What is Tutors 4 Change? 

Tutors 4 Change is a campaign set up by SOAS GTAs (Graduate Teaching Staff) and TFs (Teaching Fellows), to demand the university improve pay and working conditions. The action they are taking for this campaign, is refusing to mark as they have no legal obligation to do so. They are only doing the work they are contracted and paid to do, demonstrating the weight of the unpaid work they would typically carry out. 

If people took similar action a factory, it would primarily impact the factory owners' profits. Unfortunately, whenever academic staff take similar action against university senior leadership, it instead impacts students the most. So, it’s up to the students who want to support their action and want to demand better from the university to make their dissatisfaction known.  

Why is this happening? 

In summary, GTAs/TFs are demanding changes in the way they are paid, and the ways their work is organised at SOAS. The key issues they outline in the proposal are: 

• Overall pay deal 

• Marking pay and working conditions 

• Office hours for high teaching workload 

• Workload: Class sizes and consecutive classes 

• Working without contracts and underpaying 

• Work limits for GTAs/TFs on student visas 

• Paid mandatory in-person inductions 

What do Tutors 4 Change want to change? 

They have a proposal document which you can find here: GTA/TF Demands - Google Docs 
But in summary, this is what they are demanding: 

1. Increase the multiplier on teaching hours from +1.5 to +2 

2. Significantly increase the time allocated for marking assessments 

3. Expand office hours to general support hours and extend the allocation bands 

4. Cap the number of students per tutorial/class at 15 

5. Cap teachers a right of refusal for over 3 consecutive classes or 4 total classes in a day 

6. Reform the GTA/TF recruitment process to ensure contracts are received before the start of term 

7. Move to a Full-time Equivalent (FTE) contract format for all GTAs/TFs 

8. Implement mandatory paid inductions for GTAs/TFs 

How do I keep updated with what is going on? 

If you use Instagram, you can follow them here: Instagram 

If not, check in with your reps to see if they know more about the campaign- if anything significant develops, the SU will let the reps know as soon as is reasonably possible.  

How can I support as a student? 

There are a number of things you can do: 

1. If you are a third-year undergraduate, complete the NSS before April 30th. The National Student Survey matters a lot to the university, as negative feedback really impacts the institutions reputation and is a very impactful way for you to share what your university experience has been like. If you feel that your teaching was significantly impacted by GTA/TFs poor working conditions (e.g. classes were rushed, staff were overworked and tired, not enough contact hours) reflect that in your NSS response. Make it clear if you can that your negative experiences could have been avoided, if your teaching staff were better supported! 

2. Write an email of complaint. 

3. If you want to complain about the working conditions of GTA/TFs to the people responsible, here is the list suggested by Tutors4Change:

Adam Habib - Director, ah130@soas.ac.uk; 

Joanna Newman - Deputy Director and Provost, jn35@soas.ac.uk;  

John Macey - HR Director, jm127@soas.ac.uk;  

Khadir Meer - Chief Operating Officer, km88@soas.ac.uk;  

Laura Hammond - Pro-Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange, lh4@soas.ac.uk; Graeme Earl - Head of College (Humanities), ge7@soas.ac.uk 

Elisa Van Waeyenberge - Head of College (Development, Economics and Finance), ew23@soas.ac.uk; 

Graeme Were - Head of College (Law, Anthropology and Politics), gw30@soas.ac.uk; 

Philip Ramge - Director of Student and Academic Services & Academic Registrar, pr32@soas.ac.uk 

4. Sign this student-led petition to support here: Student Petition in support of Tutors4Change 

5. If you’re part of an SU society, encourage your committee/ members to share your support online. Tutors4Change have been posting every society who supports their refusal to mark, so if you haven’t already that could be a good way to demonstrate your support 

6. If you are financially able, donate to their GoFundMe here: Fundraiser by SOAS Tutors : SOAS tutors fighting against casualisation 

Which students will this affect? 

Unfortunately, this action will primarily impact undergraduate. It is hard to say how many or which departments in particular, as it is a GTA/TFs individual choice to support the action, and in order to preserve their anonymity we can’t know who will be taking part ahead of time. 

What can I do if this affects my marking? 

If you find you are affected by the action, please book a meeting with the SU advisor Diya here: Get Advice She will talk you through your options and how you can apply for mitigating circumstances, so that this does not have a permeant effect on your academic progress. 

Any other questions or if something isn’t covered here that should be, please email reps@soas.ac.uk