9 - FREELANCE ADULT EDUCATORS IN SINGAPORE: LEARNING TO SHAPE-SHIFT Annie Karmel Institute for Adult Learning Singapore An increasing number of workers do not conform to dominant notions of the employee bounded by a single organisation (Van den Born & Witteloostuijn, 2013). In this context, workplace learning is spread out across and between multiple sites with an individual facing pressure to figure things out with little formal structure to scaffold the way. Through the stories of freelance adult educators in Singapore, we can gain a sense of the potential for workplace learning as, perhaps, the only site for learning the crucial capability of reading this diverse and unpredictable environment and shape-shifting. We see this involves tension between a freelancer’s internal compass, and the varying expectations and values of their clients and learners. These tensions are negotiated through experience, interaction, and reflection as freelance adult educators seek and perform work. This chapter is based on the data and analysis of a study conducted by the Institute for Adult Learning or IAL (Karmel, Bound, & Rushbrook, 2013), with a focus on one aspect of the findings – shape-shifting. A qualitative methodology was adopted for this study with thirty adult educators (part of a larger study; see Bound, Sadik, & Karmel, 2015) participating in semi-structured in-depth interviews that were thematically analysed. The participants were selected to cover both the national qualifications and private markets, and trainers across a range of subject areas with varying years of experience and levels of income were chosen. All participants needed to conduct some face-toface training in a non-permanent employment arrangement in order to be considered for this study. Pseudonyms are used throughout this chapter. Shape-shifting is “behind-the-skin” work that needs to be done while appearing fit to adapt to each client’s or learner’s needs and able to offer appropriate knowledge only in contexts where it is valued (Fenwick, 2008).
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