Experience, Identity and Career of Professionals in Long-term, Non-standard Work Arrangements

The thesis focuses on a homogenous, skilled, professional group, namely Teacher of English as a Foreign Language, and looks at the impact of their work arrangement on how they experience their work, understand their professional identity, and plan for a career. A series of nineteen semi-structured interviews were undertaken. This is important as it is not clear from the current literature what happens when changes in the organisation of market relations generate challenges for professionals. In line with the researcher’s interpretive philosophy, these were analysed through Interpretive Thematic Analysis techniques. Using the Creative Analytical Process, the data from the nineteen participants was presented in the form of four composite vignettes which characterised the different way in which individuals perceived their work. The key findings were the incompatibility between non-standard work arrangements and a strong teacher professional identity; the support of the neo-professional thesis of legitimacy through clients and other relationships; and the notion that to thrive in non-standard work arrangements, individuals need to combine a mastery and performance approach which requires inter-occupational growth through recognising training and development ideas demanded by the market. In essence, to thrive in non-standard work arrangements such as the gig economy, one must be able to develop outside of one’s profession so that a weak professional identity coupled with professional fluidity is necessary. The research is particularly pertinent currently when aligned to the ongoing university lecturer strikes and the UK’s governments plans to tackle zero-hour contract work. Some aims of the strikes are to end contract casualisation and job insecurity and to tackle the rising workloads driving their members to breaking point. There are clear parallels between TEFL workers and lecturers at universities and indeed some overlap.