Teacher Compensation

“Managing course grading and student feedback is typically ‘included in the hourly teaching rate.’ However students are increasingly asking for precise feedback on their grades.

This is understandable, but giving unique and specific feedback for each student on each assignment is very time consuming and there is not enough time in class.

If students want personalized teacher feedback, and universities want teachers to improve student satisfaction, then universities need to add a payroll component that reflects this extra work.”

– Teacher

“Teachers must design a more detailed syllabus which clearly sets expectations, explains course prerequisites, project expectations, submission deadlines and grading. Each syllabus must also include a more in-depth teacher profile so we students can research them.

Universities must take greater control over the course content; content should not be solely at the teacher’s discretion.

Universities need to make the course program and syllabuses more readily available to us students at the beginning of the year.”

– Student

“Adjunct teachers are not considered ’employees’ nor part of the internal organization and as such, the internal procedures sometimes seem strange to us, cumbersome and above all not within our control.

Universities should offer teachers teaching assistants to provide administrative support; someone who knows the ‘house’.”

– Teacher

“Universities need to incorporate teacher recognition. For example, every semester let students vote for their ‘favorite teacher.’ Teaching can be a thankless job.”

– Teacher

“Adjunct teachers have similar to superior education and professional experience than full-time teachers yet aren’t offered the same amount of time and compensation to prepare for courses, to grade projects or to create educational content.

Offer adjunct teachers fixed-term contracts with a decent monthly salary as well as the perks that come along with it.”

– Teacher

“Universities must hire teachers who are actually interested in teaching us students and are not just here for the money.”

– Student

“Universities must create events to bring teachers and students together outside of class.

University and teachers must organize more inter-class projects so we can work with new students and not always only with students in our own class.“

– Student

“Universities must align teachers’ hourly rates within schools of the same group. There’s no reason teachers should be paid less to teach the same course at a different campus from the same school.

And improve the slow, unreliable remuneration and of independent teachers. Treat teachers humanely and pay them on time : Payment within 30 days after service should be performed like all other private clients.”

– Teacher

“I have seen fellow adjunct teacher’s contracts abruptly broken and the teacher replaced in the middle of the semester with no due process.

Falling out with one program director at a university likely means losing teaching opportunities with the entire university for at least the next couple of years, if not forever.”

– Teacher

“Universities need to automate the contract and compensation processes. Some universities still do not offer electronic paychecks, so teachers must receive paper stubs by mail and digitize them themselves.”

– Teacher

“Teachers must be willing to attend ‘student open door’ days and talk to students and their parents.

Teachers must be willing to attend graduation ceremonies of the students they taught and helped.

Break free from time.”

– Program Director

“The invisible, unpaid hours make adjunct teaching untenable and lead to high teacher turnover.

If total pay for a 15-hour course of 40 students at 80€/hour is 1,200€, estimate 25 unpaid hours of class preparation, grading with feedback, student & administrative emails, occasional catch-up exams and teacher meetings, this becomes 30€/hour, before taxes.

Universities that attract and keep quality teachers understand what really attracts teachers to the profession.”

– Teacher

“Teacher pay rate is based on the teacher’s highest level of education, yet pay does not increase according to the teacher’s number of years of teaching experience, professional experience or student satisfaction.”

– Teacher

“Teachers have invested their career building their reputation, skill set and training content.

Adjunct teacher’s temporary university contracts are increasingly including ‘personal release agreements’ so the university can use the teacher’s name, image, voice, training material and remote course recordings in their advertising and branding.

This is not reflected in teacher compensation.“

– Teacher

“When the university asks for something, it is because it is important and any breach has a consequence on our organization.

When teachers do not respect new processes (software, administration, student role call…) and deadlines, this negatively impacts the university’s certifications (Qualiopi, RNCP, OPCO & CFA…)

HR cannot pay teacher until their paperwork is complete.”

– Teacher Recruiter

“The same university has needed my teaching services every semester for 21 years, but will not offer me an annual fixed-term contract. Further, over those 21 years the hourly teaching rate has increased by less than 1€, while the cost of living has almost doubled.

Universities should not be surprised when the quality of teaching becomes impoverished to the detriment of the experience of students.”

– Teacher

“French regulations now require higher education teachers obtain 10 hours of ongoing certified training each year just to continue teaching the same course content, and it is the responsibility of the teacher to find, take and pay for these certifications out of pocket.

Teaching becomes less profitable each year.”

– Teacher

“A university’s absolute rigidity of class scheduling makes it difficult to teach, let alone arrive to class on time. As a working professional my clients and employer require significant availability on my part, sometimes last minute.

Inflexible teaching hours and unpaid grading outside of class combined with long, unpaid transportation to and from campus makes me question whether or not I want to continue working with some universities.”

– Teacher

Spy on other universities and steal what works. University should see what is happening at other schools and develop specialty programs to improve and stand out from the competition.

Universities should invest more in students and their pedagogical team, not in school advertisements.

– Student

“Universities shouldn’t hire teachers at the end of their career or who are wanting peace and quiet or easy money.

Universities cannot expect motivated students if their teachers aren’t motivating.”

– Student