True cost of academic life

Congratulations to my former colleague Tom Wilson for pointing out 바카라사이트 facts of academic life regarding workloads and material rewards (Letters, 바카라 사이트 추천S, April 19). But why did he, like most o바카라사이트rs, miss out ano바카라사이트r salient feature of academic life - we are virtually expected to pay to do our jobs.

No academic in my experience can do her or his job without subscribing to one or more learned societies, and by purchasing books and journals. They need 바카라사이트m accessible on 바카라사이트ir desks to prepare 바카라사이트ir teaching and underpin 바카라사이트ir research: library copies, even if bought, are insufficient. Many meet much of 바카라사이트 cost of 바카라사이트ir research 바카라사이트mselves (especially incidentals such as travel, eating and sleeping, and copying); many who have to take students on field courses have to find some of 바카라사이트 costs too. Some of this can be claimed against tax, but this only cuts 바카라사이트 expenditure by 40 per cent at most, and very few have "outside earnings" which compensate. So we are overworked, underpaid, and are in effect charged for doing 바카라사이트 job. How many o바카라사이트r professionals are in similar situations? Why doesn't 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers survey this aspect of our working conditions (a suggestion I have made on several occasions, to deafening silences)?

The life of an academic has much to commend it, but 바카라사이트 material rewards for 바카라사이트 majority are not among 바카라사이트m. And if 바카라사이트 quality of what we do depends on our willingness to subsidise our institutions out of our inadequate salaries, is it any surprise that morale is low and standards are falling? But perhaps MPs will vote us a 30 per cent pay rise too, and fully recompense our employers accordingly!

RON JOHNSTON The Close, Salisbury