The essential guide to contract research

Alan Williams

Mon 30 Apr 2001 11.41 EDTFirst published on Mon 30 Apr 2001 11.41 EDT

Introduction

Most research in universities is carried out by contract research staff (CRS), who are on fixed-term contracts and often funded by external research contracts, where each contract is directly linked to a particular piece of funding for a specific research project.

This guide is aimed at those who are considering contract research and those who have just started as CRS. It gives tips from other contract researchers indicating what you should think about before deciding to do contract research, how to get the most out of it, and how to avoid some of the problems caused by the nature of contract research.

You will find that, in some items below, there is a lot of detail. You may not necessarily wish to take all of it into account in the excitement of looking for and getting a new job. However, this will be a good resource once you are there.

Of course, no guide will ever be a substitute for getting detailed personal advice on your particular situation from your union - the CRS experience varies enormously, even within the same department, and it is therefore impossible to cover all circumstances.

However, it is important to emphasise that, despite all of these problems, academic research is often extremely rewarding. It is a great opportunity to pursue something which you are passionately interested in, offering a lot of flexibility, working with supportive colleagues in a stimulating environment, with the chance to make world-shattering discoveries Ü at the cutting edge of knowledge.

On the other hand, the very use of fixed-term contracts is often the cause of many of the difficulties highlighted below. Higher education unions argue that they are also extremely inefficient and do not enable institutions and researchers to pursue their work in the most productive way.

For example, the Association of University Teachers (AUT) is campaigning against the casualisation of academic staff and for the vast majority to be employed on a long-term basis.

You may agree with this (and wish to participate in union campaigns against casualisation), but here we will only look at getting the most out of the current situation, one where almost all researchers in universities are employed on fixed-term contracts.

Doing your own research

There are a lot of advantages to being a member of CRS. Hours are generally more flexible than in many jobs (but you need to check) and, in the right research group, you can enjoy your work. You may also be somewhat more protected in terms of the teaching and administration that you can be required to undertake (but you will need to find out what your position would actually be).

Find out what being CRS really involves and understand what you would be getting into Ü make use of national CRS networks or look at research into CRS issues (for example Colin Bryson's research) Do you actually want to do it? Does it fit in with your career plans? One reason CRS run into trouble is because they are not clear what they may be expected to do.

The research group: If you decide CRS is for you, then go and meet the people that you would be working with, or who are in the same unit/department. Is it friendly and does it provide a good working atmosphere, or is it likely that you will be working in a small room isolated from everyone else? Will you have your own office or laboratory space? Will appropriate equipment be available and supported (or will you end up as the lab technician?).

The institution: This is a bit wider than the immediate research group but just as important Ü after all, the institution is your employer. Not all institutions treat CRS in the same way. Find out if it has a code of practice for employing CRS, to implement the Concordat. This should cover project management, maternity leave/pay (check carefully any qualification conditions), and provision for support at the end of a project, including bridging and redundancy.

Will you get redundancy pay and does the institution operate a meaningful redeployment scheme? Do CRS have parity with established lecturing staff with respect to their terms and conditions? Will you be treated as a member of staff (as you should be), or essentially as a student? Do you have equal access to the library (you should do)? Are relocation expenses paid (they should be)?

Will the institution charge you fees if you wish to take a further degree? Then check if the code is actually implemented. The two important principles are that it is the university that is your employer (not the research funder or your project manager) and that you are a full member of staff (rather than a glorified student).

The research funder: Contract research is paid for from a variety of sources, including the government-funded research councils, various charities, the European Union and commercial enterprises.

All have their own interests and requirements. You should check what the particular rules attached to your funding would be - will they restrict you? For example, will you be able to spend a proportion of your time on work not directly related to the project (training, teaching, your own research)?

Are there any restrictions on publication or ownership of the work? Is the funder committed for the full duration of the project or is there a possibility they will stop the funding, perhaps because they are not satisfied with interim results? Does the funder allow CRS to apply for research grants in their own name?

As part of their mission, the main research councils are required to provide trained researchers. As well as funding postgraduate students, some interpret this as requiring a continuous flow of CRS, and so their policies are designed to discourage CRS from staying in universities for more than a couple of contracts.

By arming yourself with this information before you begin, you will go a long way to saving yourself from some nasty surprises or disappointments later on.

Joining a union

Fixed-term contracts themselves are the cause of many of the problems described here. Contract researchers are more vulnerable than any other staff group to being unfairly treated/dismissed, and missing out on legal entitlements.

You may find it difficult to stand up for yourself unless you know that your situation is wrong and that there are people to support you. Reliable information and advice may not be available. You will not have a very loud voice on your own.

It is therefore essential that you join a union. You may not want to get actively involved, but think of it as insurance. Only a union can help effectively if anything bad happens to you, but like any insurance it can only help if you have been a member for some time prior to a crisis.

You may see your current job as a short-term thing that will end soon anyway, so why bother joining? But there may be problems within your first contract. This may well be extended, sometimes several times, so unless you join at the start there is a danger you will be without insurance for a long time.

Also, only the unions can have any hope of influencing your pay and conditions, and then only if they're seen to represent enough of you.

You may also wish to become active in the union in order to fight against casualisation and the second-class academic citizenship of CRS.

The Association of University Teachers (AUT) has a CRS committee which initiates and co-ordinates campaigns, responds to national developments and liaises between CRS members and national AUT. The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) represents academic staff (more in post-1992 universities) and is also committed to reducing casualisation. The Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union (MSF) opposes short-term contracts amongst scientific workers and promotes greater participation by women in science, engineering and technology.

Understanding your position

Before accepting a job you should find out specifically what will be expected of you.

Will you be required to undertake any teaching, supervision or administration? Again, if you know about this beforehand, you can take appropriate action if you are not happy.

