Part-time lecturers at private universities in Japan are frustrated about their working conditions — for many, wages are stagnant despite years of service, and some have faced sudden reductions in the number of classes they teach.
However, as most of them work under fixed-term contracts (often one-year renewable contracts), they are hesitant about demanding a raise for fear of dismissal.
In one case, a 57-year-old woman working as a part-time lecturer at a private university in Fukuoka Prefecture was suddenly notified in October 2019 that her classes would be cut to just one per week from the 2020 academic year. The woman recalls being left stunned when she received an email about the decision from an associate professor responsible for assigning her classes.
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