Dear academic twittersphere - We need to talk about #COVID_19 & its toll on #CasualAcademics. Please, hear me out.

#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter #PhDChat #Casual4Life @AcademicChatter @PhD_Balance

I'm a casual convenor for a Masters course & make $621.1/week before tax. I'm also a PhD candidate with no scholarship. I've been teaching on casual contracts since 2015 & I love my job despite having no sick leave/parental leave/holiday leave/flex days. My story is one of many.

I care about my students & often -willingly- put many more hours in than I get paid for. But for 4 weeks now, the measures - well-meaning & necessary - to deal with the consequences of #COVID_19, have been blind to the many extra & unpaid burdens placed on casuals like me.

Emails have flooded my inbox. It's important to stay up to date but reading everything takes time.

Students need extra support & compassion, but it takes an emotional toll & yes, it also takes time. This is a gendered experience I believe.

Suggestions from permanent staff to use iSpring or Zoom to run lectures neglect the fact that at $770-$970/year or $20.99-$27.99/month respectively, these are not viable options for us & free programs available on Moodle to give virtual lectures require training, hours of it.

Plus we can't expect students to maintain the same schedules when their lives are upside-down. New content is necessary to meet their needs & circumstances, but taking an interactive seminar course & turning it into an online course involves hours of work.

I & my #CasualAcademic colleagues are passionate about our jobs, our students & helping the university & our communities to manage this crisis. We know that this is taking a toll on everyone, but we also need help, your help. Our time needs to be valued & compensated.

Please don't tell us not to work for free b/c it doesn't help & the circumstances right now demand it. But *do* keep us in mind when directing spending, write emails to your schools & faculties; support us, to support you.

Thanks for listening.

Yours - a tired #CasualAcademic