The job of a professor is one of the most reputed ones in the country. And the reputation is well-deserved by many of the people representing the profession.

A professor is someone who, apart from imparting formal education, guides the behaviour and actions of youths in the right direction.

However, the major attractions that draw scholars towards becoming a professor in India are handsome salary, convenient work timings, and a significant number of annual leaves. The salary figures are sizeable for even entry level jobs.

Besides, professors enjoy many other perks like accommodation at a nominal rent, retirement benefits, recreation facilities, holiday reimbursements. However, these benefits may hugely vary for jobs under private and government organizations.

Now let’s how to become a professor in India.

Eligibility Conditions to become a Professor in India

There are three main ranks for professors in India:

1. Assistant Professor
2. Associate Professor
3. Professor

So, the journey to become a professor starts with becoming an assistant professor.

For this, most recognized universities and colleges require you to have passed any of the following exams:

• NET (National Eligibility Test):

The exam is conducted by University Grants Commision (UGC). To be eligible to appear in the exam, candidates must have a Master’s degree with at least 55% marks (50% for candidates belonging to ST/SC/OBC/PWD).

The test is conducted twice a year,i.e. in June and December.

After clearing NET, candidates are eligible to apply for assistant professor jobs in any university, college, or institute in the country.

• SLET (State Level Eligibility Test)

The two key differences between NET and SLET are:

• While after clearing NET, you are eligible for an assistant professor job across country, after SLET you are only eligible to work with the state level universities, colleges, or institutes.
• You can attempt SLET in any of the dialects of the particular state.

SLET Eligibility

Any Indian national holding a master’s degree with at least 55% marks (50% in case of SC/ST candidates) is eligible to appear for SLET.

NOTE: UGC brought out an amendment in its regulations, in 2016. According to the amendment, those who have completed a Ph.d. or have registered for one on or before 2009 are exempted from NET. In other words, such scholars can apply to universities or colleges without having to clear NET.

To claim the said exemption, candidates need to fulfill the following conditions:

• They must hold a Ph.d. degree awarded through regular mode.
• The research thesis should have been evaluated by at least two external examiners.
• The candidate should have appeared for viva-voce.
• They should have published at least two papers based on the Ph.D. thesis in the research journal.

Skills Required to Become A Professor

Though formal qualification is what is needed to grab a job as a professor, it is the aptitude and skills that will help candidates in surviving and making the most of this profession. Here are a few skills without which surviving as a professor would be too hard for anyone:

• Confidence to articulate ideas in front of a large audience.
• Craving to keep learning more about their subject.
• Creativity to bring out new methods of teaching that will best suit a particular group of pupils.
• Ability to manage time between teaching and administrative work.
• A professor should be willing to sideline his/her ego and be open to entertain any doubts that might arise in his/her students minds.

Salary of Professors in India

The salary of professors in India depends on a number of factors like location, type of the organization (public, private, NGO, etc.), and experience and industry.

Source: Payscale.com

The monthly salary usually varies Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 90,000 A permanent Delhi University professor usually earns around Rs. 61,000 to Rs. 89,000 per month, depending on the college and experience. While an assistant professor in the University earns around Rs. 55,000 per month.

Apart from this, professors usually enjoy a number of add-on benefits like accommodation at nominal rates, health insurance, travel allowances,

Specific Requirement

Though NET and SLET are the basic general qualifications required by all universities across India, certain prominent university and institutes require candidates to fulfill certain further conditions:

For instance, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) requires candidates to have a Ph.D. along with three years of practical experience for entry level assistant professor job. So it would be wise to go through the specific requirements of the university or college you wish to work with.

So this was all the information you need to become a professor in India. Teaching one of the noblest professions in the world. Though it pays well and gives a reputed social status, it comes with huge responsibilities. So, if it is only the perks and job conditions that attract you toward this profession, you must reconsider.

But if you are all zealous to share your knowledge and assist others in shaping their lives, teaching is THE profession for you.

Hope the information helps. Good Luck!