Oxford University has been accused of relying on academics on “Deliveroo-style” and precarious fixed-term contracts to give the majority of its tu

Oxford relying on ‘Deliveroo-style’ contracts with most tutorials not taught by full-time staff

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2024-11-17 11:00:06

Oxford University has been accused of relying on academics on “Deliveroo-style” and precarious fixed-term contracts to give the majority of its tutorials, after new research revealed just a third of lessons are taught by full-time professors.

Data obtained through freedom of information requests by the University and College Union and shared exclusively with the Observer reveals that about 61% of core tutorial teaching is done by academics on fixed-term contracts or in hourly-paid roles. The union says that pay is based mainly on contact hours with students, but once preparation, marking and supporting students are taken into account, this often falls below the minimum wage in real terms.

The new figures, which are based on responses from 24 Oxford colleges, show that in 2023-24 one in five tutorials (20%) were taught by hourly-paid tutors – typically PhD students or academics at the start of their career. Meanwhile permanent full-time professors taught around 34% of tutorials.

Jo Grady, the general secretary of the UCU, said: “Oxford’s colleges have endowments stretching back to the middle ages, so it is nothing short of scandalous that many of the academics leading tutorials are kept on ‘Deliveroo-style’ contracts.”