#PrecarityStory— I just finished teaching my final seminar on an MA module at a university that didn’t meet the strike ballot threshold. I started work in mid-September, 2 weeks before handing in my PhD; until a few days ago, I hadn’t been paid a single penny, despite many emails
I pay my rent monthly (duh) so this has been very hard. When I was hired, I was told I wouldn’t have to do any marking, & my contract ended when teaching ended. Midway through the course, I was told I would actually have to mark the entire module’s coursework for no extra pay
after six weeks of incredibly stressful emails, all conducted through a “remote desktop” barely fit for purpose, I managed to get them to agree to pay me for the marking, but as a “goodwill gesture”; this obviously still doesn’t actually cover the time the marking will take
I also had to email constantly to make sure the office hours I was required to hold were added to my contract. Preparing each 2hr seminar takes roughly double the time I am paid for; I spend minimum 3.5 hours travelling to and from each seminar, for which I don’t get reimbursed
alongside this and preparing for my viva, I’ve been teaching at another institution, taking on other kinds of work to pay my rent, and dedicating hours and hours per week to apply for more secure jobs. Needless to say, there’s no time for research and academic publication
full time UK students on the MA I’ve been teaching pay £7,500 per year; full time international students pay £13,100 per year
I feel strongly that it’s important these stories are shared in solidarity with the #UCUstrike; I was (and am) also very anxious about sharing this because I’m currently looking for work, and I’m scared of not getting any
