Dear Central Saint Martins Provost, Rathna Ramanathan,
We, as students and staff employed in various roles at Central Saint Martins, are writing to you regarding the exploitation and misuse of the previously named Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) scheme, and the subsequent mapping of now ex-GTAs following the closure of the GTA scheme in July 2025.
It has been brought to our attention that many of the newly named Studio Managers and Hourly Paid staffing posts across many CSM courses and departments, have been created through deeply problematic and exploitative practices stemming from the closure of the former GTA scheme and now, its so-called “re-mapping”.
It is particularly disturbing to us that young workers and early-career individuals have been systematically exploited through the GTA scheme, preventing them from building a security of employment while being subjected to inconsistent and inappropriate rates of pay. The GTAs have routinely been paid as non-teaching staff while carrying out teaching duties, including preparing teaching materials, assessing student work, and delivering teaching over multiple years where now their lengths of service have been dismissed.
Many individuals have been overworked by their line management far beyond the stated six hours per week allocation and kept on the scheme well beyond the standard two-year limit, some for four years or more. GTAs were also directed into inappropriate job roles, including extensive pastoral responsibilities and administrative labour, far exceeding the GTA job description.
Following the closure of the scheme, new academic (ex-GTA) roles have been inappropriately ‘mapped’ to Arts Temps. Teaching duties have either been stripped away entirely or split and remapped to cost-cutting Arts Temps rates despite duties aligning directly with the UAL Grade 4 Visiting Practitioner and Grade 5 Associate Lecturer job descriptions. As a direct result of this negligent process, some individuals have not been paid since October 2025 and have been stripped of their full provision as UAL HPL staff.
These practices have disproportionately affected principally non-male identifying staff and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals, primarily young workers and UAL alumni, many of whom are former GTAs. This reflects a consistent and deeply troubling pattern within the institution.
We cannot sit by while this continues, particularly as the institution repeatedly fails or delays in meaningfully addressing these issues. Multiple departments and courses across CSM have been observed engaging in these practices and continue to do so. The GTA scheme has been continually abused as a means of dangling the promise of “progression into substantial academic roles” in order to keep individuals underpaid, overworked, and precariously employed.
All other UAL colleges scrapped the GTA scheme years ago. At CSM, however, its legacy has resulted in unfair competition between young and established staff due to reductions in staffing levels, with the closure of the scheme and false budgetary concerns cited as a justification. The GTA scheme itself was in breach of the National Framework Agreement [1].
It is also deeply concerning that Arts Temps, now being used to absorb this labour, has a reported turnover of £9.6 million for the year ended 31 July 2025 yet Art Temps are being stripped of proper rights, contracts and pay, despite a profit of £1.15 million [2]. These hiring practices have been overseen by senior leadership, including Karen Stanton (UAL Vice Chancellor/Arts Temps Chair) and Trevor Keeble (UAL Pro Vice Chancellor of Research, Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise/Arts Temps Director) [3].
Furthermore, the Arts Temps Associate Director has stated that ‘no Arts Temps worker should be employed for longer than six months in the same or similar role, nor rehired as such’. Despite this, College Operations at CSM, have openly stated that CSM is “bending the rules” around Arts Temps employment when challenged on college-wide hiring practices, with many Arts Temps workers having lengths of service ranging from as little as over 6 months to 8 years and more. This is clear exploitation.
There is a consistent and regular pattern in which young individuals, particularly recent graduates are exploited and then discarded once they are no longer deemed useful by their hiring managers at CSM. We refuse to stay silent or be complacent in this treatment of our exploited colleagues. We are calling for accountability, transparency, and immediate action to bring these practices to an end.
We collectively stand with our ex-GTA and Arts Temps colleagues and demand:
1- A formal meeting with Karen Stanton (UAL Vice Chancellor and Arts Temps Chair) to address these issues directly with concerned staff and Trade Unions.
2- Clear accountability for the decisions and actions taken and the immediate cessation of the practices outlined above.
3- Going forward, a commitment to correct and compliant contracting through UAL Visiting Practitioner (Grade 4) or Associate Lecturer (Grade 5) contracts.
4- Formalised education through training, support, and clear progression pathways to be provided for young hourly paid staff, including former GTAs now working as HPLs and those incorrectly employed as Arts Temps.
5- Mandatory training given to hiring/live managers surrounding the contracting, support and progression of young hourly paid staff, including former GTAs now working as HPLs and those incorrectly employed as Arts Temps.
[1] uceastorage.blob.core.windows.net/ucea/download.cf...
Subject: Re: UAL/CSM Staff and Students Against the Exploitation of Young Workers
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for your message and for sharing the open letter submitted by Central Saint Martins students, graduates, and staff regarding the closure of the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) scheme. The issues and complaints that have been raised by former GTA colleagues, articulated in the open letter, are concerning to me, CSM college leadership and to UAL Executive Board.
The matters detailed are currently subject to a live and ongoing investigation, which is being undertaken by an external investigator at some pace. It is important that this investigation is allowed to proceed and the resultant report and findings be delivered to the university by the investigator. The matters have also been raised in legal claims lodged with the employment tribunal. These ongoing processes mean that it is unfortunately not currently possible for me and/or the Vice-Chancellor to meet with you as you have requested. We will continue to progress the investigation at pace and respond in full within these ongoing processes.
Please note that I am ensuring that I am kept regularly briefed on the investigation and how this process continues. I want to assure you that the detail in the open letter has been read, acknowledged, and taken very seriously. The contents of the letter have been given the due consideration they warrant. I must sincerely apologise for the length of time this investigation has taken to date, and I note this has been slower than I would have liked. However, I must wait until this process has concluded before taking next steps.
Thank you for taking the time to write to me. I know this is not an easy thing to do. Please be reassured that I will stay close to the investigation and, as Commissioning Manager, progress this matter as quickly as possible once I have received the investigator’s report.
Best wishes
Rathna
N.B. We, the authors of this open letter, are drafting a response requesting a forum to be provided for open discussion of this serious matter in light of management response and in solidarity with our young worker colleagues. We would like to also request that this open letter continues to be shared amongst colleagues, staff, graduates and students at UAL. A further update will be provided in due course. Thank you for your support and signature.