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The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University
'You don't have to read too many pages of this sizzling personal account of day-to-day life as a university lecturer to appreciate why the author has chosen to remain anonymous...' – Dennis Sherwood, Author, Missing the MarkOddball students, racist colleagues and inept administrators.Rising business influence and crumbling academic freedom.Absurdly wasteful corporate schemes and broken toilets.Low student welfare, an unwillingness to fail anyone and an A+ explosion in cheating... For a decade, students and academics have been painfully aware of the deteriorating state of UK universities. But the public has only been able to glean anecdotal accounts about poor value for money, underwhelming lecturers, falling standards and creaking facilities.Now, after a decade of frozen tuition fees, an anonymous academic presents a no-holds-barred account of life on campus.Unsparing in their remarks, the Secret Lecturer takes you into the seminar room (a repurposed store cupboard, as it happens), the cranky staff meetings, the botched disciplinary meetings and a complicated town vs gown relationship.If you've ever wondered what it's like to study or work at many British universities in the 2020s, The Secret Lecturer will have you rattling through a book faster than a panicked undergraduate on an essay deadline.Whether you are filling in your UCAS form, moving into a university hall of residence, or just want to know what life is like in a modern college, this book has the low-down. The Secret Lecturer does for higher education in the UK what The Secret Barrister did for the law reveal the unedifying, sometimes strange truth about a system we think we all know.
- GenresNonfiction
214 pages, Paperback
Published March 28, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 6, 2024
A year in the life of an anonymous academic.
Goodness. I’m not sure if I loved or loathed this book. And that is not a criticism, but rather is a reflection of the narrative’s absolute strength because the frustration of working in HE is replicated in the reading of The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University.
The author makes the reader think, forcing them to contemplate unpalatable truths, such as the impact of the nefarious financial sources underpinning today’s higher education (HE), and is perhaps as complicit as those he berates and accuses. I say this because The Secret Lecturer is predicated on the premise that no-one stands up to corruption, complacency and duplicity in HE. The evidence for this is presented with complete authenticity and a compelling argument, and yet the author remains anonymous – which feels rather akin to the very practice of refusing to accept responsibility that is so despaired of within the text. And yet, the reasons why the author has remained anonymous are valid and honourable – what’s the point of trying to change things from within the system if identifying yourself means you’ll be thrown out of that very system rendering yourself impotent?
There’s incredible impact in this book because the nonsensical administration, the casual acceptance of corrupt or lazy practice, and the sheer frustration of those doing their best to counteract such things all feel sadly all too familiar. Reading The Secret Lecturer reinforces the feeling that we have lost our integrity in order to retain wealth and our own status and self-importance.
But if this sounds unremittingly negative, then don’t be misled. The Secret Lecturer (both book and author) conveys a dry, ironic and often self-deprecating humour and considerable humanity, particularly through consideration of mental health, sexism and racism. There’s a real feeling that we ordinary folk are all in this together and if we support one another in subverting the ineffective status quo within institutions, not just HE, we can, and will, make a difference. I found the book enraged me, but it made me feel heard. The scenarios depicted are similar to those any of us might encounter. The Secret Lecturer speaks out on our behalf. So, whilst being enraged I was also inspired. As a result of this book I feel galvanised to do something, to speak up and to be proactive.
As an aside, I loved the way the text has an index and references replicating scholarly research that the author so misses in many of his students’ and colleagues’ papers. It also made me wonder if I still hold my ambition to complete a Ph.D, but you’ll need to read the book to see why I might be doubting that concept now!
I found The Secret Lecturer fascinating. It’s pithy, political and revealing. It’s a book that will astonish some and feel all too familiar to others. I still don’t know if I enjoyed reading it, but I’m mightily glad I have. I urge you to read it too. At the very least The Secret Lecturer will entertain you, and in addition it may well surprise you, and it might just change your life!
Goodness. I’m not sure if I loved or loathed this book. And that is not a criticism, but rather is a reflection of the narrative’s absolute strength because the frustration of working in HE is replicated in the reading of The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University.
