LAUSR

ABSTRACT Beginning a new job in academia is often a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Whether new academics arrive from overseas, often from different cultures and with their families; or from industry, where teaching is uncommon, or from other local universities, or even perhaps beginning their first job, in all cases the new role can be thrilling, daunting, and disconcerting at the same time. In this article, narrative research is employed to present four fictional new academics, reflecting a diversity of backgrounds and disciplines. Their stories present the complexity of challenges that they faced beginning at a new institution and what happened as they became involved in a learning community. Over one semester, the members of the group met every two weeks at a central location and in smaller groups in the intervening weeks, for assigned tasks. Of importance, the new academics valued the collaboration, collegiality, and networks that resulted.