I have been thinking of moving back to My Olde Home Towne and trying to get a full-time job teaching film/theater history at a college (there are several very good ones there).
Problem is, I do not have a master’s or a doctorate. I DO have five books published in the field, though . . . One of my old college professors says, “Forget it. Even WITH a master’s, the competition is so stiff that you’d be lucky to get a part-time jopb, let alone a full-time one.” Needless to say, at my advanced age, I need a job with medical benefits.
Is he right? Shall I just toss in the towel (Land’s End Egyptian cotton) and wait for an obliging terrorist to put an end to my career woes?
Oh, I forgot to add, above, that I have a full wardrobe of very fetching tweed suits, which I know are a requisite for college professors. I am even willing to add elbow patches, if that would help me to land a job.
Well, I can speak best for the technical fields, but generally it’s true that you need an advanced degree to get a tenure-track position at most colleges/universities. You could probably get a job at a community college or even an instructor’s position, but unfortunately they pay very poorly.
If you were fortunate enough to get a full-time job at a decent college, you’d find that there’s a pretty rigid, if unofficial, class hierarchy in most departments. Non-tenure-track instructors without degrees would rank just slightly above grad students. You’d get all the large classes with the heavy teaching load.
Now it may be the case that a significant reputation can overcome many of these disadvantages. I’m not sure that five books would be enough, though. Do you think you could arrange to win a Pulitzer or some other prestigious award?
My advice would be give over the niche-market biographies and start writing Grisham-style potboilers. That’s where the money is.
Never let one geezer’s negative vibes deflate your vision. Find out what’s going on for yourself by conducting at least five informational interviews at different colleges in which you talk directly to department heads/faculty members and get the truth from them. I’m sure competition is keen, but rolling over and quitting is the path to certain failure.
Many colleges allow their employees–even non-tenured ones–to take coursework for free. Perhaps you can work in an administrative position while working part-time toward your master’s degree. Meanwhile, volunteer to help in the field that interests you and let them know what great work you can do. Earning your master’s may take a few years, but would you rather have your degree in five years or not?
Also, consider targeting your next book so that it really impresses your future employer.
The truth, of course, is that many colleges are always looking for ways to reduce their benefitted faculty and few part-time instructors receive benefits. If so, consider getting a benefitted position in another field, but then teach what you love as a part-time instructor at a community college.
I agree with that assessment of professors in technical fields, but does that necessarily apply to film and theater history? It may be no different, but then again experience or achievement (having been published, for example) may be more important in these particular areas.
My suggestion is to look for a position before making the commitment of relocating. It won’t hurt, and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Well, I work at a University, so I took a quick look at the academic qualifications of our theater folks here. It seems that the full-time faculty, most of them, have MFAs, but practical experience seems to be pretty important too. So while the odds probably aren’t in your favor without an advanced degree, if you end up in the right place at the right time, it might work for you. You won’t know without trying. Many universities have their employment listings online - take a look and see if the ones you are interested in do. That will give you an idea of what they are looking for and what their requirements are.
One way to get yourself in the right place would be to get a full-time staff job at a university. There are several advantages to this: since you are always around, you know what is going on employment-wise, you will get full-time benefits, and many schools also allow you to take classes on their dime as one of those benefits. That would be the easiest way to get an MFA. You could also apply for an adjunct faculty position, which will give you an advantage in the future if a full-time position opens up.
(and BTW, my best friend and roommate in college was a double theater and education major, and I plan on getting her one of your books for Christmas. She’ll love it!)
Well, “giving up and lying down” is one of the things I’m best at, but I will give it a try. Who would be the person to contact at a college? I know nothing of the hierarchy, and wouldn’t want to approach exactly the person least likely to tip me off about job availabilities.
As far as temping or part-timing . . . I already HAVE a dead-end full-time job with benefits, but I have aged myself out of the profession and have to start casting about for a midlife career change before the ravening 20-somethings sacrifice me by the full moon. I hear them now, outside my cubicle, with their flaming torches . . .
