LECTURERS IN IRELAND work longer hours and spend more time on administrative duties than their European counterparts, according to the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT).
Research cited by Dr Marie Clarke, IFUT President, showed that senior academics in Ireland work 50 hours a week in contrast to the European average of 48 hours.
Clarke based the statement on data from a survey involving 12 European countries, including 1,200 Irish academics.
The data found that while senior academics in Ireland work an average 50 hours a week, junior academics work 47 hours each week on average – while their European counterparts work 42.
Meanwhile, senior academics spend 11 hours each week on administration, representing 22 per cent per cent of their working time, compared to a European average of just eight hours (17 per cent). Junior academics in Ireland spend nine hours a week on administration, which represents 19 per cent of their work time.
Clarke criticised the amount of time academics had to spend on administration, saying that it was the result of an “intensified audit culture”.
“Senior academics spend 22 per cent of their day on administration, almost as much as the 24 per cent devoted to teaching. 19 per cent of junior academics’ time is spent on administration, which is also excessive,” she said.
“This represents an imbalance in duties within the Irish university sector and is a poor use of staff time and qualifications”.
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