Working Offshore

Working Offshore

Guide for Australian University Staff Working Overseas National Tertiary Education Union

Working Offshore, A Guide for Australian University Staff Working Overseas Š2004 Second edition. First printed 1996 by the National Tertiary Education Union.

Written and Produced by the NTEU National Office, Policy & Research Unit.

Design by Paul Clifton. All photographs by Paul Kniest (except p.3 Richard Clifton).

For additional copies of this booklet contact your local NTEU Branch Office or email the NTEU National Office: nteunat@nteu.org.au. PDF download available online: www.nteu.org.au/publications/other/overseas Also available online is Excess Baggage, the research report which provided the background for this guide.

Working Offshore Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2 Who is this Guide for? ................................................................................................................ 4 Your Involvement in Offshore Work..................................................................................... 5 Legal Issues ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Employment Rights and Conditions...................................................................................10 Preparation....................................................................................................................................11 Travel and Accommodation...................................................................................................13 Workloads and Workload Compensation.........................................................................15 Adequacy of Facilities and Support ....................................................................................17 Occupational Health and Safety ...........................................................................................18 Quality and Professional Issues .............................................................................................19 Work and Family Issues........................................................................................................... 22

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Introduction One of the major changes in Australia’s Higher Education sector over the last two decades has been a rapid expansion in the number of international students studying at Australian universities both in Australia and offshore. In the mid 1980’s there were approximately 13,000 international students studying at Australian universities. By 2002 this number had increased to more than 150,000, of whom about 45,000 were enrolled in over 1,500 offshore courses.1 As a consequence, an increasing number of Australian based staff are becoming involved in the delivery of these offshore programs. This guide aims to address the more common professional, industrial and personal issues that staff may confront.

Offshore teaching offers more opportunities, professionally and in other ways, to staff of tertiary institutions. It can provide a broader experience and a new and challenging context for teaching, research, consultancy and other professional activities. It also offers variety and enables staff to establish links with colleagues overseas that can enrich their outlooks and their approach to their work.

For the experience to be as fruitful and rewarding as it might be, those embarking on an overseas assignment must be appropriately prepared. Employers clearly have a responsibility to advise, inform and prepare their staff fully before despatching them on an overseas tour of duty, whether it be of long or short duration. Unfortunately, though, this information and preparation is sometimes inadequate, and as a consequence problems can arise for members while abroad.

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This booklet provides advice to members of an industrial, professional and practical nature including, travel and accommodation arrangements, workload issues, intellectual property rights and information relevant to the contracts or other formal agreements covering overseas work. It is based on extensive research conducted in 2003, including case studies at 12 universities involving interviews with more than 100 staff involved in offshore programs. In addition, we have been called upon to give advice and help to members travelling offshore and gained valuable information from those returning from overseas postings.

This is the second edition of this booklet; it replaces and updates Foreign Knowledge, published in 1996. It reflects changes in the nature and scope of offshore work undertaken

by Australian staff, especially in regard to programs offered by Australian universities overseas. I hope this guide will be useful for all members.

Carolyn Allport, NTEU National President

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Who is this Guide for?

The nature of the advice provided in this guide is of a general nature. This is because both the type of work being undertaken offshore and the number of staff involved, have expanded enormously over the last decade and therefore it is impossible to provide advice that will cover every possible contingency. We hope that the advice will be of use to staff who have never worked offshore and are considering whether they should participate, staff who are currently engaged in offshore work, as well as those staff who may have participated in the past and are considering another stint.

The most common form of offshore work undertaken by Australian staff is in servicing offshore courses or programs offered by their institutions. This will normally involve short-term visits (anything from two to three days and up to two weeks) where responsibilities involve anything from preparation of courses, taking classes (normally in intensive mode), moderating student results, quality assurance, and promotion and marketing. These are often described as ‘fly in–fly out’ arrangements.

Short term fly in–fly out visits are normally done concurrently with other onshore duties.

In the majority of cases staff undertake this work in addition to, or above, their normal workload. In some instances it may be included as part of normal load.

