This book examines a range of ethical complexities associated with precarious work across educational sectors internationally.
Our aim is to examine the experiences of the increasing reliance on casual and temporary employment in education settings for all educators. This volume brings together academic chapters, focused on the affective, ethical, and practical challenges faced by all educators working in highly casualised contexts, while working to provide quality education for all students. These chapters are complemented by reflections from a variety of educators and educational leaders who have navigated ethical dilemmas related to precarious employment across sectors from early childhood to higher education.
When viewed together, the chapters and reflections highlight the impacts of neoliberal market-driven policies on the education sector and work to present a series of possible ‘pathways forward’ for education workers navigating this precarious terrain.
Edited by:
Jess Harris (University of Newcastle Australia),
Nerida Spina (Queensland University of Technology,
Australia),
Kathleen Smithers (Charles Sturt University),
Jill Blackmore (Deakin University,
Australia),
Sarah K. Gurr (Charles Sturt University,
Australia)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781032840840
ISBN 10: 1032840846
Pages: 266
Publication Date: 08 August 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Primary
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
1. Casualisation, the gig economy, and piece work in education: Unpacking the ethical dilemmas of educational leaders in times of increasing precarity Nerida Spina, Sarah K. Gurr, Jess Harris, Jill Blackmore and Kathleen Smithers 2. Homo promptus teachers and young people: Navigating precarity in the teaching profession Lucas Walsh, Bao Huynh and Fiona Longmuir Reflection 1: Supporting casual relief teachers to improve overall school performance Jacquie Briskham 3. Shades of precarity: Understanding labour market segmentation in teaching and its implications for system and school leadership Meghan Stacey, Mihajla Gavin, Rachel Wilson, Susan McGrath-Champ and Scott Fitzgerald Reflection 2: Supporting casual teachers in schools Anonymous teacher 4. Understanding ethical dilemmas faced by the casual workforce in vocational education and training Sonal Nakar Reflection 3: There is nothing casual for a casual Paul Grover 5. Academic gifting underpinning the gig economy of higher education: Ethical dilemmas for university executives and academics Jill Blackmore Reflection 4: Supporting others without the security of permanence Anonymous researcher 6. Casualisation, academic sponsorship, and ethics of care in higher education: Navigating contested terrain Rachel Burke, Sally Baker, Nicole Crawford and Anne F. J. Hellwig Reflection 5: Balancing on the tī kōuka tree: Ethical dilemmas in precarious academic spaces Marek Tesar 7. Paradoxical research funding: Affective dilemmas among academic leaders in Finnish universities Elisa Kurtti and Johanna Hokka Reflection 6: Leadership and workforce precarity in early childhood education and care Leanne Gibbs 8. A Bourdieusian analysis of how precariously employed academics gain permanent employment Troy Heffernan, Kathleen Smithers, Nerida Spina and Jess Harris Reflection 7: Creating innovation with limited compensation Jenna Price 9. Unspeakable objects: The chronic residuality of casual academia Mhorag Goff and Simon Bailey Reflection 8: Tension, truth, and toeing the line: Negotiating between casual staff and colleagues Heather Campbell 10. Affordances and dilemmas faced by middle managers in the context of casualisation Lucia Zundans-Fraser and Will Letts 11. Casualisation and the de-professionalisation of Academia: What can be done? John Kenny 12. Unpacking and responding to ethical dilemmas in a precarious landscape Jess Harris, Kathleen Smithers, Jill Blackmore, Sarah K. Gurr and Nerida Spina
Jess Harris is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Nerida Spina is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Kathleen Smithers is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at Charles Sturt University, Australia. Jill Blackmore (AM, PhD ,FASSA) is Deakin Distinguished Professor in Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Australia. Sarah K. Gurr is a lecturer in the School of Education at Charles Sturt University, Australia.
