Universities wouldn’t ask a plumber or electrician to work for free because “budgets are tight”. So why are independent researchers and scholars still expected to donate skilled labour?
Expertise has value.
Find out more here: helenkara.com/2026/05/12/s...
#AcademicLabour #IndependentResearch
Expertise has value.
Find out more here: helenkara.com/2026/05/12/s...
#AcademicLabour #IndependentResearch
Some Universities Are Asking Me To Work For Nothing – Again!
It is no secret that the university sector in the UK is experiencing a massive financial crisis. I guess this is why I’m getting new requests to work for universities for nothing. I wrote a post ab…
helenkara.com
May 12, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Universities wouldn’t ask a plumber or electrician to work for free because “budgets are tight”. So why are independent researchers and scholars still expected to donate skilled labour?
Expertise has value.
Find out more here: helenkara.com/2026/05/12/s...
#AcademicLabour #IndependentResearch
Expertise has value.
Find out more here: helenkara.com/2026/05/12/s...
#AcademicLabour #IndependentResearch
Our survey of UK academics revealed ambivalence towards GenAI. Many see its potential for productivity but also fear its role in deskilling, inauthentic outputs, and alienating academics. #GenAI #AcademicLabour
December 3, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Our survey of UK academics revealed ambivalence towards GenAI. Many see its potential for productivity but also fear its role in deskilling, inauthentic outputs, and alienating academics. #GenAI #AcademicLabour
A sharp reflection by @drleatongray.bsky.social on how achievement is narrated. It raises a wider question about the quality of leadership: how do people acknowledge collaborative/collective labour as they move up the hierarchy? sandraleatongray.wordpress.com/2026/09/17/m... #AcademicLabour
Main character energy in the modern university – who did the work?
I have sat on a fair number of university appointment panels over the years, and there is something about senior recruitment that increasingly bothers me. The more senior the job, the harder it can…
sandraleatongray.wordpress.com
September 17, 2026 at 1:24 PM
A sharp reflection by @drleatongray.bsky.social on how achievement is narrated. It raises a wider question about the quality of leadership: how do people acknowledge collaborative/collective labour as they move up the hierarchy? sandraleatongray.wordpress.com/2026/09/17/m... #AcademicLabour
Academia runs on unseen labour. Graduate students power research while credit flows upward. Like Hogwarts’ house elves, they work in the shadows — until someone dares to break the spell. Recognition isn’t charity; it’s justice. Time to make the invisible visible. #AcademicLabour #Equity
The Castle Runs on Invisible Work / Le château fonctionne grâce à un travail invisible
Students, hidden labour, and the quiet magic of being seen / Les étudiants, le travail invisible et la magie discrète d'être remarqué
open.substack.com
May 12, 2026 at 10:39 AM
Academia runs on unseen labour. Graduate students power research while credit flows upward. Like Hogwarts’ house elves, they work in the shadows — until someone dares to break the spell. Recognition isn’t charity; it’s justice. Time to make the invisible visible. #AcademicLabour #Equity