Other staff might be offered longer term appointments which require them to work full-time at an overseas destination, whether that be at an offshore campus of an Australian university, a commercial subsidiary of the university, a joint venture between the university and an overseas partner or with an overseas organisation.

Where such staff continue to be substantive employees of an Australian university, this type of work would be classified as being either a secondment or a consultancy.

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Your Involvement in Offshore Work Are you required to participate in offshore work?

Unless you are employed in the marketing and/or international student units, where the necessity to travel overseas is clearly defined as part of your required duties, offshore work would not normally be considered to be part of your normal or standard workload. Therefore, offshore work is considered voluntary unless you have a contract of employment that specifically requires you to undertake offshore work as part of your normal duties.

What does ‘voluntary’ really mean?

Universities generally treat offshore work as ‘voluntary’ – but what does this really mean?

Universities have been known to engage in ‘gentle arm twisting’ to encourage staff to fully appreciate the opportunities being offered to them by offshore work. Therefore you may feel under some pressure to agree to participate.

You must keep in mind that being voluntary means exactly that, and you have the right to say no. If you feel you are being discriminated against because of your decision not to participate you should immediately contact your local branch of the NTEU, who will provide you with the appropriate level of support and advice on your employment rights and conditions.

What happens where you have signed a contract that specifies participation in offshore programs?

If you have signed a contract that places an expectation on you to participate in the delivery of offshore courses, you have an obligation to do so. Keep in mind however, that you have a right to negotiate how and when you participate in such work.

The reality is that your institution is not likely to ‘insist’ on your participation, especially where such work conflicts with other activities. Universities realise that sending unhappy staff to deliver courses offshore has negative impacts on the marketing of such courses and will generally try to arrange offshore activities to accommodate individual circumstances.

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Legal Issues g

CHECKLIST

Before signing an individual contract of employment you should be clear about the following points: g

The legal status of the institution’s offshore programs.

g

What visa or other immigration clearance you need before being able to work offshore.

If you require an individual contract of employment, ensure that you are clear about: g

its legal jurisdiction, including workers compensation coverage.

g

who your employer is.

g

what your employment status is.

g

who is responsible for your day-to-day supervision whilst offshore.

g

what agreements, awards or contracts your working conditions are governed by.

g

how much, in what currency, how and when you are to be paid.

g

what type of insurance is included and who is responsible for it.

What is the legal status of your institution’s offshore programs?

With rare exceptions, Australian universities’ offshore programs are offered in partnership with an overseas partner. This is often a legal requirement of the host country. Overseas partners vary from universities to government agencies to private sector education providers or brokers.

The status of the overseas partner is very important in determining the level of support that staff and students receive and also the nature of and commitment to quality assurance procedures.

It may be in your professional interests to make some enquiries about who the offshore partner is to satisfy yourself that they are in a position to provide adequate student and staff support and that they have a good reputation as an education provider.

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Will you need a visa or some other immigration clearance before you can work offshore?

The answer to this question is, almost certainly, yes.

The nature of documentation you require will probably be dictated by the type of offshore work you are engaged in. The requirements may vary between short-term fly in–fly out work compared to longer-term secondments, where you are required to live in a country. The different types of engagement may also have implications for taxation liability.

It is the responsibility of your employer to arrange and meet any costs associated with completing the necessary applications and documentation for offshore work.

A number of our members have expressed concern that they may not have had the appropriate level of immigration clearance (holiday instead of working visa) when engaged in offshore work. This is clearly unacceptable, and you should ensure that you have the appropriate level of clearance. If you are unsure, it may be in your interest to check with the appropriate authorities such as the Australian embassy or consulate of the country involved.

Do you need an individual contract of employment to cover offshore work?

Our case studies reveal that most offshore work undertaken by Australian based staff is not included in their normal or standard workload. That is, most offshore work is done above normal workload. Under these circumstances, you should have an individual contract of employment to cover your offshore work.

You may wish to have your contract checked by the Union.

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What jurisdiction is your contract covered by?

Being clear about the legal jurisdiction of your contract is important for a number of reasons, including workers compensation coverage and any legal remedies you might be entitled to in case of contractual disputes.

