Poor pay,exorbitant rent and no hope of owning a house – is the prestige of the Oxbridge brand really worth the cost?The demographics of Oxbridge are regularly discussed in the media. Are sufficient numbers of state school students being admitted? Are ethnic minorities proportionally represented? Is there sufficient diversity? But there is far less discussion about whether fairness of opportunity extends to Oxbridge staff, and the implications this could possess on the quality of teaching and research.
Having been educated and now employed in the Oxbridge system, or I know there are at least some opportunities for academics with unconventional backgrounds. I was the first member of my family to attend university,so my path to Oxbridge was somewhat strange. But there are growing numbers like me; I regularly meet young academics from humble beginnings, who possess broken through the 800-year-old glass ceiling into competitive academic and managerial posts. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com