Guess who got "Promoted"

Today was Instructors' Attestation Day. Last month I had to add up the points I scored over the past year for doing stuff as an English Instructor (not directly related to projects), such as teaching modules, translating, editing, making presentation in seminars, attending conferences, guest lecturing, writing articles... I needed to rake up 40 points to be "promoted" to my current position, Assistant Lecturer. I raked up 154.

My department, and then the faculty, then adjusts the point score, based on how much they agree with me on my performance. They left it at 154, so basically that means I can keep my job.

I signed a five-year contract, which was explained to me by the director herself to mean nothing, actually: it's a legal basis for keeping me on staff. They can still fire me, and I can still quit.

In two years (one if I lay down on the railroad tracks) I can apply to be a Lecturer. To do this I need to get 70 more points in the next two years combined. Since my very first year at a real job I scored 154, I bet I make 500 by that time...anybody wanna bet?

Here's the sad part of the point system: it's too easy. They've only got so much money, and they have to pay me to work more than the 55 hours a week for which I'm salaried (20 hours over the summer); when the money runs out, they offer me points for doing things like editing and translating. My response is, "I've got four times the points I need already! My regular, excessive activities more than make me eligible for promotions." Several of the point scores are on a subjective scale, like 1-5 per module I taught. I gave myself all fives, but even if they'd dropped them all to ones I'd still be far, far in excess of 40.