In a paper presented to the 2004 AHEIA Conference, Professor Ron McCallum3 makes the point that to avoid any ambiguities, the contract should clearly specify which countries’ laws apply and therefore which jurisdiction the contract is covered by.

What should your contract cover?

Employer and Employment Status When working overseas you need to know exactly who is employing you and what your employment status is. For example, are you an employee or an independent consultant or contractor? You should also be clear on who will be responsible for your day-to-day activities while working offshore. This may not always be drawn to your attention.

The identity of your employer and your employment contract may have important implications if industrial or contractual difficulties arise. They are also likely to impact on jurisdictional matters raised above. If these matters are unclear, you should insist on clarification before signing the contract.

Many Australian universities use commercial subsidiaries to operate their offshore activities and as mentioned earlier, almost all offshore activities involve an overseas partner. Therefore, while staff employed by your university may have approached you, your actual employer and/or supervisor may be a commercial subsidiary of your university, a foreign institution, a joint venture partnership between your university and an overseas partner, or another domestic or international agency.

General Working Conditions It is also important that you have a clear understanding of what laws, awards or agreements govern your general working conditions while working offshore. This is even more important if your employer is an offshore organisation.

Any ambiguity as to what governs your working conditions should be avoided and you should insist that they are clearly specified in the contract of employment. A good starting point might be to insist on importing the key working conditions covered by your enterprise agreement into any contracts.

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Payment Your contract should not only make it very clear how much you will be paid for working offshore, it should also clearly specify: what currency it is to be paid in, who is responsible for paying it, how and when you will get paid, and what taxation requirements apply.

Insurance Your contract should also clearly specify types of insurance coverage you expect and who is responsible for paying for it. You should be covered for health and medical expenses, including the cost of an emergency evacuation if necessary, travel insurance and insurance against theft or loss of your personal property. Your employer should be responsible for meeting these costs, but this should be specified in your contract to avoid any confusion.

Your contract might also specify what happens in the case of your insurance coverage being voided due to circumstances beyond your control. It is our understanding that some insurance polices might be voided if the country to which you are travelling is subject to a travel warning issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. You should check with your employer as to what your insurance coverage is under these circumstances.

What is the status of your Enterprise Bargaining Agreement in relation to offshore work?

If you are undertaking offshore work as part of your normal workload, then you will be covered by your Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA). While some EBAs have clauses that cover offshore work, they may not be comprehensive. Part of the reason for undertaking research into the involvement of Australian staff in offshore programs and the reason for providing this guide is to overcome this deficiency. The regulation of offshore work, especially if undertaken in addition to normal workload, is therefore more likely to be covered by University policy and procedures, if any such regulations exist.

This does not mean that the NTEU cannot support and represent you in cases where difficulties arise and members should approach their local branch if and when this occurs.

The regulation of offshore work will be high priority in the next round of enterprise bargaining.

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Employment Rights and Conditions There are number of important industrial issues that staff may confront when participating in offshore work. g

CHECKLIST

You should give consideration to the following questions:

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g

Have you been given adequate notice?

g

What, if any, professional development and training does your university offer?

g

How much do you know about the place you are about to visit and where can you get information?

g

Have you checked whether any travel advice warnings have been issued for your destination?

g

What, if any, cultural or pedagogical issues may arise while working offshore?

g

Will your institution arrange and meet the costs of all travel and accommodation associated with your visit, including visa and other immigration clearance, airfares, accommodation, incidental expenses, and travel and health insurance?

g

Do you have the choice of including this as part of your normal workload or above load and being paid separately?

g

Have you thought of how much work will really be involved?

g

Are you being compensated fairly for the work involved?

g

Does the overseas location provide adequate teaching facilities and academic and administrative support for both yourself and your students?

g

What are the occupational health and safety standards in the destination country?

g

Will you have sufficient time to rest after long journeys?

g

Does your university provide any assistance to cover costs associated with carer responsibilities whilst you are offshore?

Preparation How much notice will you be given before having to travel offshore?

While rare, we are aware of some examples of staff having been given as little as one week’s notice of a need to travel offshore. It must be acknowledged that these cases resulted from a need to reschedule offshore classes due to the SARS scare. However, we are also aware of an increasing trend by universities to offer flexible starting times for offshore programs in order to give their courses a market advantage over competitors.

