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boycotting exploitative posts...

I just saw this post advertised:

Would you accept this? I'm not applying. I'd rather


stick pins in my eyes... How would you handle it?

H

Looks like they've 'accidentally' left about £10,000 off the starting salary.

Appalling. Twitter campaigns have sometimes got things retracted (e.g. extended unpaid 'research internships' that were equivalent in workload to RA posts) but I don't know about underfunded salaried positions.

I'd recommend boycotting such posts but there will always be someone desperate enough for that kind of role that they will get applications.

C

Yes, it's a teaching post with an administrator's salary. There was also a controversy recently when Napier University advertised a zero-hours lecturer post.

A

Someone should contact UCU - the lecturers' union. This is clearly a lecturer post (teaching, research, supervising research) so the local branch should be campaigning to get it recognised as such and the national union could publicise this shocking practice and campaign to stop it at Salford and elsewhere.

B

Yuk. The thing that really takes the biscuit is the insistence that the person is also research active and does all the things a lecturer would. If it was a true teaching only post, it would be low pay but better than hourly paid teaching, but it's clearly not. I wonder if the Salford UCU branch are aware?

I've just been temping in a university admin post that has the same salary as this... I couldn't believe how easy the work is. And I was in at 9 out by 4:30. No extra work and no stress. I got my PhD stuff done and had a life as well, no problem.

Yes bewildered and you don't en get even get the job title of lecturer. Am not sure how good Programme Assistant would look on a CV.

P

Not the first time it has happened. Disgusting. Universities are feeding off the desperation of the unemployed.

Kick up enough of a stink though, and they'll listen.


H

I wonder now if it was an error - click through to the uni's page, and then the job's details and you find a job description and person spec of an admin role. Maybe something just went wrong

A

That's lecturer description for sure, not Admin.

But I think HazyJane might be right in that there has been an error?

C

Ah yeah I just looked at all the jobs that uni had advertised and this one came up:

It's the same description but a lot more money! So guessing the other one was a mistake and just the wrong description put up for the programme assistant jobs?


I really hope so! Maybe they'll change it.

Quote From HazyJane:
Looks like they've 'accidentally' left about £10,000 off the starting salary.

Appalling. Twitter campaigns have sometimes got things retracted (e.g. extended unpaid 'research internships' that were equivalent in workload to RA posts) but I don't know about underfunded salaried positions.

I'd recommend boycotting such posts but there will always be someone desperate enough for that kind of role that they will get applications.


That actually describes my 1st post-doc position - although an enjoyable period, it was definitely underpaid. However, as I was still writing up my PhD, the money to pay the bills was more important.

Financial considerations will compel many recent graduates to consider such positions.

Ian

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