Thread by @drpeterrohde

PhD students are systemically mistreated & exploited by the academic system. In Australia, scholarships amount to less than the minimum wage, without factoring in that most PhD students work far beyond work hours & implicitly expected to. #AcademicChatter #AcademicTwitter
1/12

The demands and sacrifices of obtaining a PhD are enormous. Despite being highly skilled, educated & playing a major role in academic research output they are not treated as employees and not granted the workplace protections academics are.
2/12

They live under enormous stress and highly uncertain job prospects should they choose an academic career path, where demand for jobs far exceeds supply, regardless of field of study.
3/12

Supervisors are often exceedingly demanding and condescending, with enormous expectations, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the person who flipped their hamburger for lunch has a higher income. Many struggle with basic needs with no disposable income.
4/12

Mental health problems are rampant for which very little support is available and their incomes do not allow private treatment. #AcademicMentalHealth
5/12

PhD students deserve the utmost respect from academics. We’ve all been there & ought to have the emotional intelligence to acknowledge the challenges & the toll it can take. We have a responsibility to respect them & accommodate for their needs, which are often very complex.
6/12

They play a major role in the work we do, we are highly dependent upon them, they should be treated as employees for the contributions they make, and we owe them our gratitude.
7/12

There needs to be zero tolerance for the belittlement, unreasonable expectations — sometimes tantamount to exploitation — and bullying of students by academics that is highly prevalent. PhD students make enormous personal sacrifices to follow the path they do.
8/12

Many academics treat PhD students as slave labourers rather than equals, whose only use is to offload the things they don‘t want to do themselves. That says more about the academics in question than their students — we have a responsibility to support their development.
9/12

This is especially the case for international students, who face the additional challenges of usually migrating alone, leaving their families behind, in many cases sending some of the little money they make back home rather than the other way around.
10/12

Their visas are dependent on their PhD positions, and those visa categories often place significant restrictions on the ability to earn extra cash on the side.
11/12

I’m extremely grateful to all my students. I know how tough it can be & it would be extremely hypocritical to be dismissive of this, not acknowledging the superhuman efforts they make under enormous pressure, because they’re passionate & committed to their work.
</end rant>
12/12