This may result in shorter lead times than have traditionally been the case.

You are entitled to reasonable notice before being expected to travel offshore to allow you sufficient time to make appropriate professional and personal arrangements.

What professional development / training can you expect from your university?

Your institution should provide you with appropriate training, professional development and support before travelling offshore. It may be up to you to make appropriate enquiries to determine whether your institution offers any such services, as staff are often not aware of them, even in cases where universities offer this service.

Another valuable source of information you might like to make use of is other staff in your institution that have visited the location you are required to travel to. If you are new to offshore work, it maybe worthwhile speaking to other staff with relevant experience.

We would also encourage experienced staff to share their knowledge with colleagues so as to ensure they maximise the benefits from offshore work and avoid any pitfalls.

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What else should you do to prepare for offshore work?

It is vital that you find out as much as possible about the place(s) you will be visiting. Be aware that having visited the destination in question on holiday is no real preparation for actually working there, even if this only involves a short-term visit.

It is your institution’s responsibility to provide you with information about your destination(s) including details about the basics such as travel, accommodation, health, climate, cultural and social issues. You should also be briefed about the nature of the program(s) and any offshore partners involved in the courses with which you will be involved.

Practically-oriented travel guides, such the Lonely Planet and the Culture Shock! series of books deal informatively with various countries offering useful advice and practical information.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website also provides advice for people travelling overseas: www.dfat.gov.au/travel

How do you deal with cultural issues associated with the country of destination?

You may have extensive experience teaching international students in Australia. Whether you have or not, issues come up in the overseas context which give rise to unexpected problems. These are caused by difficulties in cross-cultural communication, and by variations in expectations and standards. They can be particularly intractable in matters concerning assessment and satisfactory progress requirements, but exist also in the areas of curriculum and teaching practice.

If you experience difficulties of the kind described here, you should seek advice and guidance from your institution, and/or local NTEU branch.

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Travel and Accommodation Who is responsible for making and paying for your travel and accommodation arrangements?

Travel and accommodation costs must be fully covered by the employer, and arrangements made on behalf of and in consultation with staff, rather than being the responsibility of staff members themselves. In the case of a posting of more than a few months duration, you should make enquiries as to whether the cost of your partner’s and children’s travel and accommodation will be covered by your employer. Travel and health insurance should be provided by your employer (see below).

What standard of travel and accommodation are you entitled to?

All universities have policies regarding offshore travel, some of which state that if you are required to travel for more than a certain number of hours then you are entitled to travel Business Class. You should check your own institution’s policies in regard to offshore travel for staff and ensure they are applied consistently.

The type of accommodation you will be provided with will largely depend upon the length of stay. For short-term fly in fly out trips, you will normally be accommodated in a hotel. Our case studies generally found there were few problems with the standard of accommodation provided.

Some staff expressed concern that the arrangements left them with no flexibility and if they chose to stay with family or friends, they could not claim accommodation expenses.

You should be offered a choice.

Sometimes hotel accommodation is provided on a ‘room-only’ basis, and you should ensure that you are provided with sufficient incidental expenses to cover the costs of meals, laundry charges, phone calls and so on.

If you are engaged on longer-term secondments or consultancies on the other hand, you are most likely to be using rented accommodation. Staff should ensure they obtain relevant information in relation to the standard of accommodation, costs, security, local regulations and utilities. You should reach clear, informed, written agreement with your employer on who is responsible for meeting these costs.

The location of accommodation provided is another important issue. How far is your flat or house from the workplace? From town? From public transport, shops, schools?

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How will your incidental expenses be covered?

Traditionally, staff travelling offshore are provided with per diems to meet incidental expenses associated with offshore travel. Increasingly however, universities are moving to a system of reimbursement for actual costs.

You need to understand that where your employer provides you with a cash advance (or university credit card) to meet incidental expenses you will be expected to account for how this money is spent and you will need to furnish receipts.

Who is responsible for your travel and health insurance?

