Well, he has an office and pigeonhole in the creative writing dept. The poster was defaced to suggest that Amis' recent publication was bigoted and racist. It has been replaced.

I see. Does he live in Manchester, and if not how can he practically teach there?

I really don't know much about him or the details of his work. I know he has public teaching commitments and takes seminars. His professorial position must take up some time, I guess.

I see.

When I said he's not 'based' in Manchester - I was referring to the fact he isn't living there.

He will teach every fortnight, on two courses, that are one and one half hours each, so 3 hours teaching every 2 weeks.

There is a good article in the MEN, explaining what he's doing:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/education/s/1018182_amis_a_hit_with_students

I wonder if he'll get full professor pay?

Well, that certainly is not a heavy workload for what he's getting paid.

Yes, he isn't doing enough to warrant his pay packet.

Orian,
Please desist from posting things that are based upon sheer speculation.
First, if you see Amis' route as the easy one, go and publish that number of works yourself.
Second, all the reports suggest he is paid in the region of 80k/year - not half a million - and whether he is, or isn't, worth that amount of money is frankly none of your business. We live in a market economy, the fact that someone was prepared to pay him that much suggests that he is in fact worth that much money.

Oh and I live in a different city (2 hours journey time) from where I study full time.
I'm really not sure where he lives makes much difference if he fulfills his job spec!

Pamplemousse, still £80,000 for 3 hours a fortnight isn’t bad. The question is: Is he value for money? Will he increase student enrolment to the university and therefore income via student fees? As a previous poster here said, it seems the students don't like him much for his various comments.

It just seems to me that his job is a token one, given to him because of its public relations value for Manchester University. No disrespect to creative writing students, but can’t you learn most of it in a book? I mean, it’s not particle physics is it. And why do we need creative writing courses anyway? How many great novelists needed to go on one? Few I imagine--including Amis heimself.

Actually, Pamplemousse, it is our business that universities pay "celebrity" names vast sums for doing very little whilst at the same time cutting jobs and thereby increasing the workload of less revered academics, which is what Manchester University is currently doing, including sacking Sheila Rowbotham and Terry Eagleton, two renowned academics who are worth 100 Martin Amis'.

It also doesn't help that Amis is a vile Islamophobe who's writings verge on advocating collective punishment on the Muslim community for September 11th.

Perhaps someone should email this forum link to his agent so Amis can join in!

Here is a link to an article on Eagleton leaving Manchester University:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2253953,00.html

Quote from article:

"The thought of retiring to help pay the salary of his opponent rankles with Eagleton who told the Observer: 'It is certainly profoundly odd that during this financial crisis they can afford to hire someone like him'".

And another one:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2281070,00.html