Although one of my favourite pastimes is choosing a suitable stick with which to give to management, I’m not as near-sighted to think that there are not distinct pressures for all levels of staffing when it comes to colleges.

Although there are inevitable points of conflict between frontline staff and those that are higher up, I’ve yet to meet anyone, in any capacity, who is willfully trying to do harm in the sector.

We are all constrained within a system, and in FE currently, that system is in many ways imperfect, and it seems that everyone is simply trying to negotiate the best way through.

Unfortunately, this means an almost constant process of compromise in some form or other takes place - and it is these compromises that are often bones of contention. But even so, it’s extremely easy to fall into an “us vs them” mindset.

Perspective is key

Granted, in some cases of unfair practice, unscrupulous behaviour or things that damage the core business of FE (which is the ‘E’ bit, although sometimes that can be quite easily forgotten), that mindset is absolutely necessary.

But I also think that it’s often easy to forget that those who are above or below our pay grade are just people, like us, who may be struggling with their own set of circumstances.  

Our perspective is one of position. We view things from the point of where we stand and the problems we face during our working day are ours.

For me personally, I often find it difficult to look beyond those to what other people, in differing roles, are up against.

‘Don’t be mugged off’

It sometimes makes me hard and dismissive of the issues that those who are not on my level have to endure, and I’m not sure that it does anyone any favours in regards to being able to establish a “community” within a college - one that can then be mobilised against the larger issues taking place.

This isn’t a call to let people in your college mug you off (if I was running a college, “Don’t let people in your college mug you off” would probably be its motto).

Instead, it is perhaps an appeal of a greater amount of understanding, from all sides, of what people have to deal with.

‘Human distress is universal’

This last year, I’ve had to comfort teachers and managers alike as they’ve found themselves in positions that are nigh on intolerable. No matter where you are in the hierarchy, human distress looks pretty much universal.

If colleges are to become forces to be reckoned with, there needs to be cohesion within them. Mutual respect for the people behind whatever title they hold (even at times of opposition) has to be a facet of this.

That cohesion can then be used as a source of strength and utilised when facing national issues. Then maybe we can start making things better for everyone.      

Tom Starkey teaches English at a college in the North of England