The author makes the reader think, forcing them to contemplate unpalatable truths, such as the impact of the nefarious financial sources underpinning today’s higher education (HE), and is perhaps as complicit as those he berates and accuses. I say this because The Secret Lecturer is predicated on the premise that no-one stands up to corruption, complacency and duplicity in HE. The evidence for this is presented with complete authenticity and a compelling argument, and yet the author remains anonymous – which feels rather akin to the very practice of refusing to accept responsibility that is so despaired of within the text. And yet, the reasons why the author has remained anonymous are valid and honourable – what’s the point of trying to change things from within the system if identifying yourself means you’ll be thrown out of that very system rendering yourself impotent?
There’s incredible impact in this book because the nonsensical administration, the casual acceptance of corrupt or lazy practice, and the sheer frustration of those doing their best to counteract such things all feel sadly all too familiar. Reading The Secret Lecturer reinforces the feeling that we have lost our integrity in order to retain wealth and our own status and self-importance.
But if this sounds unremittingly negative, then don’t be misled. The Secret Lecturer (both book and author) conveys a dry, ironic and often self-deprecating humour and considerable humanity, particularly through consideration of mental health, sexism and racism. There’s a real feeling that we ordinary folk are all in this together and if we support one another in subverting the ineffective status quo within institutions, not just HE, we can, and will, make a difference. I found the book enraged me, but it made me feel heard. The scenarios depicted are similar to those any of us might encounter. The Secret Lecturer speaks out on our behalf. So, whilst being enraged I was also inspired. As a result of this book I feel galvanised to do something, to speak up and to be proactive.
As an aside, I loved the way the text has an index and references replicating scholarly research that the author so misses in many of his students’ and colleagues’ papers. It also made me wonder if I still hold my ambition to complete a Ph.D, but you’ll need to read the book to see why I might be doubting that concept now!
I found The Secret Lecturer fascinating. It’s pithy, political and revealing. It’s a book that will astonish some and feel all too familiar to others. I still don’t know if I enjoyed reading it, but I’m mightily glad I have. I urge you to read it too. At the very least The Secret Lecturer will entertain you, and in addition it may well surprise you, and it might just change your life!
August 18, 2024
Well, this was an interesting read. I went to Uni several decades ago now, so many of the concerns raised by The Secret Lecturer in this book probably didn't exist. Definitely not ChatGPT for wrriting of my essays. Heck, we barely even had a computer access, so any plagiarism had to be achieved the hard way - pen, paper and a good library ... Not that I condone that kind of behaviour, obviously. But this book has made me wonder just what the Professors, and Lecturer's at my old colleges got up to in between lessons, and what discussions they had about their various students, leaders, and potentially even back then, sponsors when in private.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book in all honesty. Partly frustrated by the seeming descent of education into the world of corporate politics, although why I would be surprised by this fact I do not know. From the moment University education became a paid for luxury, it stood to reason that business interests were soon to follow, and ultimately exceed, the needs of just getting a good education. This is just one of the many issues raised by the author in relation to the University system. When the needs of arms companies, and big pharma, the oil industry, etc, outweigh those of the students, then you know you are in trouble. Add in the impact of austerity, funding cuts and increased 'managerial input' it is never going to end well, is it.
This kind of reads like 'a year in the life of', a diary of sorts over one year in which the author highlights the many frustrations and challenges they have to navigate. By their own admission, they have chosen to highlight the more negative aspects of University life in order to highlight how far from the simple task of educating the leaders of tomorrow higher education has moved. But it kind of felt, at times, like TSD of Adrian Mole, were Adrian Mole to have aged up and written an damning expose of University life.
I don't think you need to be a graduate, or working in the sector, to understand the problems and hypocrisies that the author raises in this book. You only have to look at the headlines in recent years, about how Arts degrees are gradually being dropped and defunded, in favour of tech jobs and IT developments that will, in the long term, make the vast majority of the public redundant, whether university educated or not. When the focus is more on awarding high level degrees just to keep sponsors and fee paying foreign students happy, ti really does start to erode the value of higher education altogether, and I can understand how this would be frustrating for anyone who had spent years in developing knowledge and passion for a subject which is now viewed as unnecessary or a 'noddy' subject.
