The contract culture in Geography: towards an agenda for contract geographers
Contract Research and Teaching Staff Forum
RGS/IBG conference, Plymouth, Wednesday 3rd January, 2.30-6.00pm
As has been discussed recently on this list, the relatively low
salaries of contract staff in academia are the result of a number of
inter-related factors, not least of which are the policies of funding
organisations. However, there are other more subtle processes at work
also.
Contract staff, whether teachers or researchers, often experience a
lack of resources, in terms of both time and funding, with which to
develop their own research interests, and hence to develop their own
careers and therefore to compete for posts and salaries given the
RAE-driven environment in which we work. This is an issue for
contract research staff who may have little autonomy in their posts,
and also for temporary teaching staff who spend their time doing the
teaching while permanent members of staff develop their research
careers. In addition, very few contract staff members get promoted in
post and many take a cut in salary when they move to the next post.
The situation does vary between institutions, and many contract staff
experience very good conditions and are in a position to progress up
the career ladder. Spending a period of time on a temporary contract
can be a very useful step on that ladder. However, as the contract
class in academia continues to expand, those obstacles to progression
that do exist
need to be addressed.
The Contract Research and Teaching Staff Forum of the RGS/IBG plans
to hold a session at the Plymouth RGS/IBG Conference where contract
staff, postgraduates and permanent staff can discuss these issues and
other issues of relevance to contract staff, and work towards putting
together an agenda for contract geographers. Please come along and
join in!
It is being held on Wednesday January 3rd from 2.30-6.00pm. and will
be followed by an informal 'social event.'
The module explores issues for geographers working on temporary or
fixed-term contracts, with the aim of establishing an agenda for the
CRTSF. Papers include the presentation of the initial results of a
recent survey of contract geographers, as well as a presentation on
managing contract research staff by guest speaker, Colin Bryson. This
will be followed by an interactive workshop session which aims to
begin to develop an agenda for contract geographers.
ALSO:
If you are interested, please come to our AGM which will be
held in Plymouth at 12.30-1.30 on Wednesday 3rd January
(that's immediately prior to our afternoon session).
Elections for the Committee will be held at the AGM,
together with a report and discussion of future strategy.
In particular, if you have any ideas or views as to what
sessions we should sponsor next year, please come to the
AGM!
Any queries, contact David Harvey, Department of Geography,
University of Exeter; email [log in to unmask], or Caitríona Ní
Laoire, School of Geography, Queens University Belfast; email:
[log in to unmask];
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[log in to unmask]
Dr. Caitriona Ni Laoire
School of Geography
Queens University Belfast
Belfast BT7 1NN.
Tel. (028) 90273354
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/woireland
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