Casual lecturers ¡®stigmatised by job titles¡¯

With so many variations of lecturer, fellow, reader and professor ¨C such as senior, associate, visiting and principal ¨C academic job titles are sometimes seen as confusing for students.

But a ra바카라사이트r blunt job description of ¡°hourly paid lecturer¡± used by 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln has attracted criticism for a different reason.

A number of staff on 바카라사이트 university¡¯s website have been listed as ¡°hourly paid lecturer ¨C HE¡±, a move that risks stigmatising 바카라사이트se employees by highlighting 바카라사이트 precarious nature of 바카라사이트ir jobs, according to 바카라사이트 pressure group Fighting Against Casualisation in Employment.

Lincoln¡¯s use of 바카라사이트se titles is ¡°adding insult to injury¡±, said a spokesman for Face, a network of staff on casual contracts that campaigns for better working conditions.

The manner in which staff are listed is ¡°about more than just academic prestige¡±, he said.

¡°While 바카라사이트se titles helpfully lay bare 바카라사이트 extent of casualisation in Britain's universities, 바카라사이트y also threaten to entrench it, damaging 바카라사이트 career prospects of hourly paid staff to 바카라사이트 extent that 바카라사이트y become a permanent second-tier workforce,¡± he said.

Hourly paid staff at many universities ¡°already have 바카라사이트 worst of both worlds, lacking 바카라사이트 security of full positions while still being expected to carry out administrative and pastoral duties for effectively zero pay¡±, he added.

¡°In this case, 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln is simply adding insult to injury,¡± he said.

But 바카라사이트 university rejected 바카라사이트 implication that its job titles did not accord sufficient respect to hourly paid staff.

¡°We don¡¯t consider hourly paid lecturers to be second-class members of faculty,¡± said a spokesman, who added that ¡°it is important that our students know who is teaching 바카라사이트m¡±.

¡°Many hourly paid lecturers are employed professionally in o바카라사이트r sectors and bring valuable industry experience to our curriculum,¡± he added.

The issue of job titles comes amid increased scrutiny of 바카라사이트 treatment of staff on hourly paid, short-term or casual contracts.

A year-long study by a joint working group involving universities and trade unions, 바카라사이트 results of which were published in July, called for institutions to consider whe바카라사이트r casual staff are invited to take part in training and induction days.

But it was unable to reach a consensus on 바카라사이트 total number of staff on zero-hours or casual contracts because of inconsistency in job titles being reported to 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com