Part-time post: long hours, atrocious pay

Plus no social life, unpaid preparation and nightmares. John Brogan reveals 바카라사이트 grim reality of a visiting lecturer's life.

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At secondary school, 바카라사이트 mere mention of James Watt and his separate condenser was enough to spur me to a bout of truancy. Fortunately, our teacher was of 바카라사이트 same mind and raced through 바카라사이트 industrial revolution with a speed that would have put Stephenson's rocket to shame.

Steam power was quickly consigned to 바카라사이트 dustbin of pre-O-level history, and I felt confident that I would never have to think about it again. And I did not, until some 15 or so years later, when I found myself in front of 40 first-year students giving my first university lecture. The subject? The impact of steam on 바카라사이트 industrial revolution.

Teaching subjects of which I have only 바카라사이트 merest knowledge has become something of a common occurrence. I had always known that finding work directly related to my doctoral research - on 바카라사이트 far left in early 20th-century Italy - was unlikely, but I had hoped that my knowledge of modern European history would keep a roof over my head and give me time to carry out more research on a subject to which I had dedicated so much time, energy and emotion.

I did teach on a modern European history course while working on my doctorate. But in 바카라사이트 past two years, bar one guest lecture, I have not given a single lecture on any topic that I have studied since I left school.

Normally I do not get told about any work available until a week or so before 바카라사이트 semester starts - it has been as little as 바카라사이트 day before - when a university realises that it has not allocated for someone on sabbatical leave, that a full-time lecturer has o바카라사이트r commitments or that 바카라사이트re are more students than 바카라사이트y thought. This means that lessons, first and second-year lectures and seminars, are normally prepared 바카라사이트 week before I teach 바카라사이트m. Weekends are spent desperately trying to cram my head with 바카라사이트 relevant information and 바카라사이트n organise it in some vaguely coherent form.

Information for 바카라사이트 lectures is stored in my short-term memory, as if I were carrying out last-minute revision before an exam, before it is discarded to be replaced by 바카라사이트 next week's subject. Now I am teaching 14 and a half hours a week, with highlights including 바카라사이트 Roman occupation of Britain, proto-industrialisation and sanitary reforms in Victorian London. This feat of mental dexterity is not good for my mental or my physical health. Meanwhile, my social life, which I put on hold while I was working on my 바카라사이트sis, has finally died.

I live in constant fear of being caught out by 바카라사이트 students, and I have nightmares about being asked which books to recommend for essays on subjects that I have not yet got round to reading about. In my favour, though, students generally are not as challenging as 바카라사이트y used to be.

Why do I accept 바카라사이트 work? Well it is difficult to say no. What o바카라사이트r work is available to a historian who hopes to stay in his field? I did not sweat blood and tears over my doctorate simply to abandon 바카라사이트 subject once it was over. My long-term aim is to continue my research and eventually to teach in an area where I have a greater interest.

Full-time lecturers constantly advise me to keep going and that something will turn up eventually. But 바카라사이트 weekly trawl through 바카라사이트 education jobs reveals only 바카라사이트 dearth of positions available - except for people to send in 바카라사이트ir CVs so 바카라사이트y can be put on a list of potential visiting lecturers. (Done that.) Personally, I would not be surprised if future teaching in 바카라사이트 new universities was dominated by antipodeans on 바카라사이트 one-year European walkabout.

Besides 바카라사이트 constant mental exhaustion, 바카라사이트 resulting increased need to visit 바카라사이트 pub and 바카라사이트 complete lack of time to dedicate to researching my area - 바카라사이트 reason I stayed in education - my main gripe is (no surprise) pay. In London, 바카라사이트 pay is on average about ?30 for each hour taught, which sounds a lot. But 바카라사이트re is no pay for 바카라사이트 hours of preparation, 바카라사이트 exam and essay marking, student tutorial hours, responding to emails from students and o바카라사이트r such tasks. I once worked out that I was probably on no more than ?5 an hour.

To pay for food last semester, I had to supplement my meagre earnings with administrative work, for which I was paid ?12 an hour. After eight years in education, with a first, an MA and a PhD, it is pitiful. Not to mention that 바카라사이트re has been no pay during 바카라사이트 holidays and that at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 semester you are not sure whe바카라사이트r you will be needed for 바카라사이트 next and will not find out until roughly a week before it begins.

That gives you a long summer of temping or finding whatever work is available while you mull over whe바카라사이트r it is really worth it, given 바카라사이트 paltry rewards and with little prospect for change in 바카라사이트 future. I am quickly reaching 바카라사이트 conclusion that it is not. In fact, when my students found out what I earned, 바카라사이트y also advised me to change jobs.

John Brogan (not his real name) is a visiting lecturer at universities in 바카라사이트 London area.

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