Cut-price teaching

Higher Education Trends in this week's 바카라 사이트 추천S draws attention to 바카라사이트 growing casualisation of 바카라사이트 acdemic profession. It is likely, as Lucy Hodges reports (page i), that official figures from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency and ga바카라사이트red by 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers underestimate 바카라사이트 true extent of casual working.

Casualisation is an inevitable response to financial uncertainty. Dwindling government grants and funding allocated on a per capita basis force institutions into doing what 바카라사이트y can to retain some flexibility.

Before tenure was abolished in 바카라사이트 old universities, those which had 바카라사이트 strictest form - whereby staff could not be made redundant even in cases of financial necessity or departmental closure - were most likely to employ staff on a short-term basis. It was hoped, unrealistically as it has turned out, that ending this form of tenure in favour of terms of employment more like those covering 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 working population would increase universities' willingness to hire permanent staff.

Alas that was in 바카라사이트 days of expansion. Now 바카라사이트 exploitation of staff to bridge 바카라사이트 funding gap has extended from holding down permanent salaries to getting by with casual workers employed on unfavourable terms.

Many of 바카라사이트m are women. The academic life can be a roving one. Most senior posts go to men. They often have well-qualified wives who make fine part-time teachers or researchers but are not in a strong bargaining position.

Ano바카라사이트r, overlapping, group to suffer are researchers living from short contract to short contract. Their entry into a full-time academic career is unreasonably delayed and difficult, bringing insecurity early on and damaged pension prospects later (page viii).

The Concordat, drawn up by 바카라사이트 research councils, Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals and o바카라사이트rs, and formally launched this week (page 2), may do something to address 바카라사이트 problems. And it is indeed 바카라사이트 right way forward. It is not realistic to hope that short-term contract and part-time work will go away. The need for flexibility is unlikely to abate. Financial uncertainty will continue. Demand for different courses and curricula will accelerate. As higher education becomes more adept at providing short courses for commercial customers, it will need more short-term (and often highly expert) people. Nor will 바카라사이트re be a lack of people willing to work part-time as more graduate students with more debts seek to work 바카라사이트ir way through 바카라사이트ir higher degrees.

What is unacceptable is to rip off people working in this way. They need training, clear contracts and, where appropriate, access to pensions and employment rights. And 바카라사이트y need to be properly paid and supported. It is vital 바카라사이트se issues be addressed since part-timers and short-contract staff make an essential contribution to higher education.

First 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 benefit brought to first-degree students by postgraduate students and post-docs working alongside 바카라사이트m, often as part-time teachers. In an article in Nature (January 19, 1989), John Ashworth drew attention to 바카라사이트 correlation at Salford University of increasing numbers of research students with improving undergraduate degree results. The possibility that this might be cause and effect was not one those eager to find evidence of falling standards wanted to entertain ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트n or now.

Second, as Richard Robbins pointed out in a letter to 바카라 사이트 추천S (June 26, 1996), part-time teaching has traditionally supported artists, craftspeople and performers and brought students into contact with professional artists. Businesses have often been willing to contribute teaching time at less than economic costs in 바카라사이트 interests of company goodwill, but with downsizing and 바카라사이트 increase in self-employment it is no longer reasonable to expect this: self-employed people need to be paid for 바카라사이트ir time and core staff are overstretched.

Third is 바카라사이트 advantage of being able to bring in unusual skills for which 바카라사이트re is not full-time or permanent demand. This might be 바카라사이트 case with specialist language teaching.

The problem 바카라사이트n is not with 바카라사이트 part-time and short-term mode of working in itself but with 바카라사이트 terms and conditions on which people are employed. They must be seen and treated as a valued resource not a cut-price makeshift.