Drought
Posted on February 23rd, 2006, under Teaching, Academia
I haven’t even given the first lecture yet, but the first year course is getting off to a great start. Apparently there are no available tutors for cultural studies in Brisbane, and the ones that want to tutor aren’t allowed to for their own good. What kind of work is this, that supervisors actively prevent their students to do it, and yet the system depends on a ready supply of willing apprentices? What kind of irony, that I spend a book writing about changes to academic labour, including the end of tenure, only to be met with the expectation that it is my personal duty to fill a structural undersupply of willing workers? Sheesh. If you know of anyone looking for tutoring work, needless to say, I’d love to hear it.
On February 23rd, 2006 at 5:06 pm, Glen said:
hold on to this grievance for later! very soon we may have a space for you to reflect upon the nature of postgraduate labour! hurrah!
On February 23rd, 2006 at 8:09 pm, laura said:
meanwhile I have thirty-four students in my first-year english tutorial…omfg
On February 23rd, 2006 at 8:15 pm, melgregg said:
oh laura, really? that’s incredible. although it’s probably the only solution to my little problem too. my latest theory is: if the school can’t teach the students, it should stop enrolling them, surely. but everything works backwards in this place, and human beings are kind of a last minute factor to consider.
On February 24th, 2006 at 9:58 am, Laura said:
I’m spending today investigating the latest research into techniques for effective teaching in large groups. Unsurprisingly there is rather a lot of that kind of research around. Brave New World, etc.
On February 26th, 2006 at 3:30 pm, katy said:
this is bad news indeed.
i turned down teaching work this semester because there’s just not enough to live off and still finish my phd this year. could this be part of the reason you’re finding it difficult to nab tutors? it’s hard to try to juggle the few teaching hours of sessional tutoring gigs with prep and another job so that you can pay the rent. not to mention getting any thesis work done.
I’ve opted to bite the bullet and take full time work that won’t interfere with the parts of my brain (and my time) that my thesis demand (though the work is not entirely unrelated, it’s sweet relief from the stress of sessional teaching)
good luck with this mel! and to laura. you poor kittens.
On April 18th, 2006 at 10:21 am, home cooked theory » Back said:
[…] I have been in the UK for the past week and a half, and now I’ve dealt with the consequences of being away I finally have a bit of time to reflect. (Some of my students missed a class because a tutor had to quit two days before I left - yes, the only tutor that was left in Brisbane. People are cleaning toilets in this town rather than tutoring. That is the state of casual academic labour and the politics of my generation). Before the conference I spent a few days in London catching up on sleep, finishing my conference paper (see tutor quitting, above) and meeting some lovely new friends. Then it was the early Monday train to Sheffield where I couldn’t understand the taxi drivers and I caught a cold from my boss. […]