Early career academics need more than patronising advice and vacuous assurances

'Skilled, knowledgeable, competent adults' don't beg others for coffee...

There are lots of important points for securely employed academics to take away from this. However, what I see in this are many implicit assumptions about securely employed academics. Namely, the idea that a securely employed academic should pay for coffee and lunch for an ECA assumes that the securely employed academic is well-off enough to be able to do this. While the securely employed academic may well earn more than the ECA, this doesn't take into account their wider financial situation. A securely employed academic might be paying off longstanding debts; may have children with additional needs that carries financial implications (e.g. regular hospital visits where parking can cost a bomb); may be financially supporting impoverished parents; may be paying through the nose for commuting to their secure job because the academic job market means working close to home isn't possible. This may well leave the securely employed academic with less disposable income at the end of each month than the ECA.

@Professor Plums, how dare you suggest that ECRs do not have a 'wider financial situation'? Children, parents, commuts, working far from home, and (student) debt? I strongly suggest you contemplate the term privilege.

I find this debate a bit ridiculous, to be honest. Not all ECAs are skint and not all securely paid academics are well off.