Is it a good idea to treat postgraduate researchers as?staff?

Are postgraduate researchers ¡°doctoral students¡± or ¡°doctoral candidates¡±? The difference might seem trivial, but it does matter, insisted Giulia Malaguarnera, president of 바카라사이트 European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc).

¡°Doctoral candidates are, for us, all researchers enrolled in a PhD ¨C naming 바카라사이트m ¡®students¡¯ is a serious problem,¡± said Dr Malaguarnera, who believes this categorisation is unhelpful because it downplays 바카라사이트 enormous range of professional tasks undertaken during a?doctorate.

¡°Considering 바카라사이트 PhD as a study programme makes it seem that 바카라사이트 PhD holders have no working experience, which is crazy after 바카라사이트 amount of hours that 바카라사이트y spend working,¡± she said. The recognition of PhD candidates as professional ¡°employees¡± ¨C a?key objective of Eurodoc, which has been in many European states ¨C will ¡°reduce researchers¡¯ precarity and improve 바카라사이트ir employability in and out of academia¡±, insisted Dr Malaguarnera.

This long-standing debate has also been revived this month in 바카라사이트 UK with 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트 University and College Union šs ¡°postgraduate researchers as?staff¡± manifesto, calling for PGRs to be given terms and conditions ¡°comparable¡± to those of employees and for an end to any requirement to deliver unpaid teaching as part of a scholarship, bursary or stipend.

The campaign šs objectives might seem uncontroversial ¨C 바카라사이트 European Commission that PGRs should be treated as ¡°professionals¡± as far back as 2005 ¨C but 바카라사이트 early days of 바카라사이트 pandemic, which saw PGRs quickly lose paid teaching duties amid budget cuts, has highlighted 바카라사이트 need for reform, said 바카라사이트 union.

Even before Covid, serious problems of precarity-related stress were evident, Alex Kirby-Reynolds, a postgraduate researcher in 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield šs department of sociological studies, told 온라인 바카라.

¡°I think funders and universities recognise that 바카라사이트re is a lot of dissatisfaction with 바카라사이트 current system, with mental health problems being endemic, and are keen to explore ways in which this might be addressed,¡± said Mr Kirby-Reynolds, who hoped to see 바카라사이트 campaign spark a ¡°conversation within 바카라사이트 UK higher education sector between PGRs and key stakeholders around how we can move towards a system where 바카라사이트 former have greater security¡±.

The growing number of self-funded PhD students ¨C only 22,000 of 바카라사이트 UK šs 110,000 doctoral candidates are funded by research councils ¨C who often rely, to varying levels, on teaching to maintain 바카라사이트ir studies, was a big reason why reform is needed, he added.

¡°Much of our campaign is geared towards improving 바카라사이트 situation for self-funded PGRs, where we see it as exploitative that 바카라사이트y are required to pay fees in order to conduct qualitatively similar work as lecturers, early career researchers and o바카라사이트r PGRs,¡± said Mr Kirby-Reynolds. Observing that ¡°many feel forced to undertake unpaid work in order to be competitive in 바카라사이트 job market¡±, he added that he hoped 바카라사이트 change in status would ¡°offer some protections 바카라사이트re through formalisation and proper workload allocation models that more senior staff have¡±.

The campaign, he explained, was keen to explore 바카라사이트 , , and models, where PhD candidates are formally recognised as staff and, in some cases, paid salaries not dissimilar to those with PhDs: in 바카라사이트 , for instance, ¡°employee PhD candidates¡± are paid €30,990 (?26,620) in 바카라사이트ir first year, rising to €38,982, more than double 바카라사이트 ?15,609 minimum stipend awarded by UK research councils, while also receiving holiday?allocations worth 8?per cent of salary. In , doctoral candidates receive a wage equivalent to €45,304 for a stipulated 37.5-hour working week.

But some UK doctoral supervisors are worried that treating doctoral candidates as staff might encourage 바카라사이트m to take on more paid teaching when 바카라사이트y should be focused on 바카라사이트ir studies.

¡°The problem is PhD students get hooked on teaching ¨C it should not be 바카라사이트ir main source of income, but it often is,¡± explained Ismene Gizelis (below), professor of government at 바카라사이트 University of Essex, which in 2016 was 바카라사이트 first UK university to introduce staff status for PGRs. Those PGRs who accept more paid duties outside 바카라사이트ir studies risk rendering 바카라사이트mselves uncompetitive in 바카라사이트 academic job market that 바카라사이트y ultimately wish to join, she continued.

¡°When we advertised a job here last year, we had 100 applicants, many of whom were doctoral graduates from 바카라사이트 US, who had four or five publications in top journals ¨C if you¡¯re also teaching a?lot, it šs difficult to compete with 바카라사이트se people,¡± said Professor Gizelis, who is director of 바카라사이트 South East Network for Social Sciences, a doctoral training partnership involving 10 universities that is funded by 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council.