Your employer is responsible for meeting these costs and you should ensure the coverage allows for emergency evacuation if necessary. We would also advise that you check that insurance provides you with coverage to allow you to return to Australia in the case of home-based emergencies.

You should also ensure that the insurance coverage baggage and lost or stolen personal items such as aware of cases where staff travelling offshore have only to find out when they return home that the university did not cover this.

provided includes lost or damaged passports or credit cards. We are had their credit card details stolen travel insurance provided by the

What happens if a travel advice warning is issued for the country you are travelling to?

From time to time the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) issues travel warnings or advice for particular destinations at www.dfat.gov.au/travel. The advice might be against all travel to a certain country or advice against non-essential travel to that destination. The advice not to travel might be related to health scares (such as SARS in 2002), terrorist threats, or unacceptable danger to persons and/or property.

We strongly advise that you regularly check for travel advice warnings posted by DFAT. You should also clarify with your institution what happens in cases where DFAT issues travel advice against travelling to your destination, and whether your travel insurance is valid when travelling to a destination for which a travel advisory has been issued.

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Workloads & Workload Compensation How will your offshore work be classified?

In terms of short-term fly in–fly out visits your offshore work can either be included as part of workload or, and as is by far the most common arrangement, it would be additional to your normal workload and be paid for separately. Unless your contract of employment specifically states that you are required to work offshore as part of your normal duties, you should have the choice as to how offshore work is classified and remunerated.

Before choosing to include offshore work as part of your workload, you must be satisfied that the workload model being used adequately compensates you for the actual amount of work involved.

How much work is involved in offshore programs?

The amount of work involved in any offshore program for Australian based staff will largely be determined by the delivery mode involved. In some cases you may simply be required to supervise overseas-appointed staff and moderate student results.

In other cases, such as a course coordinator for example, you might be required to travel at the beginning of the course and give one or two introductory classes while in other cases you may be required to give a full semesters worth of lectures, normally in intensive mode.

Staff interviewed in our case studies agreed that they tended to under estimate both the quantity and complexity of work involved. Issues such as co-ordinating overseas

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appointed staff was more time consuming than generally anticipated.

You may also be required to internationalise your curricula and course materials which can also be very time consuming and often overlooked when negotiating offshore work loads.

Therefore, before you agree to participate in offshore work you should give a great deal of thought to how much work will really be involved and whether the compensation (either as workload or in payment) is adequate.

How much should you get paid if offshore work is not included in your normal workload?

Based on the evidence we received as part of our cases studies, the payment staff received for participating in offshore activities varies enormously both between and within institutions. The nature of the payments also varied from staff being paid for the actual hours of work done through casual rates or via an all up, one price, payment.

The amount of payment staff received in one university was at least partially determined by the ‘profitability’ of the program which staff were teaching. This can be highly unpredictable and under no circumstances should staff be expected to bear any of the financial risk associated with these programs.

It is important that the payment you receive reflects the actual amount of work you will be required to do. You should be aware that there can be significant differences in the payment you receive under a fixed price contract compared to what you might be entitled to be paid using hourly casual rates.

Be sure that whatever payments you agree to are sufficient to cover the actual amount of work involved and the rates of pay are consistent with the salary scales included in your EBA.

Will your entitlements accrue while working offshore?

There have been problems over the accrual of leave and other entitlements for people working offshore. Access to continued superannuation is a related issue. Generally, where your offshore teaching is incorporated in your normal workload, all entitlements should continue to accrue. If however, you are employed on a separate contract in addition to your normal workload you should check your EBA or university policy to see whether entitlements accrue at the higher rate.

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Adequacy of Facilities and Support What can you expect in terms of offshore facilities & support?

Physical facilities, equipment, library services and technical and administrative support can sometimes be inferior overseas compared to those available to you at home. Some offshore programs are held in rented office space and not dedicated educational facilities.

Lack of access to specialised teaching spaces such as science or computer labs have caused major problems for some staff, and required them to substantially modify the way they deliver their subjects.

Other staff have observed problems in gaining access to appropriate administrative support or access to computers to allow them to prepare materials or access email.

A number of staff have also been forced to travel with boxes full of photocopied reading material for students due to a lack of adequate resources for students. Students in some countries may also have difficulties accessing texts or other library resources due to censorship or other laws.