I’d actually LIKE to relocate back to the Olde Home Towne. I think I’d be good at teaching theater/film history, but I may be wrong there, too . . . Just want to find out if it’s even a possibility. With any luck, I’ll get pasted on the beezer by a 767 on my way home, and won’t HAVE to worry about this crap anymore.
Finagle was pretty accurate in assessment of the situation, but in specialized fields (like theater) there are a few ways of breaking into the “ivy” tower. But if you think the bullshit is hard to wade through in RL just wait until you see the academic world.
First, call in favors, is there anyone out there that owes you a big one and can get you into the pecking order (even at the lowest rung, which it will clearly be [sorry about the mixed metaphor]). This is probably not an option since you posted here rather than going straight to them. But if you haven’t tried this avenue, sometime there are special chairs set up especially for experts in a specific field. If you have a wealthy friend or a friend who is a CEO of a large corporation, they can even fund a chair especially for you. But if this is the case, plan on never being spoken to by members of your department.
Second, is there any university that will give you academic credit for your rather unique professional experiences. Sometimes this too comes about by calling in favors, but it is quite common. Bond with someone in power and those things can happen.
Third, Hi Opal.
Fourth, if you have the cash, go to one of the diploma factories and purchase a masters degree or PHD. While it does not have quite the cache of the other kind, it at times can pass muster, especially if you have a college or university wanting to employ you and the only thing holding them back is the piece of paper.
All that being said, I did exactly what you are attempting to do (in journalism instead of theater, of course). And I quit after three years at a small college in the Midwest. The frustration over the BS and childish politics far outweighed any sort of satisfaction I received.
I ended up buying into a small newspaper and editing it and I am quite happy. Maybe you could start a small theater/film publishing house?
TV
p.s. at the risk of being repetitive, it is so very good to have you back.
A suggestion: To make some contacts, you might try the quest lecturer bit. Call the department head of a targeted college or university and say that you will be lecturing on film history (the films of Carole Lombard?) in a somewhat nearby state and were, “thinking about coming through Ye Olde Home Towne, just for old time’s sake” and would he/she like to sit down for a cup of coffee or hey, you even host a seminar (you could tell him that since it was along the way and in YOHT, you wouldn’t even ask for your normal lecture fee).
It could make some contacts and you could get the feel of the water (jeez, another bad metaphor).
Find out if the places you are interested in have web sites. Then go to the Human Resources or Employment section of the site. That way you can get an idea of the type of requirements that particular place has for the kind of position you want. You can familiarize yourself with their requirements and processes that way before you even talk with anyone. Your next step would then be to speak to the Human Resources people at that school - there should be contact names/numbers on the web site. You don’t want to talk to anyone who will have the actual power to offer you a job until you know what they are looking for.
(And as for my friend, I am thinking about either the Jean Harlow book or the Golden Images essays, but I think she’d like any of them.)
I have no advice to offer, but please keep me in mind if you need a secretary or assistant wherever you land. I’m desperate for work and I have great legs, which could be a winning combination.
EVE, this may be really a really stupid question, but you know about the Chronicle of Higher Education, yes?
If not, you can find it here. It has lots of job listings by taught subject, including most collegiate/post-collegiate positions, as well. If you were interested in expanding your search beyond Ye Olde Home Towne, you might give it a look.
I’m just a student so I can’t offer much in the way of advice, but I wanted to let Eve know that the acting courses at my school are taught by a woman without an MFA – she was hired because of her practical experience. I don’t know if you’d be likely to land a full-time gig without a degree, but it is possible to teach at a college without one.
iirc, your olde home towne has tons of places of higher education. i would imagine that some of the smaller ones (say… west chester?) would love to have a person of name at their school. i know ivy would go best with you, but perhaps one of the “sisters?” try the smaller ones first. penn does have a thing going with rr’s sundance. i’ll ask around.
You’ll never fit in without ugly-but-expensive shoes. All the tweed in the world won’t help you if the shoes aren’t right. I’d suggest Birkenstocks, Mephistos, or Eccos. Clarks might do in a pinch. Throw out those gorgeous Italian slingbacks you’ve been traipsing around Manhattan in, and go for something hideously functional.