What do people think of the Lecturers' industrial action?

[Lemony 10]

(Time of message 8.30am)

 

I attend Sheffield Hallam University part time (one day a week) and work from 7.30/8am til 6pm the rest of the week. The quality of teaching at Hallam is, in my experience, generally very poor.

 

Stop moaning and do some bloody work.

 

Cellador, thanks for making me laugh! You're just like the person who had a bad experience with a bad Italian (say, for example) restaurant and goes around saying that Italian food is rubbish! Do you honestly think that one day a week in one department in one higher education institution is enough experience? Do you honestly believe that all the lecturers at Hallam are like that? I for one, for example, have no office so I cannot have 'official' office hours (and I wouldn't get paid for these anyway), but still agree to see students in my own time, usually in the library or after class! It seems to me someone is very resentful of his/her lecturers... could this have anything to do with your own performance? Do you attend ALL classes, read around the subject (not just for your essays) and think for yourself? Are you a model student?

[Lemony 10]

in some cases we're doing extra to cover for our AUT colleagues in order to ensure that our undergraduates do graduate this summer!

 

SCAB!

 

Ps I'm told my message has to have more than 10 characters, so SCAB! (sorry about the repetition)

[chickmonk 10]

 

Check out the time I'm at work, I've been here half an hour, and I won't be leaving until gone 6.

 

This gave me the impression that you were using SF at work.

And believe me, that ain't that long a working day. Really.

 

Lemony - If you decide to work for £6000 a year on those qualifications, then that's your lookout. You obviously enjoy what you do, or you'd be doing something else. Welcome to the real world. People who do vocational jobs get paid peanuts. Believe me, in terms of pay, workload and work-related stress, lecturers have a damn easy life.

 

 

CM x

[Lemony 10]

The lecturers could have striked at any time, but they deliberately chose the time of most impact. That's pretty spiteful IMO. Students are being dragged into this dispute whether they want to be or not.

 

I'm an RA myself, but I think the cost of this is far too high. If the lecturers had chosen to strike at any other time than exam time I'd have agreed with them, but student exams are too important to be held to ransom in this way.

 

 

This is because you don't value education in itself, only the little piece of paper at the end... so attending classes and lectures is not not the most important part of the degree then? Ah, I see... knowledge without proof is not worth attaining.

[Lemony 10]

Lemony - If you decide to work for £6000 a year on those qualifications, then that's your lookout. You obviously enjoy what you do, or you'd be doing something else. Welcome to the real world. People who do vocational jobs get paid peanuts. Believe me, in terms of pay, workload and work-related stress, lecturers have a damn easy life.

 

 

CM x

 

Well, I've been in the real world for a while and I'm getting ****** off with it. However much I think teaching and doing research is a worthwile activity, I will have to put myself first soon. If everybody ends up thinking "What's the point?" then who's going to teach the next generation of teachers? We could just import our qualified workers from abroad (India, China).

 

Stress: Actually someone I know just killed himself because he couldn't meet a deadline to finish his book. Is this not high enough?

[Whatif wewin 10]

The argument on here is going back and forth ...twixt those for the strike and those mostly against.

Those for... appear in the main to have declared an interest I.E. being lecturers or doing research. Those against appear to made up of: a few academics, students and people from all walks of life.

What has become clear is that should strike action go ahead, the stikers will lose any support that they may have had from most other people!

[Lemony 10]

This is very possible and then the public will get the type of education they deserve: third class!

 

I suppose in the end we'll get what we're prepared to pay for, just like with crap food, awful NHS, etc.

[nightrider 13]

This gave me the impression that you were using SF at work.

And believe me, that ain't that long a working day. Really.

 

Lemony - If you decide to work for £6000 a year on those qualifications, then that's your lookout. You obviously enjoy what you do, or you'd be doing something else. Welcome to the real world. People who do vocational jobs get paid peanuts. Believe me, in terms of pay, workload and work-related stress, lecturers have a damn easy life.

 

 

CM x

 

That is simply not true as has been discussed on this thread already. Being a lecturer (at least in the scientific discplines) is a very stressful job with an extremely high workload.

[Whatif wewin 10]

This is very possible and then the public will get the type of education they deserve: third class!

 

I suppose in the end we'll get what we're prepared to pay for, just like with crap food, awful NHS, etc.

 

Should any educationalist not be motivated" I am seriously thinking of leaving" then may it is best if they do go.

There is always a new generation with more life in them, ready to take over.

How many NHSs are better than the UKs I can't think of one.

Ok it could do better but it does a bloody good job.

 

I have no idea what you mean by crap food, did I miss something?

[nightrider 13]

Should any educationalist not be motivated" I am seriously thinking of leaving" then may it is best if they do go.

There is always a new generation with more life in them, ready to take over.

How many NHSs are better than the UKs I can't think of one.

Ok it could do better but it does a bloody good job.

 

I have no idea what you mean by crap food, did I miss something?

 

except a good portion of the next generation will see the crap pay and conditions compared to elsewhere and go elsewhere. Oh wait - thats what is already happening.

[Lemony 10]

The problem is that I've only been in the 'profession' for 6 years (I'm in my very early 30s). It's very similar to what they say about teachers... they stick it out for the first couple of years and then lots of them leave. I have set myself a deadline and if things don't improve by then I'm off. No more altruism for me! And I'm not the only one who's disillusioned.

 

Shouldn't anyone be worried that my generation is already feeling that being a lecturer is not worth the lack of respect (shown in the ignorant/uninformed opinions seen in this forum and the lack of adequate pay)? Soon we'll be pinching lecturers from everywhere else.... I forgot we're already doing that, particularly in chemistry, economics, linguistics, law....!

 

Food, etc: No, you've not missed anything. Sorry I wasn't clear enough! It's to do with the standard of food most people buy and the food that's served in schools, etc. Pet hate of mine, nothing to do with anything

[chickmonk 10]

That is simply not true as has been discussed on this thread already. Being a lecturer (at least in the scientific discplines) is a very stressful job with an extremely high workload.

 

Not necessarily. I know plenty of lecturers who really don't have a hard life.

 

I absolutely value education and I agree with fair wages (Lemony, your wages are admittedly rubbish, but I doubt they're typical).

 

BUT striking to get a cut of students fees appears to me to be hypocritical and greedy. And to take industrial action that hits students hardest seems very unfair. And if you're all that bothered, why aren't you taking full strike action? This would cripple the administaion system and then the government would have to move pretty darn quick to sort it out. Is it because you want to make things that little bit difficult but don't want to lose your pay???

 

CM x