Guest lecturers begin preparations for written exam for direct recruitment as assistant professors

Guest lecturers in government arts and science colleges and faculty in self-financing colleges are learnt to be preparing hard for the written examination for appointment of 2,708 assistant professors notified by the government last week.

Applications are accepted till November 10, 2025, for the direct recruitment in Tamil Nadu Collegiate Education Service.

The tentative date of written examination is December 20. The interview date has not been finalised.

While those who had joined the teaching job in recent years are generally perceived by college heads to be in a stronger position to perform well, the teachers who had put in lengthy service bank on the weightage for service in the recruitment.

Two marks are given for each academic year of teaching experience. A large chunk of applicants accounting for the candidates who had applied in 2019 and 2024 are to be extended fee exemption and age relaxation.

“Almost all the teachers with Ph.D. qualifications and a pass in NET/SLET have applied. The maximum age limit is fixed at 57 years as on July 1, 2025,” a principal of a city college said.

But for the Government Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore, where the strength of regular faculty is 206, which is almost four times more than that of guest lecturers, the faculty composition is the other way about.

Since there is hardly two months for the written exams, the applicants are racing against time to update their knowledge for the written exam since the questions under general topic would be on Indian Constitution, Indian Economy, Modern Indian History, History and Economy of Tamil Nadu, Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology and Current Affairs, another college head said.