In which the real world begins to loom uncomfortably over our heroine

[rhyll]

Yesterday was the culmination of a series of days in which the Real World got closer and more depressing.


I've been looking for jobs over the last couple of weeks, and have found only two that looked:
a) even vaguely interesting, and
b) worth applying for.

This is depressing in itself. I really, really, wanted to believe that the outcome of spending about two decades of my life being Educated would be that I was a useful and productive member of society. Rather than basically unemployable. Okay, yes, I've done an arts degree, but I would like to think there are still Uses for us. Thinking about it realistically, though, I guess that trying to stick to Perth is going to make things a lot harder. Also, given that my interests run more towards changing the status quo, I shouldn't be surprised that there aren't six thousand ads titled "CHANGE THE SYSTEM - GREAT PAY, BONUSES, CONTACT sarah@status.quo.com.au".

Yesterday I heard that I didn't even get an interview for the job at Oxfam I applied for. I also freaked out a bit about potentially getting a fill-in job, and then finding it hard to get work in research/teaching because of it. And then freaked out a bit more about the general lack of jobs in my field.

So, anyway. Yesterday I also went to a workshop on how to be a better teacher. It was, in itself, useful and interesting. But the whole thing was presented in the context of "OMFG GFC etc etc growing class sizes must save money for the uni by being a more 'efficient' teacher". Now, I want to be a better teacher. But I bristle at the suggestion that the uni is mightily impoverished and that teachers should be the first line of cost cutting. Teaching, learning, and researching is what the university is for. Maybe the uni could cut back on building huge !$#%#&%$ business buildings if it's feeling so very poor. Perhaps. When I suggested that perhaps teachers shouldn't just passively accept and react to such changes in the 'learning environment', the workshop coordinator looked at me like I was mad. And then started her next sentence with something about how "There are lots of ways that you, as an individual, can save yourself time and the university money".

I spent most of yesterday, once the workshop was over, sitting around the house, trying to summon up the energy to do difficult things like make tea.

Anyway. Then J gently pushed me out of the house on my bicycle, and I cycled to Greek, and I felt better and made Plans.

So I'm finally going to get my act together and join a union. Not just because I don't want to be screwed by the university (although I don't), but because I care about my students. I want some kind of vehicle for standing up for good teaching, and a good learning environment, as well as my own rights.

Of course, this is assuming I can get some teaching work.

For now, I am trying not to be too dispirited by the whole job situation. I should be able to get some tutoring in my department next semester, which will carry me through to the uni holidays. I'll use that time to finish off my thesis and send out book proposals and work on my Greek and maybe de-stress a bit (but probably not). After that, we'll see. I'm looking at government jobs, and I'm handing in CVs to other Perth unis, and I'm keeping my eyes out for anything else that might be interesting.

It's going to be okay.

Comments

[bondles.livejournal.com]

I don't disagree with you for a moment about where the University's priorities should lie, but in the interest of you Knowing Your Enemy, this:

Maybe the uni could cut back on building huge !$#%#&%$ business buildings if it's feeling so very poor.

is an unproductive line of argument against the university, because those buildings are pretty much entirely funded out of constrained money. In particular, a certain proportion of international student fees (of which the business school generates a lot) must, by law, be spent on new buildings. A lot comes from the government in the form of HEEF/EIF grants, which again are only given for building stuff and not for paying teachers. Huge research grants usually require huge financial commitments from the university as well, which ties up still more of the money. Universities have a lot of money, but very little that they have discretion over; they're not blowing smoke when they say they're pretty hard up at the moment.

I'm not defending the idea that teaching should suffer to cut corners; just informing.

[alexmoon.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the information. Of course, I should have acknowledged that many of these new developments don't just come from the uni, they're a result of broader government policies.