after the retirement of the individual.