Only the rich can afford to work at Oxford and Cambridge

Poor pay, exorbitant rent and no hope of owning a house – is the prestige of the Oxbridge brand
really worth the cost?
The demographics of Oxbridge are regularly discussed in the media. Are sufficient numbers of
state school students being admitted? Are ethnic minorities proportionally represented? Is there
sufficient diversity? But there is far less discussion about whether equity of opportunity extends
to Oxbridge staff, and the implications this could have on the quality of teaching and research.
Having been educated and now employed in the Oxbridge system, I know there are at least some
opportunities for academics with unconventional backgrounds. I was the first member of my
family to attend university, so my path to Oxbridge was somewhat unusual. But there are
growing numbers like me; I regularly meet young academics from humble beginnings, who
have broken through the 800-year-old glass ceiling into competitive academic and managerial
posts.
We have overcome many obstacles to achieve faculty positions here. But I wish someone had
informed us that the challenge was not getting in, but actually sustaining a life at Cambridge or
Oxford.
After many years of misjudged optimism, I no longer believe that early-career positions at
Oxbridge universities are viable for individuals without independent financial means. There are
three key factors that have led me to this decision:
Salary
I can think of few professions where you are financially penalised for securing a job at the most
prestigious employer in your sector, but this is the case at Oxbridge universities. Compared with
staff at other English Russell Group universities, Oxbridge academics are paid rather poorly. The
average non-professorial academic salary for all universities in the UK is £48,460 (pdf); for
English Russell Group universities this figure is £50,000 (or £54,000 if you restrict to the
London Russell Group). Yet the median non-professorial academic salary at Oxbridge is
£45,000.
I am not arguing that we deserve higher pay than our Russell Group peers, but I do question why
our salaries dip so far below those paid by other institutions, especially given the combined
wealth and success of the Oxbridge institutions.
Cost of living
Few academics are called to the profession by a dream of becoming wealthy. That does not
mean, however, that we are prepared to be impoverished by it. Although it is well known that
Cambridge and Oxford are almost as costly as London when it comes to buying and letting
property, only London salaries account for the significant costs of living in one of the UK’s
most expensive cities.
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics , in 2014 the average house prices in
other English Russell Group cities ranged between three and four times the local median
academic salary in each city. For Cambridge and Oxford this figure ranged between 6.8 and 7.7
times the median academic salary at Oxbridge universities – equivalent with London.
As anyone who knows anything about mortgages will tell you, this makes buying a house on a
typical Oxbridge academic salary impossible without a considerable down payment. Aspiring to
own your home is further complicated by the exorbitant price of rent – when bills and other
unavoidable expenses are added to the cost of my modest accommodation, just keeping my
bank balance in the black is a considerable challenge.
Workload
Oxbridge academic positions come with extremely high expectations. World-leading research,
inspirational teaching, big-money grants, frequent high-impact publications and effective
administration are not aspirations but conditions for promotion. To be an academic is to have a
collection of jobs, all of which you are expected to excel at.
In my first few years as an Oxbridge academic, I regularly worked in excess of 75 hours a week,
just to keep on top of things. When I explain this to people of my parents’ generation, I’m told
stories of the days when it was necessary to get a second, weekend job in order to save for a
house or a child. However, the key difference is that these jobs tended to pay at the same (or
similar) hourly rates. This was an opportunity to earn more money and reduce financial
pressures by working a little bit harder.
This opportunity does not exist for many young academics, whose responsibilities encroach on
their evenings and weekends — there is no option to top up earnings in your spare time.
And so...
Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge was placed in special measures earlier this year as a result
of serious staff shortages, which some have suggested could be a knock-on effect of spiralling
living costs. As basic services fail in Cambridge and Oxford, so too will their ability to attract
and retain young academic superstars. These universities will need to find a way to ease the
strain if they hope to compete with international institutions and the London schools. 
The Oxbridge name does open many doors but other opportunities, like home ownership and
quality family time, are closed to me as long as I am here. In years gone by, a young academic
with a permanent contract at one of these institutions could look forward to a financially
comfortable life and a fulfilling Oxbridge career.
But this is no longer the case, as both cities have become expensive to the point of being
unliveable and salaries have not kept pace. Junior academics, like junior doctors, are now
looking abroad for employment opportunities — where academic salaries are higher and living
costs more manageable.
My advice to talented young academics and scientists is to look elsewhere at this early stage of
your career. Oxbridge is an attractive brand, but how much can you afford to pay for it?
This week’s anonymous academic works at an Oxbridge University.