Problem
Every year, teachers and academics are expected to dedicate time, energy, and ideas, but often without any additional support or compensation. In academia, researchers are expected to publish regularly, review peers and even pay high open-access publishing fees. Expectations vary in schools, but educators are still taken advantage of, nevertheless. They are expected to implement new programmes, reshape curricula, and take on responsibilities that reach well beyond the classroom, resulting in a quiet but widespread form of exploitation.
Teachers
As an EFL teacher in Italy, I have seen this unfold year after year. Policies shift, priorities change, and teachers have to adapt. For example, since 2010, the government has implemented CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) in the final-year curricula of technical schools (DPR 88, 2010) and licei state secondary schools (DPR 89, 2010) and teachers must integrate a CLIL module into their curricula without providing adequate training or structural support. More recently, teachers have had to find considerable time to incorporate ‘Civic Education’ (MIUR, 2019) and ‘Orientation’ (MIUR, 2022). Although the school is given funds to nominate a coordinator for any new method, it is the teachers who put these ideas into practice and are expected to do it as an extended part of their already full workload. Moreover, although there are training courses, they are seldom focussed on single subjects or contexts. I, like many colleagues, feel underqualified to do these things, and it takes us an enormous amount of time to organise, carry out and assess on top of our existing responsibilities. Each reform promises innovation, but in practice, it often means unpaid overtime, rushed adaptation, and mounting stress. That is without counting the emotional labour we need to perform in supporting students who face increasing personal and social challenges (Day & Gu, 2010).
Academics
Meanwhile, in higher education, academics are under pressure to research and publish regularly. Also, many journals charge high publication fees for the privilege of publishing open access (Eve, 2014). That means academics are writing in their spare time, self-funding their articles, and balancing research with full-time teaching and administrative responsibilities. Additionally, academics altruistically peer review these journals, so while publishers profit, scholars are left financially and emotionally drained (Tennant, 2020).
Possible solutions:
Firstly, schools and universities need to formalise and compensate for extra responsibilities. If a new reform or initiative is introduced, there should be dedicated time within working hours, appropriate training, and financial recognition. These considerations are both reasonable and necessary for the meaningful and sustainable implementation of this initiative (OECD, 2020).
Secondly, higher education institutions and academic publishers could take joint responsibility for developing equitable publishing models by reducing excessive article processing charges (APCs), increasing support for open-access models that do not penalise authors, and ensuring that publishing remains an integral part of academic life. Scholars should be able to share knowledge without being demoralised (Tennant, 2020).
Question
Finally, my concern extends beyond money and hours. It is about dignity, autonomy, and respect for our profession. When passionate professionals are treated like unpaid volunteers, everyone loses, especially our students and future specialists.
When Passion Becomes Exploitation
Problem
Every year, teachers and academics are expected to dedicate time, energy, and ideas, but often without any additional support or compensation. In academia, researchers are expected to publish regularly, review peers and even pay high open-access publishing fees. Expectations vary in schools, but educators are still taken advantage of, nevertheless. They are expected to implement new programmes, reshape curricula, and take on responsibilities that reach well beyond the classroom, resulting in a quiet but widespread form of exploitation.
Teachers
As an EFL teacher in Italy, I have seen this unfold year after year. Policies shift, priorities change, and teachers have to adapt. For example, since 2010, the government has implemented CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) in the final-year curricula of technical schools (DPR 88, 2010) and licei state secondary schools (DPR 89, 2010) and teachers must integrate a CLIL module into their curricula without providing adequate training or structural support. More recently, teachers have had to find considerable time to incorporate ‘Civic Education’ (MIUR, 2019) and ‘Orientation’ (MIUR, 2022). Although the school is given funds to nominate a coordinator for any new method, it is the teachers who put these ideas into practice and are expected to do it as an extended part of their already full workload. Moreover, although there are training courses, they are seldom focussed on single subjects or contexts. I, like many colleagues, feel underqualified to do these things, and it takes us an enormous amount of time to organise, carry out and assess on top of our existing responsibilities. Each reform promises innovation, but in practice, it often means unpaid overtime, rushed adaptation, and mounting stress. That is without counting the emotional labour we need to perform in supporting students who face increasing personal and social challenges (Day & Gu, 2010).
Academics
Meanwhile, in higher education, academics are under pressure to research and publish regularly. Also, many journals charge high publication fees for the privilege of publishing open access (Eve, 2014). That means academics are writing in their spare time, self-funding their articles, and balancing research with full-time teaching and administrative responsibilities. Additionally, academics altruistically peer review these journals, so while publishers profit, scholars are left financially and emotionally drained (Tennant, 2020).
Possible solutions:
Firstly, schools and universities need to formalise and compensate for extra responsibilities. If a new reform or initiative is introduced, there should be dedicated time within working hours, appropriate training, and financial recognition. These considerations are both reasonable and necessary for the meaningful and sustainable implementation of this initiative (OECD, 2020).
Secondly, higher education institutions and academic publishers could take joint responsibility for developing equitable publishing models by reducing excessive article processing charges (APCs), increasing support for open-access models that do not penalise authors, and ensuring that publishing remains an integral part of academic life. Scholars should be able to share knowledge without being demoralised (Tennant, 2020).
Question
Finally, my concern extends beyond money and hours. It is about dignity, autonomy, and respect for our profession. When passionate professionals are treated like unpaid volunteers, everyone loses, especially our students and future specialists.
Therefore, the question I pose is: How can we, as educators and academics, reclaim our time and value without sacrificing the passion that brought us here in the first place?
Blog post written by Lesley Fearn
I recently achieved my EdD regarding learning and teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using online community projects in secondary schools. This interest stems from more than thirty years of experience teaching English (as a Foreign Language) and English literature in state schools in the south of Italy. During this time, I have continually experimented with new approaches and techniques, especially with technology, to motivate students in their schooling. Other areas of interest include Fine Art and English literature that I studied as a BA and MA. As far as research is concerned, I am particularly interested in Action Research and sociocultural paradigms.