I don’t disbelieve your post, I’m sure you’re speaking from experience, but this is a YMMV kind of deal.
1) I did have a contract listing hours, and the vacation policy was the academic calendar: a week in the fall, 5 weeks in the winter, a week in the spring, 3 months in the summer.
2) I didn’t experience any work whatsoever during Christmas
3) Didn’t have a pension plan, but the University did offer reasonable health benefits, and the ACA covered the rest of my family at a low premium.
4) I definitely got paid regularly through the University payroll system.
5) I was given summer contracts to continue doing paid research over the summer. This was a choice, I could have taken internships or a vacation.
6) This is more of an issue with US visas, not really something academics can control
7) I was definitely well supported by my lab, peers, and advisors when I pursued my own research goals. They were very eager to see my results.
I wouldn’t say that your bullet points really represent my institution, so “across the board” usually has a boundary at a specific department or school. I wouldn’t generalize your or my experience to all schools, as they can vary substantially.
Yeah, I fully believe OPs experience as I have heard horror stories but similarly my experience with an engineering PhD was that we were treated well. We had contracts, semi-reasonable pay, vacation, healthcare etc.
1) I did have a contract listing hours, and the vacation policy was the academic calendar: a week in the fall, 5 weeks in the winter, a week in the spring, 3 months in the summer.
2) I didn’t experience any work whatsoever during Christmas
3) Didn’t have a pension plan, but the University did offer reasonable health benefits, and the ACA covered the rest of my family at a low premium.
4) I definitely got paid regularly through the University payroll system.
5) I was given summer contracts to continue doing paid research over the summer. This was a choice, I could have taken internships or a vacation.
6) This is more of an issue with US visas, not really something academics can control
7) I was definitely well supported by my lab, peers, and advisors when I pursued my own research goals. They were very eager to see my results.
I wouldn’t say that your bullet points really represent my institution, so “across the board” usually has a boundary at a specific department or school. I wouldn’t generalize your or my experience to all schools, as they can vary substantially.