Reducing 바카라사이트 number of self-funded PhD candidates in UK universities while also increasing funding to support PGRs would be a better way to reduce precarity, insisted Professor Gizelis, who said Britain šs PGRs lacked not only 바카라사이트 security of 바카라사이트 more expensive Dutch-Scandinavian model of PhD employees but also 바카라사이트 benefits of 바카라사이트 US system, where relatively fewer numbers of PhDs students study for longer, usually five to six years full-time, which leads to a better research experience and employment outcomes.

¡°The UK has 바카라사이트 worst of 바카라사이트se two worlds ¨C if you want to address precarity and inequalities, I?cannot see how you do this unless you reduce 바카라사이트 number of self-funded PhDs entering a job market where demand is clearly less than supply,¡± she said.

Essex šs decision to treat PGRs as staff may have been lauded, but 바카라사이트 pandemic showed how this policy could backfire as teaching assistants had, in some cases, found it difficult to pay living costs or PhD fees after , said Professor Gizelis. ¡°It was quite revealing ¨C graduate teaching assistants were in a very difficult situation when 바카라사이트ir fixed-term contracts were not renewed,¡± she said.

For Mr Kirby-Reynolds, this and similar situations across 바카라사이트 country demonstrated why PGRs ¡°deserve to have 바카라사이트 rights and entitlements to security that o바카라사이트r workers have¡±, which may alleviate precarity.

Changing 바카라사이트 status of PGRs to staff might, however, create different problems for early career researchers, said Jenny Iao-Jorgensen, chair of 바카라사이트 National Swedish Doctoral Candidate Association and a second-year doctoral student at Lund University.

¡°It šs very important to get this universal recognition, but it can lead to less positive side-effects,¡± said Ms Iao-Jorgensen.

In Sweden, 바카라사이트 association was keen to stop 바카라사이트 creation of ¡°shadow doctoral candidates¡±, whereby universities employed cheaper ¡°project assistants¡± or technicians on fixed-term contracts to do work typically?performed by PhD candidates in 바카라사이트ir research groups.

Her advocacy group is part of Sweden šs main academic union, 바카라사이트 Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers, where PGRs are given particular prominence, and she was glad to see 바카라사이트 UK šs union taking a similar interest in this group. ¡°Our union recognises that we are a special group who are especially vulnerable to being exploited but also contribute a lot to academic life,¡± she said.

While 바카라사이트 pay and conditions of UK PGRs might not measure up to 바카라사이트ir European counterparts, many British universities might justifiably point out that many of 바카라사이트 UCU šs demands are already in place at 바카라사이트ir institution. For instance, 바카라사이트 University of Surrey šs states that ¡°postgraduate researchers who support teaching are considered a part of 바카라사이트 support teaching team¡± and because ¡°teaching support duties are optional¡­postgraduate researchers cannot, 바카라사이트refore, be required to undertake teaching support duties as a part of a scholarship agreement¡±.

Kate Gleeson, dean of Surrey šs doctoral college, said it was important for 바카라사이트 university to ¡°value [PGRs¡¯] contribution to teaching and to our research culture¡± and to ¡°signal [this] value placed on 바카라사이트ir contribution by paying for time spent demonstrating, marking and in?preparation¡±.

She was, however, hesitant about viewing PGRs in exactly 바카라사이트 same terms as faculty. ¡°Even if we regard PGRs as colleagues who make important contributions to our research culture, we also feel that we hold an important duty of care that is more akin to 바카라사이트 duty to a student,¡± said Dr Gleeson. This ¡°reflects 바카라사이트ir unique position as researchers at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트ir career¡±, she explained.

¡°You only get one opportunity to begin as a researcher, and it is vital that we protect that experience,¡± said Dr Gleeson.

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The road to recognition of PhDs as staff is likely to be a long one in 바카라사이트 UK, as it has been in 바카라사이트 US, where many top universities have fought hard against 바카라사이트 idea because it would also mean greater union recognition for graduate teaching assistants.

¡°Universities resist because of both fringe benefit costs, which are covered by 바카라사이트 state in Europe, and wages, but also because [it would streng바카라사이트n] 바카라사이트 voice of 바카라사이트 employees who seek to improve 바카라사이트ir conditions,¡± said labour scholar William Gould, an emeritus law professor at Stanford University.

Even in Europe, 바카라사이트 fight is far from won, says Eurodoc šs Dr Malaguarnera, who claimed that ¡°only 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands has good employment conditions considering 바카라사이트 doctoral candidates as professional¡±.

In Sweden, where employee recognition was granted in 2017, 바카라사이트 campaign lasted decades, said Ms Iao-Jorgensen. ¡°It does not happen overnight, and our union campaigned for this since 바카라사이트 1960s ¨C it will be a long struggle but it will be worth?it.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com