Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a friend of a friend who is a tenured college professor. He was complaining to us at lunch that he has not gotten a raise in six years. Not even cost of living. His gross pay is exactly what it was six years ago he said. Is this normal in academia? Man, so much for chasing a tenured job. Meanwhile college tuition costs have been going up, but no raise for this guy.
I know nothing about working in academia and teaching, but it seems to me if you have not gotten a raise in six years, they aren't interested in keeping you there at all. Or is this just something those who teach in college have to put up with? They have such a huge pool of talent to select from so the colleges don't care?
No company would do this and expect employees to stay there. I guess with a college, they have few options. It isn't like there are thousands of colleges in a single town for you to find a job elsewhere like in other industries.
Quite possible. The reality of academic and government jobs is very different from the perception. You're right, no company would do that and last long. Yet government, school systems, and academia don't even blink at the idea. As for changing jobs, you have the twin up hill battles working against you -- a belief in service and the fact that you are "tainted goods." And you're too far along in your career to go back to square one and start over.
I work in academia, though not as a faculty member. COL raise? Lol.
We do get annual raises based on performance as staff members, but that caps at 2% and only a handful of people in each department get that kind of raise. Most of us are around 1.5%. Not even enough to cover annual increases in rent.
It does seem strange that there wouldn't be some kind of increase in 6 years, but many colleges are struggling despite increased tuition.
I know one guy who worked for a university and he did not get a pay raise for his last 3 or 4 years of employment immediately prior to his retirement. He was already maxed out for his pay band, and he was getting paid way more than he was worth. Very unusual, but it can happen.
It's time people stop using tenure as expectation for a raise. You leave and get your own raise. Companies are not required to give them, they do when pressured.
I have a friend of a friend who is a tenured college professor. He was complaining to us at lunch that he has not gotten a raise in six years. Not even cost of living. His gross pay is exactly what it was six years ago he said. Is this normal in academia? Man, so much for chasing a tenured job. Meanwhile college tuition costs have been going up, but no raise for this guy.
I know nothing about working in academia and teaching, but it seems to me if you have not gotten a raise in six years, they aren't interested in keeping you there at all. Or is this just something those who teach in college have to put up with? They have such a huge pool of talent to select from so the colleges don't care?
No company would do this and expect employees to stay there. I guess with a college, they have few options. It isn't like there are thousands of colleges in a single town for you to find a job elsewhere like in other industries.
I believe it's usually due to funding (i.e. taxes).
My wife is a teacher. She has also received nominal COLAs in her tenure. That's because she works for the county she teaches in, and salaries are paid through local bonds and taxation.
I worked for a non-profit that was tied in with the local government. It was the same there. Nominal COLAs were the norm.
But if you work in the private sector, you're salary is not tied to taxes, or whether the community votes to increase taxes so you can get a significant raise. It's based on the performance of the company. If you're company is doing well, your bonuses and pay increases may better reflect that.
I work in academia, though not as a faculty member. COL raise? Lol.
We do get annual raises based on performance as staff members, but that caps at 2% and only a handful of people in each department get that kind of raise. Most of us are around 1.5%. Not even enough to cover annual increases in rent.
It does seem strange that there wouldn't be some kind of increase in 6 years, but many colleges are struggling despite increased tuition.
And I don't know this guy well enough to know if he is doing a great job for the college or not. And since I don't know academia, I have no idea what they view as a great job and worthy of a raise. Since I work in private industry, no raise to me is a signal the company has a problem with their business or they really don't want to keep that employee around, and hoping the lack of a raise will get them to leave on their own.
At least you are getting something that increases your gross, he's gotten zero in six years.
And I don't know this guy well enough to know if he is doing a great job for the college or not. And since I don't know academia, I have no idea what they view as a great job and worthy of a raise. Since I work in private industry, no raise to me is a signal the company has a problem with their business or they really don't want to keep that employee around, and hoping the lack of a raise will get them to leave on their own.
At least you are getting something that increases your gross, he's gotten zero in six years.
Regardless of what is the norm, the guy has accepted this treatment. He has choices and is choosing to stay put.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