Before travelling offshore you should make the appropriate enquiries to ensure you are satisfied with the level of support and services for both yourself and your students.

A number of universities offer offshore classes via video conferencing, where staff are based at their home campus. Staff who had been involved in such arrangements expressed a great deal of frustration because of the high propensity for technical failures. You should ensure that support staff are available to deal with any technical difficulties that may arise, especially where classes are being conducted outside normal working hours.

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Occupational Health and Safety What are the Occupational Health and Safety standards in the destination country?

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards in overseas countries may be of a lower standard than those in Australia, or not exist at all. You should ensure that any OHS standards that apply at the offshore destination are commensurate with those that apply in Australia.

Are you entitled to rest periods between travel and working offshore and when returning home?

Most people suffer from jet lag when travelling overseas as a result of changes in time zones and/or climate. Many staff also find it difficult to incorporate adequate breaks either after arriving in the destination and before starting work or after arriving back home and resuming onshore duties. It is up to both you and your university to ensure that adequate rest breaks are incorporated into offshore work arrangements. Practices adopted in the airlines industry might provide a useful guide.

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Quality and Professional Issues Offshore work can impact on your professional life, integrity and reputation. g

CHECKLIST

You might like to give some thought to: g

The curriculum of offshore courses.

g

The mode of delivery.

g

Student assessment.

g

Quality assurance procedures.

g

Processes available to you to express your concerns.

g

How your materials might be used in offshore programs.

g

How your offshore programs might impact upon your onshore students, your research and your work colleagues.

Are you entitled to be consulted in relation to the negotiation of offshore programs?

Many staff interviewed expressed a high degree of frustration about various aspects of offshore programs. This included curriculum, mode of delivery, nature of student assessment, use of materials, quality of students’ work, inadequacy of quality assurance mechanisms in terms of student results, and appointment of overseas staff. It is interesting to note that an Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) review of audits undertaken in 2002 and 20032 expressed concerns about the quality assurance mechanisms in relation to offshore programs offered by the institutions they had audited.

If you are the person responsible for the delivery of offshore programs, you have the professional competency to make judgments about issues like the adequacy of resources, appropriateness of delivery mode and quality assurance procedures in relation to student assessment. If you are unhappy or unsure about any of these aspects and consider they might impact on your personal reputation or integrity we suggest you give serious consideration to your participation.

The unfortunate reality is that once the university has come to an agreement with an offshore partner about the nature of the course and how it is to be delivered and assessed, there is little individual staff can do to alter this situation since they will be subject to contractual obligations.

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What can you do if you are not happy with the quality assurance mechanisms?

Our interviews with staff directly involved in the delivery of offshore programs and administrative staff in charge of these programs indicate that none of the universities included in our case studies had formal mechanisms in place to deal with staff concerns about the quality assurance aspects of offshore courses.

Where you have concerns about such issues and are not happy with how they are dealt with through normal consultative procedures, we suggest you contact your local branch of the NTEU for advice on how best to deal with your concerns.

What happens when you have difficulties with overseasappointed staff?

Most offshore programs offered by Australian universities not only use Australian based staff, but also rely to a greater or lesser extent on overseas-appointed staff in the delivery of courses. The overseas partner will normally appoint local staff. While most agreements regulating offshore courses give the Australian university some say over the appointment of overseas staff, the appointment process is often left too late for this to have any real effect. In one or two examples where Australian coordinators expressed concern about the performance of overseas staff, those people have not been appointed in subsequent courses.

What rights does the university have to re-use your material in offshore programs? (Intellectual Property Rights) The question of individual staff is intellectual property rights over materials they have produced for courses is a complex one. The issue is further complicated where the university wishes to re-use materials you have produced for onshore courses in their offshore programs.

There are two distinct questions in relation to intellectual property rights – one being your entitlement to monetary or economic reward for the re-use of your materials and the other being your moral rights as to how your material is to be used, including the right of attribution.

