What is the best way to acquire a teaching position in the university?

Question

This is just part time maybe teaching a class or two. I am not looking for a full-time faculty position.

Answer 1

Sounds like your looking for what is commonly called "adjunct" faculty position.



First, you must be qualified. This almost always means (1) at least a masters degree and (2) at least 18 graduate hours in the area you will be teaching. Without these two, hiring you would be a big accreditation mess and the school would have to find some very exceptional circumstances.



To move to the head of the adjunct list, you should be "terminally" gualified, which for almost every area means a Doctorate. A very few areas (Fine Arts, Engineering Technology, Library Science) consider the masters as terminal.



Next, you must find a school that has an opening into which you fit that cannot be filled by regular faculty. Hiring adjuncts is usually a "last resort" since it adds extra expense. Therefore you need to "bird dog" schools in your area that you are qualified to teach at. Best bet is to find out when they make the schedules for next semester and call the department head then. Then call the department head about two weeks before the semester starts to find out if anyone has bailed out.



Keep a current resume, application etc in the department head's hands. He/She's the guy(ette) that makes the call.



Longterm, find chronic trouble spots and get the 18 hours. For example, we are always hiring finance, accounting and math adjuncts.



Lastly, don't expect to get paid very much. You will be competing primarily with retired faculty who aren't looking for very much pay.



Good Luck

Answer 2

Depends on where you are, what qualifications you have, and what field you fancy. It always helps to be fully qualified and bring about 2 to 5 years of relevant outside experience. Fully qualified works like this:

In the USA and Canada, you can be a university instructor, lecturer, or administrator if you have a bachelor's degree, and you can become a professor if you have at least a master (PhD usually required, and won't be handed out straight, will require research track record, publications, teaching experience).

In the UK, doing anything at University level requires at least a master, PhD preferred, conditions as above.

In New Zealand, a diploma or bachelor are enough for a fulltime position at a Polytechnic, and universities require master's degree or PhD.

The more hands-on the field, the less importnce is placed on the academic side. IT or design, architecture, are very hands-on.

You could try www.jobs.ac.uk or www.coroflot.com to find those jobs. Otherwise, find the website of a university you are interested in and observe their recruitment/ staffing/ Personnel/ HR/ Human Resources pages.

Answer 3

Most schools will advertise if they need people to teach courses. However, if you know people in the department they may be able to help you be considered, whether or not the department advertises. You could also talk to the department chair. Also, be flexible. If your graduate and undergraduate degrees are in different fields, apply for both. Consider related fields. For instance, I know several people with MAs in history who teach english classes.