Hiring students
In general I have avoided any subjects in this blog that might reflect internal politics. There are some in all institutions, of course, and as director I get to deal with them regularly. But I think I can reasonably describe some of the procedures that constrain (or inflame) internal issues.
Hiring students in US institutions is, in my experience, about as free from bureaucratic process as is imaginable in our complex society. Finding a likely body is often the hard part. Hiring need be nothing more than a one-on-one interview and a note to the HR office. Start to finish can be a week, or two at most.
The process at Humboldt is longer and more formal, in part because Humboldt has a contract with a union for student workers -- all student workers, except teaching assistants (who are not considered to be students).
To hire a student worker, I had to write a job description that was about as long as one for a librarian in Michigan. Then various committees and offices had to approve the job description before it could be posted, and it had to be posted to two weeks. When applications came in, I had to fill out a form to explain why I did not want to interview some students. I also had to invite members of various organizations to the interview, such as one that tries to ensure that more women are hired. No one from these organizations showed, so I also had to fill out a form that explained that they had been invited but chose not to come.
I was hiring for one two-year 80 hr/wk position, which could be split into two two-year 40 hour/wk positions, but could not be reduced to a 20 hour/week and a 60 hour/week position. I also was not supposed to hire anyone who would be there for only one year, though anti-slavery rules prevent enforcing that.
After I made my decision, various committees had to approve the process, so the students still cannot start work officially, and may not be able to until mid December.
From my perspective, it is hard to tell whose interests this convoluted process protects, except perhaps than the bureaucracy that invented it in the first place.
Hiring students in US institutions is, in my experience, about as free from bureaucratic process as is imaginable in our complex society. Finding a likely body is often the hard part. Hiring need be nothing more than a one-on-one interview and a note to the HR office. Start to finish can be a week, or two at most.
The process at Humboldt is longer and more formal, in part because Humboldt has a contract with a union for student workers -- all student workers, except teaching assistants (who are not considered to be students).
To hire a student worker, I had to write a job description that was about as long as one for a librarian in Michigan. Then various committees and offices had to approve the job description before it could be posted, and it had to be posted to two weeks. When applications came in, I had to fill out a form to explain why I did not want to interview some students. I also had to invite members of various organizations to the interview, such as one that tries to ensure that more women are hired. No one from these organizations showed, so I also had to fill out a form that explained that they had been invited but chose not to come.
I was hiring for one two-year 80 hr/wk position, which could be split into two two-year 40 hour/wk positions, but could not be reduced to a 20 hour/week and a 60 hour/week position. I also was not supposed to hire anyone who would be there for only one year, though anti-slavery rules prevent enforcing that.
After I made my decision, various committees had to approve the process, so the students still cannot start work officially, and may not be able to until mid December.
From my perspective, it is hard to tell whose interests this convoluted process protects, except perhaps than the bureaucracy that invented it in the first place.
posted by Michael Seadle at 11:25 PM
1 Comments:
It still used to be that bad in 2010 .. and I guess it'll stay that way forever.
In fact, I waited much longer until I finally could start work für my professor in the HU Berlin than I had to wait to start working for my first job after having reached the end of my studies - amazing.
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