A Trinity College lecturer has started the academic year in a hostel after he was forced to give up his Dublin apartment over the summer due to colossal rents.
Niall Kennedy, who works in Trinity’s French department, says his contract states that he is not employed by the college outside of term time, meaning he was in a predicament when the semester began earlier this month. He took to Twitter on Thursday to share that he has had no alternative but to live in hostels while teaching in the university.
The average cost of a hostel room ranges from between €40-60 a night and the living conditions have led to Niall developing a “nagging” cough over the past few weeks. He told Dublin Live: “I could be sharing with up to 10 people, such as stag party groups.
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"The kitchen and laundry facilities are dismal, plus it’s hard to eat healthily. There is nowhere to sit and get work done in an evening, meaning I am coming into the college more and more tired each day.”
The dire situation with housing could led to the loss of many academics from Trinity if sufficient supports aren’t put in place, Niall warns. Some staff in the university are paid by hour, resulting in annual incomes of less than €7000 for several part-time lecturers.
Niall says he has received support from colleagues regarding his predicament, but that Trinity College itself views the lack of accommodation for students and staff as a government issue. Although Niall agrees with this in theory, he says Trinity will lose a significant amount of lecturers if staff cannot secure a place to live.
He added: “Colleges need to think hard about where students and staff are going to live. The plans are to increase the number of students already in universities. Colleges need to put staff on proper 12 month contracts so they can secure a lease in Dublin for the year. It’s a financial commitment you have to make as a renter.”
The profile of lecturers themselves is also narrowing as a result of inaccessibility to the rental market. Niall adds that women and ethnic minorities are in particular being discouraged from taking up work in academia due to the distinct lack of supports available.
He adds that students are in an even worse scenario than staff when it comes to the housing crisis. A recent study carried out by Sinn Fein revealed 66 percent of students would consider dropping out due to the lack of accommodation this year.
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