In the eyes of the public, college teachers are less expensive than middle school teachers, but the actual work content of college teachers is much more complicated than imagined: the work covers scientific research, teaching, application for scientific research projects, etc., of which the biggest pressure is the publication of papers. Recently, there have been more and more discussions on the plight of young teachers in colleges and universities. Some public opinion has pointed the spearhead at the university’s selection system for young teachers, whether they are promoted or left. Colleges and universities in most countries around the world have implemented this teacher assessment system that originated from the United States: teachers who fail the assessment will leave if they fail to reach the promotion goal.
United States: Want to be hired for life, the competition is fierce
The "promote or leave" system originated from the tenure system of American colleges and universities, and is part of the "pre-employment-long-term appointment" system commonly adopted by American colleges and universities. The original purpose of the "promote or go" system is to protect the academic freedom of academic community members from the administrative power of institutions. The far-reaching significance is to use 6 to 7 years to identify and screen out "genuine products" suitable for academic work. Excellent talents give him tenure. An important difference among professors in American universities is the difference between “tenure track” and “non-tenure track”. Teachers on the "tenure track" generally include full professors, associate professors and assistant professors. The "non-tenure track" teachers include some part-time professors, lecturers, general faculty, and researchers. Generally speaking, only those who belong to the "tenure track" and are full-time teachers are eligible to participate in promotion. Therefore, the number of these teachers is limited relative to the overall number of teachers in colleges and universities.
Usually, a doctor who has just graduated (or has two or three years of postdoctoral experience) is usually given to an assistant professor if he is hired; if he has 6 years of assistant professor experience, he can be promoted to associate professor and get a "tenured faculty position"; and then have another 5 years of associate professor experience Can be promoted to full professor. However, in the United States, it is not easy for university teachers to finally get the position of full professor. Elena Liu, an assistant professor at a university in New York State, told the Global Times on the 10th that some people in their college are 50 years old and are still associate professors. Moreover, her college has only one full professor. She said that she originally had to apply for an associate professor and a "tenured faculty position" this year. However, because of the epidemic, the school extended her associate professor's application time for one year. Elena sighed and said that if you enter the "tenure track", you should not be free and loose, and the pressure will be there every day.
The salary difference is large and the pressure is not small
Like many countries, in the United States, the salaries of teachers in engineering schools, business schools, law schools, and medical schools are relatively high, while the salaries of social science majors are low. For example, at a local comprehensive university in the Midwest, the annual salary of an assistant professor of social sciences is between 50,000 and 60,000 US dollars, while the annual salary of an assistant professor of accounting in business is between 90,000 and 120,000 US dollars. The latest "Annual Faculty Salary Survey" published by the American Association of University Professors in early May 2021 shows that the average annual salary of full professors is US$159,919, associate professors are US$104,482, and assistant professors are US$91,480 in comprehensive universities with the right to confer doctoral degrees. , The lecturer is 66,620 dollars.
Elena Liu told the Global Times reporter that the new crown epidemic has affected her research and teaching work, and her salary has also fallen accordingly. She confessed that she is under a lot of pressure now, not only to take care of the two children, but also to drive the essays at night. Joan Gruber, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado in the United States, said that the stress factors related to the epidemic, including children’s inability to go to nursery schools, and high expectations for school teachers’ work, have aggravated the overwork of college teachers. Mental health poses an unprecedented and serious challenge.
It’s not easy to be a professor in the UK
Unlike the "promote or move" system, British universities have their own unique promotion system. Traditionally, the UK divides academics into four levels: lecturers, senior lecturers, associate professors and professors. Senior lecturers and associate professors are basically equivalent to associate professors under the North American system. Lecturers in most schools in the UK are tenure, so basically the pressure in life is not very great. But wanting to be a professor is completely different. First, internal promotion is difficult. The other is limited positions. There are several positions of full professors in a department in a British school. If the professors above do not leave (retire or change jobs), you will not be able to get up no matter how good your popularity is.
In the promotion evaluation, according to the difference in the focus of teachers' work, British universities divide the sequence of teacher titles into three types: research, teaching, teaching and research and heavy, and conduct classified evaluation and appointment. Each type of post is set according to the actual work content. Evaluation criteria. In addition, British universities usually use the department as the unit to organize an expert review panel composed of 4 to 6 experts for each teacher applying for promotion, and evaluate the applicant's academic performance for the department and school review committee. As a reference for the final evaluation results.
Gong Jiong, who had obtained a doctorate in the United States and worked in an American research institute for more than ten years, told the Global Times that the system of "promotion or leave" is necessary. For those recruited by universities, is he suitable for scientific research? Whether you have the ability to do scientific research requires a screening mechanism. If there is no screening, you will not be able to run a first-class university. Those who accuse college screening do not understand the nature of colleges. The nature of colleges is to seek truth. Scientific research is not something that everyone can do. It must be the most creative, imaginative, and scientific research spirit, and the hardest People are qualified to stay.
