Nick Taylor Nov 6, 2010:

I can only speak from personal experience in the UK I am a lecturer, whether it is Degree or Post graduate courses irrespective of level, however, in Portugal I am "Docente do ensino superior" which brings with it the title of "Professor" which my English colleagues find rather amusing and grandiose ;-D

Marlene Curtis Nov 6, 2010:

University professor (for the USA) Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach. However, in the United States, Canada, and other countries influenced by their educational systems, the term is used differently but generally denotes academics without tenure who teach introductory undergraduate courses and have few or no research responsibilities.m

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecturer

Nick Taylor Nov 6, 2010:

In most countries on the European mainland, such as Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries, the usage of professor as a legal title is limited in much the same way as in the Commonwealth countries, i.e. it is reserved for someone who holds a chair.