The issue of economic rights over the use of your course materials is a vexed one, especially where the university claims ownership rights over materials developed within your university employment. The position is even more complicated where the university

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is using these materials for commercial gain, such as in offshore courses. You should check your EBA or university policy to clarify your institution’s policy in relation to your intellectual property rights.

There is however, no doubt that as an author you have legislated moral rights over how materials prepared by you are used. Therefore if you are unhappy about the way in which your materials are being used or where they have been modified without your consent, you should raise this with the university and insist that your moral rights are upheld.

What impact will your offshore activities have on onshore duties, students, research and colleagues?

You should give some thought as to how your offshore activities might impact on other aspects of your professional life.

You may find that your research activities are interrupted and compromised as result of offshore visits. You might also want to consider that while you are offshore, other staff within your unit, department or school will often need to cover your workload. This may mean dealing with student enquiries or taking classes. There is very little evidence from our case studies that academic schools or other units have employed additional full time administrative or academic staff to cope with the additional workloads associated with involvement in offshore activities. Where workload issues are recognised, they are normally covered by the employment of additional casual staff.

Finally, our discussions with student representatives indicated that they were concerned about the impact staff being offshore had on onshore students.

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Work and Family Issues Our discussions with staff with long-term experience working offshore reveals that the initial ‘fun’ factor and enthusiasm eventually wears off. One of the reasons for this is that offshore work can be particularly intrusive on your ability to balance family and work issues.

Before agreeing to accept an offshore working engagement, staff might want to consider the following issues. g

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CHECKLIST g

How often you will be required to travel offshore?

g

How long will you be required to be overseas?

g

When will you be required to travel?

g

What impact will your absence have on your carer responsibilities?

g

What costs might you incur to meet your carer obligations?

g

Are there any health threats associated with the overseas destination?

g

Are you covered by appropriate medical insurance, and does your employer pay this for?

g

Are there any other potential threats to your personal safety?

How often will offshore travel be required?

In the vast majority of cases, staff travelled overseas once or maybe twice a year. We are, however, aware of staff who have made up to six offshore trips in one semester.

Clearly the more often you are required to travel the greater the potential impact on your personal life.

How long and when will each visit be?

The answer to these questions varies enormously. In many programs you may be required to undertake offshore teaching on weekends, while still having teaching responsibilities on campus during the week. In other programs you may be away for up to two weeks.

Some universities try to arrange these periods of intensive offshore teaching during periods when you have no on campus teaching commitments. Before you agree to do any offshore work, you should be clear on what the timing and frequency of the travel arrangements are and think carefully about how they will impact upon you.

Will the offshore travel interfere with your family and other carer responsibilities?

Your carer responsibilities, especially if you are a single parent, will be a major issue.

Making alternative carer arrangements might not only constitute an inconvenience, it may also be costly.

A number of staff we interviewed took their children with them on offshore trips at their own expense.

What issues arise if you want to take your family with you?

Staff who are taking up longer term positions will often want to travel with their family. Under these circumstances your employer should provide practical assistance and information regarding appropriate accommodation, health services, transport and schooling.

You should check with your university in relation to any financial assistance they may provide to assist in this regard.

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What are the health and safety implications of working offshore?

Your employer must advise you, or arrange for you to be advised, about health risks and precautions associated with your destination country. Do you need vaccinations? If so, your employer must pay for these. Are malaria or dengue fever a problem? What precautions should you take against these or other diseases?

Your employer should provide full medical insurance, including insurance for medical evacuation if necessary. If your family is travelling with you, check to see if they are also covered.

In addition to health issues you may be concerned about other aspects of your personal safety, including the potential threat of terrorists attacks. It should be your employer’s responsibility to ensure that you are fully informed about any such potential threats.

If you are uncertain, then it may be in your best interests to seek further information from the DFAT site website: www.dfat.gov.au.

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References 1 NTEU (2004) Excess Baggage: Australian Staff involvement in the delivery of offshore courses. Research Report 2 Martin, Anne (2003) 2002 Institutional Audit Reports. Analysis and comment, Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA).

3 Professor Ron McCallum (2004) Higher Education, Offshore Employment and Australian Labour Law. Paper presented to AHEIA Conference, 25 March 2004.

www.nteu.org.au