I hope there is a way back from some of the negatives highlighted in this book. I enjoyed my Uni years, to a degree (no pun intended). Did I benefit to the tune of a vocation off the back of it? Nope. But was it a valuable experience that taught me more than just about the annual rainfall on the American plains in the 1950's. I like to think so. I like to think my grade was earned too, not just handed out without thought to meet some managerial quota. If I were a student reading this today, I'd be a bit disheartened - it's the equivalent of the notion of 'dumbing down' of GCSE's and A' Levels that has undermined the sheer effort and achievement of students all over the country these past few years. But I think there is also a lot to learn from it too, even if it's just not to pay too much heed to conspiracy theories, or at least not to make them the sole focus of your thesis ...
A very interesting, thought provoking, and often quite humorous look into the clearly madcap and maddening world of modern academia.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book in all honesty. Partly frustrated by the seeming descent of education into the world of corporate politics, although why I would be surprised by this fact I do not know. From the moment University education became a paid for luxury, it stood to reason that business interests were soon to follow, and ultimately exceed, the needs of just getting a good education. This is just one of the many issues raised by the author in relation to the University system. When the needs of arms companies, and big pharma, the oil industry, etc, outweigh those of the students, then you know you are in trouble. Add in the impact of austerity, funding cuts and increased 'managerial input' it is never going to end well, is it.
This kind of reads like 'a year in the life of', a diary of sorts over one year in which the author highlights the many frustrations and challenges they have to navigate. By their own admission, they have chosen to highlight the more negative aspects of University life in order to highlight how far from the simple task of educating the leaders of tomorrow higher education has moved. But it kind of felt, at times, like TSD of Adrian Mole, were Adrian Mole to have aged up and written an damning expose of University life.
I don't think you need to be a graduate, or working in the sector, to understand the problems and hypocrisies that the author raises in this book. You only have to look at the headlines in recent years, about how Arts degrees are gradually being dropped and defunded, in favour of tech jobs and IT developments that will, in the long term, make the vast majority of the public redundant, whether university educated or not. When the focus is more on awarding high level degrees just to keep sponsors and fee paying foreign students happy, ti really does start to erode the value of higher education altogether, and I can understand how this would be frustrating for anyone who had spent years in developing knowledge and passion for a subject which is now viewed as unnecessary or a 'noddy' subject.
I hope there is a way back from some of the negatives highlighted in this book. I enjoyed my Uni years, to a degree (no pun intended). Did I benefit to the tune of a vocation off the back of it? Nope. But was it a valuable experience that taught me more than just about the annual rainfall on the American plains in the 1950's. I like to think so. I like to think my grade was earned too, not just handed out without thought to meet some managerial quota. If I were a student reading this today, I'd be a bit disheartened - it's the equivalent of the notion of 'dumbing down' of GCSE's and A' Levels that has undermined the sheer effort and achievement of students all over the country these past few years. But I think there is also a lot to learn from it too, even if it's just not to pay too much heed to conspiracy theories, or at least not to make them the sole focus of your thesis ...
A very interesting, thought provoking, and often quite humorous look into the clearly madcap and maddening world of modern academia.
April 18, 2024
I thought this book would do for UK higher education what the Secret Barrister has done in exposing the parlous state of one of our important institutions through careful, grounded analysis. I was sorely disappointed, there is no comparison. This is a whingeing rant by a lonely, middle aged white man in a job he mostly seems to hate. A collection of anecdotes, sprinkled with items lifted uncritically from media sources, chosen to boost his argument - an argument which is not presented in any kind of academic way but is a badly constructed polemic.
Not to mention (oh, OK, I will) the occasional embellishment which raised doubts, e.g. Nov 19th, plagiarism - a "distant relative" sounds very much like Ed Reardon. Nov 20th, mature students: I agree, wonderful to teach but a very rare species in this century.
The picture of the life of an academic is ridiculously exaggerated to appear thoroughly miserable. And there is no mention of what teaching, research and administration *really* involve on a day-to-day basis which would be valuable for non-academic readers, to set the polemic in context.
