There is a misconception about what it is like to work as an academic at a university, which imagines it as a place of privileged and leisured reflection. It’s a rosy view lately encouraged by the mini-genre of television and film depictions of academic life, many of which romanticise it (The Chair, say) or simply reinforce outdated stereotypes (Lucky Hank).

So, let me offer a reality check by presenting a series of snapshots of what it’s actually like for many who choose to pursue a career in academia. These snapshots are composites I have built from actual scenarios I have witnessed, but they are not portraits of the experience of any one specific individual. I am sure, though, that any academic who reads this will recognise something of themselves or their colleagues in more than one of these snapshots.

Sandra Oh is the head of the English Department at a minor Ivy League college in The Chair.Credit: Eliza Morse/Netflix

Let’s start with Jane, who has just graduated with her PhD in Australian history from a Group of Eight university. She has been submitting applications, unsuccessfully, for a permanent university position for more than two years. She has published a book from her PhD already. It has attracted strong reviews and even a shortlisting for one of the state premier’s non-fiction awards. But no jobs are advertised in history at the moment, and the field is shrinking. Teaching in history has largely contracted to the Group of Eight, and staffing numbers there have declined by 8 per cent in the last six years. Nationally, enrolments in history over the same period have declined by almost 23 per cent. Since Jane’s field is Australian history, there is little possibility of finding a job outside Australia.

Jane has some sessional tutorial work, but it is at two universities on opposite sides of the city teaching different historical periods. The work involved amounts to more than would be asked normally of a full-time member of academic staff, but Jane needs the money. The casual appointments at both universities commence a week before the start of semester and conclude at the end, so there is no income from teaching for up to four months of the year. As a casual staff member, she doesn’t have an office, so consultations with her students must take place in spaces she arranges herself. To appear like a good citizen and thus a prospect for future appointment, Jane has taken on the management of a first-year course that enrols 200 students, and so the administration (and email) load is significant. This is in breach of the mandated conditions for casual employment, but Jane is prepared to wear this.

Jane has applied for an Australian Research Council (ARC) early career fellowship, but the success rate for applications in the humanities and creative arts is sitting at 20 per cent. In 2023, there was only one successful applicant nationally from history, although there were three in 2025. Jane is trying to get some research done, but the combination of her teaching load, the time spent commuting across town, and the........

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