Do not let managers offload inappropriate tasks onto you, such as arbitrary teaching or administrative duties - any teaching should have been agreed with you at the start and, in general, would be related to your research. You are there to do research - and a little teaching if that's what you want - so do not get distracted.

This is particularly true if your post is being funded by a research council or a commercial enterprise that has asked for a particular piece of work. Questions will be asked if the work is not completed (and you may get the blame, even if it's not your fault).

However, check that you will have the opportunity for personal development via training, or even having some proportion of your time so that you can pursue your own non-project research.

If you are sharing your time between more than one project, or if you are to be employed part time, check that it is clear how much time you will be expected to allocate to a particular project. There is always the danger that the sum of the parts will be greater than the whole.

It is useful to see the proposal for the project that you are working on. This will probably lay down quite clearly what is expected of you.

Hours

One of the perceived benefits of academic research is that you have very flexible hours and are free to work when you wish (as long as you get the job done). Many contracts do not specify hours, saying you will be expected to work "reasonable hours".

However, you should check if there are times when you will be expected or required to work Ê for example, will you be required to work weekends? If there are, you may be happy to accept them (if they are reasonable), but at least it will be far easier to walk away or to negotiate if you are not happy. It is one thing voluntarily working certain hours, but may well be a problem for you if you have to do it.

Also check that your department's position on working from home fits in with your own wishes, working style and circumstances. Some departments forbid working from home, whereas other departments are happy for employees to work from home on a regular basis.

Authorship

When you accept, but before the project starts, get a written agreement from your project team members about authorship of papers:

Under what circumstances will someone appear as an author?

How will the order of authors be determined?

That way, the principles are laid down and you know where you stand.

Although different disciplines have their own conventions, in general, if you contribute directly (by writing) or indirectly (for example, by producing results) to a paper, then you should be included as an author.

A related and particular thorny topic concerns the inclusion in the author list of one's manager/project supervisor, even if they have made little or any contribution.

Understanding your contract rights

You should be issued with a written contract before you begin work.

Read it carefully before you accept and make sure that you understand what it is saying (seek advice from your union if you are not certain). If it refers to other documents, get hold of them and make sure you know what they say.

Duration: The contract should normally last as long as the project - check that there are no probationary periods or other reviews that you did not expect.

Conditions: Check that these match what you had been informed - it is not reasonable for the contract to introduce conditions you were not already aware of. Again, ask advice from your union if you are unsure before you sign. Equally, you should question anything that you think is missing - it is dangerous to rely on verbal agreements.

Watch your pay: Get hold of the local pay scales and descriptions of the grading levels. Check where you are on them and whether it is where you should be, given your age, role and qualifications.

If the annual salary stated on your pay slip does not match any current scale point, you may have missed out on recent national pay rises. When offered a research post, always check that annual increments will be applied (to move you up the pay scale step-by-step): this doesn't always happen.

Also, try to find out what your colleagues are earning, especially if you are a woman or a member of an ethnic minority. You could be a victim of unjustified, systematic, thoughtless discrimination.

Employment rights

Find out what your employment rights are so that you will be in a position to determine whether they are being honoured.

They cover important things such as maternity, pension, sick leave, pay scales, redundancy/dismissal, holiday, hours, or disability. If you will be working part-time, ensure that you have the same (pro-rata) conditions as your full-time colleagues.

The area is far too big to list in detail, but clearly, your union will be able to assist you. Your CRS colleagues will also be able to help, both within your institution and outside. However it is always worth confirming any information because they may equally be misinformed.

Equally, do not rely on what your manager or personnel office tells you Ü always double check.

It is best to resolve problems as soon as you start and to ensure that your contract makes all of the conditions of your employment clear. Verbal agreements and reassurances are not often much use later on.

Do not let your employer get away with things just because you do not know any different - be sure to complain if they try.

Finance and pensions

Some long-term CRS have put off getting a mortgage for many years due to job insecurity, fear of unemployment or the need to move to the other end of the country to get a job in their field. In fact, much of the academic system seems to assume that people can move around at will, often for the dubious benefit of getting a short contract somewhere else.

However, due to family circumstances you may wish to settle in one area and commit to home ownership. In many cases your contract will be extended (many mortgage lenders recognise this and are more prepared to offer a loan to CRS), making this possible. You should ensure that you know when to leave well in advance of the end of your contract.

Joining a pension scheme

Just as you may think it's not worth bothering joining a union because you are only on a short-term contract, you may also think that there's no point in joining a pension scheme. But, as before, this contract may be the first of many and, before you know it you'll have missed out on many years of pensionable service.

So, join a pension scheme as soon as you start. The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) operates within pre-1992 universities and the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) within post-1992 universities.

Isolation

This is a common situation, especially for individual researchers. Even if you join a research team, you may end up with a very restricted view of your unit or institution as a whole. You may not really be considered a member of the department (for example you may not be 'expected' to attend departmental meetings), so you have to try hard to get involved.

In many departments, you may find you are pushing at open doors, although sadly, in others you may still find yourself excluded from departmental meetings because of the nature of your contract.

Find out what CRS forums operate in the institution. For instance, does the institution actively support networks of CRS representatives?

Seek to broaden your horizons by, for example, developing an interest in Fixed-Term Contract Staff (FTCS) issues via your union or CRS networks, or serving on senate. This is obviously important if situations develop in your research environment which need changing Ü here you can also seek the support of the FTCS mailing list, because part of the solution is often the knowledge that you are not alone.

Topics

The essential guide to contract research

The essential guide to contract research

Introduction

Doing your own research

Joining a union

Understanding your position

Hours

Authorship

Understanding your contract rights

Employment rights

Finance and pensions

Joining a pension scheme

Isolation

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