Let's discuss the absurdity of #academia promotions. I'm going to do a thread of every level of 'approval' required for someone to get a promotion in #academia, just to point out how ridiculous & burdensome the process is.
But first, before the approvals, an extensive application must be written, that takes hrs & hrs of an academic's time. After that, it gets sent off for the first approval...
Approval 1: the head of school or dept. This is not a mere 'signing off'- the HoS/D must also complete an extensive amount of the form, incl apparently knowing all of the candidate's publication stats (thus, this ends up being done by the candidate anyway).
Approval 2: the dean of the faculty. Again, not a mere 'signing off', but also involves additional input into the form showing support for the candidate. Less onerous than for the HoS/D, but still time consuming.
Approval 3: external reviewers. Usually 3, maybe more, required to review the whole application & write a review of whether this person they may or may not know should get a promotion. Rules around who can review are highly restrictive, making it difficult to find reviewers.
Approval 4: promotions committee (at least 10 people) assesses app+reviews, makes 'recommendation'.
Approval 5: here's where it gets hazy. Is it just the VC? Or is it 'a number of approvals', as HR has said. What are these 'number of approvals', & from who??
Approval 6: If you are going for a promotion to full Prof, you are required to undergo an INTERVIEW with the VC.
So, to recap, the #academia promotions process requires approval from a total of AT LEAST 16 people.
Just to compare, my partner got a promotion just by being told 'we're giving you a promotion', because his employer just pays attention that he's doing his job well & recognises it.
I also encourage everyone to look in their uni's EBA to see if #promotions & #sabbaticals are actually in there. Many unis have NO provisions for these important career progression steps. It's bargaining time, so get these provisions in your EBA now! @NTEUNational
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