Comments on: Disturbing Trends in Adjunct Faculty Employment

By: Aaron Burgess

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:30:03 +0000

I am just now completing my doctorate at Northeastern University (MA) but I have had a full time job in higher education for three years as a mid-level administrator and lecturer. I started as an adjunct but when an administrative position opened up I applied and got the job. I knew people in the department and students in the program were good informal references for me.

If you have it in you, be open to working on the administration side and also teach. This is a route that is often not discussed. Many small colleges have administrative faculty positions now. In my case, it has worked out well for me.

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:26:57 +0000

Well not sure where $3500 is coming from unless that is a graduate class. Most need PHD to teach graduate class. Here in Florida most community colleges pay $1550 to $1850 per class and that is 13 weeks of school.

Figure if you travel and get enough classes
I am figuring:

1 to 2 hours drive time
3 hours per class
10 hours prep

14 to 15 hours X 13 weeks for $1700.00 = $9.34
per hour

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:32:46 +0000

Oops–you’re right. I must have done the calculations wrong on this post. I’ll update it.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:14:56 +0000

I think maybe you were counting 10 hours of prep time for each of the 3 classes per week…

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:00:51 +0000

Sorry, I’ve done these calculations over and over and I can’t see where you’re getting your numbers. An 11-week course at $3500/course with 3 hours of classroom time and 10 hours of prep time should come out to $3500 / (11 weeks * 13 hours) = $24.48/hour, not $8.15/hour.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:01:55 +0000

I found this on my google search… I’ve been an adjunct for 6 years… am trying to apply for full time positions and need letters of recommendation – and guess what? So far, 3 of the 4 people I’ve asked have told me they don’t know me well enough or haven’t observed my teaching recently enough and one said that I was consistently late (only because I had a ten minute break to get to a class entirely across campus…)
I really want to do a job that makes a difference, and teaching is how I can do that, but I’m really thinking of taking up some full time soul sucking corporate job because that will be easier & have at least some security.
Thanks for posting this and doing the math.

By: GSarchet

GSarchet — Sat, 10 May 2008 05:57:55 +0000

J- you say:
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Based on my direct experience, this approach also sounds like some–*some*– public school teachers, (and perhaps private?). Not only adjunct college/university instructors.

The last item is particularly interesting: it feels good to believe, or use the rationale, one is ‘giving one’s all’ to the job, however, compared to what other talent and dedication, found at other ‘best practice’ institutions?

Noodle on that!

Thanks Greg

By: paul bailey

paul bailey — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:36:57 +0000

jason,

after teaching 12 years full-time in the public schools my transition to teaching college adjunct has been a good (but very low paying) solution for part-time employment.

for me, the main problem with tenure jobs (and one reason why i am not pursing a Ph.D.) is that you have to take the “secular vow of academia” and move away from friends and family (2-3 times) for a “career” that jumps from town to town until the tenure job is attained. of course where you finally end up at the end of this game is a crapshoot. (rolla, missouri? fresno, ca?)

as performing musician/composer i can’t see leaving a city where i have 20 years of connections (and great friends). i see that academia is filled with many lonely people trying to get somewhere else. i’ll take the devil i know.

as ‘adjunct’ jobs go i am pretty lucky. i have benefits and am only 13 units away from being ‘vested’ in the state pension plan. now if i can only survive the fall budget cuts…