Salary of a Lecturer

Of course, Ireland being what it is, medical lecturers and professors do get paid more. Finance and technology lecturers etc. are not thought worthy of this.

Highly able specialist staff are by definition relatively scarce. While legitimate observations can be made on the generally overly high wage level in the 2003-2008 period, the real problem lies with generalist "managers" who have no particular skill but who have proliferated in health and education without it being clear what exactly they do.

I'd hazard a guess that if you look back to 2000 the salaries of doctors, lecturers etc. have not increased relative to GNP but the salaries of administrators have.

I work in the private sector and my OH works in a university and i have to say that he probably puts in more hours than me! Ok the hours are ALOT more flexible but they definitely put long long hours in

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Yeah but they work the much longer hours and for far more weeks in the year.

I don't know anyone in the private sector that can earn 70 - 80K, and get 4 - 5 months off a year, and have all the other benefits of a state job including a nice pension.

People on that kind of money get much the same holiday as the private sector, the year doesn't magically sort itself out in September, there are several months - they start planning around May - of work to be done. OK so its a bit more flexible in the summer but there is still a hell of a lot of work to be done.

And as we have said before, non-permanent staff are unemployed from June.

May as well throw my hat in.... If only to address the nonsense two posts above.

I work in a university, I am approaching the end of my PhD and over the past few years have taken on contract work in a number of other universities. My immediate colleagues (and some now close friends) are contract staff, and some are tenured staff in our department - I leave it to yourselves to decide if this counts as representative.

Across the three departments I have worked in, the proportion of face-time teaching conducted by tenured staff ranges from 30% - 40%. Particularly so over the past three years, tenured staff are not now favoured amongst senior admin; consequently contract staff, or 'adjunct faculty' as they are referred to in the US, comprise departmental staffing in the above proportions. We are generally not entitled to membership of IFUT or SIPTU, and contracts are typically subject to renewal every year, with three years being the maximum expected term.

Most of the positions advertised are for 'assistant lecturers' on the new entrant salary scale, which begins at €33,000 (and very rarely are higher points on the scale conferred, especially when a fresh contract is drawn every year). After tax you may expect a salary in the mid-higher twenties.

As for the day-to-day, most of our time is taken with writing courses (which will be particularly intense over August), dealing with residual exam season admin (including grading, processing, exam board preparations, gradings and standards meetings), perparation of online content and lecture material, grant proposal researching and writing, writing papers and submitting conference abstracts, co-ordinatinng whatever symposia/conferences you may have on your own agenda, professional services including blind reviewing for journals, serving on editorial boards, administration for professional bodies, pro-bono public service, thesis supervision, applications reviewing, and, of course, original research which tends to take up less time than the above combined.

Academics are bound to account for time spent - although this is not yet policy across the sector, many have chosen to enforce it, ours has - which involves providing quarterly accounts of works in press/review, accounting for hours spent during each week (in summary brakdown, with the individual lecturer reporting a typical week) - this is usually enforced through external reviews conducted every two-three years, quarterlies are reviewed internally, but outside the department.

If you are curious about promotions, nominations are usually passed to academic council by peers of the nominee (usually not at his request, although internal vacancies that would constitute a promotion can be applied for by self-nomination). The nominee then completes a detailed report which is then debated and externally reviewed.

The above is for permanant, tenured staff. My typical day isn't much of a killer - my funding expired a few months ago and I make about minimum wage taking on extra modules and tutorials. I can expect to live like this for the next two years. Most tenured staff do not become so until their late twenties or thirties (and now much later still), as most will drift from contract to contract. I put in 9-10 hours a day, and during teaching season I have no choice but to work weekends. Not bad at present, but I dont have half the obligations or responsibilities of a full timer.

I have learned over the last few years that you dont get into this for the money, and I do beleive it impossible to progress without a genuine love of teaching and your subject - although undoubtedly there are exceptions.

Anyway, just wanted to throw in - main point is that there are two cohorts; those who came in during the 80's - 90's when there was a shortage of staff, secured themselves through union alignment (and now stonewalling) and climbed the salary scale, and those who came in later under the 'adjunct' system who are subject to long-term contract rates, no security of tenure, and no representation.

RichardAnd wrote: »

It is exceedingly high and in many cases, completely un-deserved for what alot of lecturers do.

> and what do they do? Would you care to describe what, in your view, they do?

kuntboy wrote: »

It's just a pity the quality of research is so 5hit.

Someone's research is pi$$ poor alright, but I don't think it Irish higher education institutions.

http://www.forfas.ie/publication/search.jsp?ft=/publications/2009/Title,5126,en.php