But the sentence that irritated me most was this "Management is the one thing I have tried assiduously to avoid in my academic career..." I suspect that in fact management has, happily, avoided him as he would appear to be remarkably unsuited for it. He seems to have no conception of organisational citizenship. The email requests from his HoD for people to step up into admin roles are treated with derision and he revels in the "success" of colleagues in preventing the promotion of an unpopular colleague. (He thinks posts should be filled by election: look at the MPs we end up with...)
The best managers I have experienced in HE have been academics who genuinely wanted to take on the role to develop it and make sensible changes, based on their own experience in HE. Not those wanting to tick a box for career advancement or to improve their pension, but people with a vision of how students and colleagues could be better served. And service is the missing element in this story. There are many academics who have not given up on wanting to make things better and are trying to do so through doing their jobs as well as they can and participating in arenas where they see that change could be pursued. Sadly, they don't feature in this miserable little book.
"My idealistic aim is that someone, somewhere might read this book and be cheesed off enough to clear up the mess." Better to get off your backside and have a go at doing some of that yourself, mate.
Not to mention (oh, OK, I will) the occasional embellishment which raised doubts, e.g. Nov 19th, plagiarism - a "distant relative" sounds very much like Ed Reardon. Nov 20th, mature students: I agree, wonderful to teach but a very rare species in this century.
The picture of the life of an academic is ridiculously exaggerated to appear thoroughly miserable. And there is no mention of what teaching, research and administration *really* involve on a day-to-day basis which would be valuable for non-academic readers, to set the polemic in context.
But the sentence that irritated me most was this "Management is the one thing I have tried assiduously to avoid in my academic career..." I suspect that in fact management has, happily, avoided him as he would appear to be remarkably unsuited for it. He seems to have no conception of organisational citizenship. The email requests from his HoD for people to step up into admin roles are treated with derision and he revels in the "success" of colleagues in preventing the promotion of an unpopular colleague. (He thinks posts should be filled by election: look at the MPs we end up with...)
The best managers I have experienced in HE have been academics who genuinely wanted to take on the role to develop it and make sensible changes, based on their own experience in HE. Not those wanting to tick a box for career advancement or to improve their pension, but people with a vision of how students and colleagues could be better served. And service is the missing element in this story. There are many academics who have not given up on wanting to make things better and are trying to do so through doing their jobs as well as they can and participating in arenas where they see that change could be pursued. Sadly, they don't feature in this miserable little book.
"My idealistic aim is that someone, somewhere might read this book and be cheesed off enough to clear up the mess." Better to get off your backside and have a go at doing some of that yourself, mate.
July 4, 2024
For anyone who does not regularly exist within the higher education ecology, this is an eye-opening and (I'm sure) gripping read. For me, this book was difficult, not only because it necessarily leans into a pessimistic vision of the state of higher education, but also because I very much related to many of the aspects of the book.
Maybe I should not have read this book just now, at a time where I am about to embark on the final bits of my PhD study. While I have seen many of the things outlined in this book myself, especially around the student-consumer culture prevalent at UK universities, there were still bits that shocked me. I knew that 'the academe' is not the wisest of employment paths, however many of the things outlined here would not exist in a 'normal' work environment (albeit exceptions of course). Do I want this for myself? Probably not. Have I worked hard and long to make it this far? Yes. So where do I go from here then?
Maybe I should not have read this book just now, at a time where I am about to embark on the final bits of my PhD study. While I have seen many of the things outlined in this book myself, especially around the student-consumer culture prevalent at UK universities, there were still bits that shocked me. I knew that 'the academe' is not the wisest of employment paths, however many of the things outlined here would not exist in a 'normal' work environment (albeit exceptions of course). Do I want this for myself? Probably not. Have I worked hard and long to make it this far? Yes. So where do I go from here then?
August 5, 2024
The author is preaching to the choir - I taught in higher education (HE) for nearly 20 years. He appears to be a media steady adjunct professor hired as a "lecturer" - which indicates that he has an annual salary and health insurance. The "lecturer" designation sets this position off from adjunct status - although reading the author's account of HE, it seems like he's treated with as much respect reserved for adjuncts - meaning - "superfluous" and "expendable"...
