Just for information.
LSE has been operating the US tenure system for ages (maybe because it
thinks it is in the US!). When you get appointed to a 'permanent
lectureship' you only get a 5 year contract. To get that made into a
permanent contract you have to pass major review just prior to that 5
years. So, it's not probation but tenure. When you get the initial
'appointment letter' it's a bit of a shock to see the contract end date.
Major review is what it sounds: all of your written work published has
to be submitted, plus all teaching assessments. These are all read and
are reviewed by a School committee (not Department) and given the going
over.
Prior to Major review there is a Departmental review at about 2 years
which is a Departmental dry run.
I don't know what the AUT have to say about this.
Setting aside AUT/ compatibility issues. There are issues of concern
with this and all systems like it.
1. Is there an appeal system ? (latterly, at LSE there is)
2. How to account for bias/ ignorance etc in the reviewers ?
3. Is account taken of previous 'time served' (for example, I had
served probation at 2 other institutions prior to joining LSE, but I had
to go through the LSE system again !). Many institutions seem to have
this attitude with regard to probationary periods.
4. Is the system geared to the current 'life cycle' of appointees ?
(the system seems geared to a mythical past time when one might get a
job just out of PhD). Is it appropriate to somebody with (proven)
experience?. In this case, what is probation about ?
5. Is the hurdle the same for all entered in the review (is there
an expectation that one should have achieved average or better teaching
scores, or published x articles etc: we may argue but at least some norm
and transparency create grounds for debate and negotiation: in its
absence management have a field day in government by fear). Generally,
it seems that there is a sliding scale. The more you've done already the
more you have to do to 'show progress'. This also applied to the issues
about promotion too... but that's another debate !
6. Is administration taken into account in review for tenure?. At
LSE it seems clear that publishing is 90% of the matter, latterly
teaching does get a look in; as far as I can see Admin doesn't count.
Given the fact that in most institutions that I know of new staff
usually get loaded with all the bum admin tasks this is a classic
problem (add to this the guilt/good will issue: if I do this will the
Department find me indispensable?...etc: another marvellous opportunity
for exploitation).
Andy
Dr Andy C Pratt
Department of Geography and Environment
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
Tel: +44 (0)171 955 7588
Fax: +44 (0)171 955 7412
Email: [log in to unmask]
**details of our new MSc Cities, Space and Society programme
and MSc Human Geography Research (with 2 ESRC studentships)
are on our web pages: please tell your students !!!
http://www.lse.ac.uk/graduate/geography/taught.shtml
and http://www.lse.ac.uk/depts/geography/msc_cities.htm
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