The book is not as salacious as it is advertised - I would not label it an "expose". It does have some humorous analysis of the anecdotes; the author displays a smart, wry sense of humor. It is an enjoyable read, it is well-written, but is redundant in some sections. The author cites a host of excellent books that are highly critical of HE...following some of those critical tentacles will prove beneficial for readers interested in the theme of The Secret Lecturer.
Overall, I recommend the book for educators - it's a fun read - but with the caveat that it does not have the critical impact or punch of other books on the same topic - the decline of HE - e.g., see my review of Fleming's Dark Academia...but the type of sustained polemic critique readers encounter in Fleming, Nussbaum, and Slouka, is not in line with the book's ultimate purpose.
Dr. James M. Magrini
Former: Philosophy/College of Dupage
For a c critical take on HE, see my : "Beyond Profit: The Value of the Humanities"
https://www.academia.edu/111363093/Be...
The book is not as salacious as it is advertised - I would not label it an "expose". It does have some humorous analysis of the anecdotes; the author displays a smart, wry sense of humor. It is an enjoyable read, it is well-written, but is redundant in some sections. The author cites a host of excellent books that are highly critical of HE...following some of those critical tentacles will prove beneficial for readers interested in the theme of The Secret Lecturer.
Overall, I recommend the book for educators - it's a fun read - but with the caveat that it does not have the critical impact or punch of other books on the same topic - the decline of HE - e.g., see my review of Fleming's Dark Academia...but the type of sustained polemic critique readers encounter in Fleming, Nussbaum, and Slouka, is not in line with the book's ultimate purpose.
Dr. James M. Magrini
Former: Philosophy/College of Dupage
For a c critical take on HE, see my : "Beyond Profit: The Value of the Humanities"
https://www.academia.edu/111363093/Be...
April 24, 2024
Interesting and often funny look inside the heart of academia.
Sure to ruffle a few feathers, not sure it's made me want to encourage kids into higher education but I enjoyed reading this it is joyfully ironic.
Sure to ruffle a few feathers, not sure it's made me want to encourage kids into higher education but I enjoyed reading this it is joyfully ironic.
May 11, 2024
Great eye opener
Universities have clearly changed a lot .Very witty insight into the challenges of working in modern academia, Highly recommended. I really enjoyed this book which is very well written in a unique style
Universities have clearly changed a lot .Very witty insight into the challenges of working in modern academia, Highly recommended. I really enjoyed this book which is very well written in a unique style
September 2, 2024
Throughly enjoyed this. Albeit often bleak, I thought it was funny and insightful, and genuinely interesting. I’m a big fan of the anonymous personality behind this and I’d definitely read any follow-ups
January 12, 2025
Lacking a little in substance but sadly a truthful account of experiences in academia
May 5, 2025
Pretty good book!
It was interesting and informative, but I do think it dragged towards the end.
Still, I enjoyed reading it :)
It was interesting and informative, but I do think it dragged towards the end.
Still, I enjoyed reading it :)
May 29, 2025
Entertaining and true in many ways!
June 27, 2025
I always tell people at work, “if you don’t like it, you can just quit.”
September 3, 2025
I liked it at first. Then it started to drag, which for such a short book, I didn't like.
December 2, 2024
Misery, doom and gloom. Yes, things have gotten a lot worse in HE thanks to managerialism and the incessant cuts to funding. Yes, students have been cast as “consumers” and then ritually abused for behaving like consumers. Yes, Arts and Humanities have been scapegoated as being “low value” degrees since they don’t set their graduates on track to massive incomes. We know all this. I hoped for a little humour, or possibly some novel insight, to leaven this relentless barrage of golden ageism, but instead it was the usual stereotypes of clueless management, dumbing down of standards and mercenary chasing of money. And, of course, the obligatory bashing of non-academic staff, without which no text written by an academic would be considered authentic. The only creative elements in this book were the made up dates (30 Feb, 31 June, etc) but it was at least comforting to consider that we’ve still got it pretty good in academia, if this is the worst we’ve got to whine about.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews