I am looking for a new short-term job, as I’ve decided not to go to grad school just yet. My dad called me the other day to tell me that there was a teaching position opening up in the college where he works. He seems to think it’s worthwhile for me to apply, but I checked out the job description and I don’t think I meet the requirements. However, I figure that it won’t hurt to apply as long as I’m realistic about the chances (virtually nil). That being said, I’d like any advice from the Dopers as to how I can increase my odds, since it would be a nice job if I could get it. Here’s a summary of my advantages and disadvantages:
Disadvantages
The posted job description requires a Master’s degree, which I don’t have.
It’s a full time teaching position, and I have very limited experience teaching an entire class.
I’m on the young side for this kind of job.
Advantages
According to my dad, they are quite desperate to find someone, and may therefore be relaxed about the degree requirement. Not many people want a teaching job that is so short in duration.
I was once a student at this college, and have some familiarity with it and the types of students found there (this is a community college, and the job description involves “understanding different student backgrounds, etc”)
I know the head of the department, and he would probably be happy to serve as a reference to my abilities.
I think my resumee is reasonable, and I’d like to do whatever I can to keep them from rejecting it out of hand. My inclination is to be upfront about my weaknesses by admitting the job would be a challenge to me, but one that I can handle. Any thoughts or advice?
Maybe everyone’s out xmas shopping, shoveling snow, or celebrating the capture of You-know-who.
I think you are on the right track. Some people indicate that they are willing to work on a trial basis, too. Looks like a worthy challenge. Hope you get it!
I’ve never heard of a college–community or otherwise–hiring instructors who only have a Bachelor’s.
Are you sure you want this job? Without teaching experience, how do you know if you’d be good at it? It would be one thing if it was a part-time job. A full-time teaching gig without have a lot of teaching experience will not be easy, dude.
What’s the extent of your teaching experience?
If you are hired, you need to think about the implications of your “disadvantages”. These aren’t minor quibbles. Students may quaff when they see you aren’t much more learned they they are, at least on paper. Students will most likely ask questions that you are not mature enough to answer, having not undergone the rigors of graduate school. Many of your students may be older than you, and you may feel really intimidated. Instructors must have self-control and self-confidence, something neophytes (like myself) tend to lack.
Organizing lectures is just as challenging as presenting the material. Since you have not taught an entire class before, you will have to learn or relearn most of the material along with your students…which means you will have to do the readings and use a lot of external resources for writing your lectures. This takes a lot of time and energy, and unfortunately you can’t afford slip ups.
There’s no harm in submitting a cv and going through the process. But be sure you actually want this job just on the offhand chance they hire you. Being “professor” may sound fun, but it’s tough work. I learned this a few months ago, and I almost have my Ph.D.
Yeah, monstro, you’re quite right. My main hope is that if I submit a cv, they may be able to find some use for me – as in “You’re not qualified for this job, but we’ve got something else coming up that you’d be good for.” The problem is, they don’t actually have anything like that posted at the moment.
Also, if they don’t manage to find a qualified candidate (which seems likely), it’s possible that they will take the classes that need to be taught as part of this job posting and distribute them to part-timers. In which case my thought is that I ought to apply so my name is in that pool. Is there a better way of doing this?
Also, I feel I should point out that I’m not completely fresh out of school. I’ve been working in a research position at a university, and I have taken some graduate level coursework. While I don’t actally have a Master’s, I think I could make a reasonable case that I have equivalent experience or partial completion.
I also have teaching and TA experience; enough to know that I’m pretty good at instruction (at least under some circumstances) and it’s something I enjoy. This would be a big step up, though.
Part-time teaching is probably better for you. I taught a six-week introductory level course this semester, and even though it was tough (it was only the second time I had taught a course), it was doable. I got my feet wet without worrying about drowning.
Ok, my two cents (even though you probably already know this stuff):
Show the interviewer you are enthusiastic about the position and confident in your abilities.
Tell them why this would be a great job for you.
Show a positive side to any shortcomings ( no, you don’t have a Masters, but you do have some graduate level coursework and have made plans to continue).
Also, they may ask you to do a sample lecture in front of a bunch of students. Pick a topic that’s really interesting (especially in a “real world” sense) and you feel very confident about. Use colorful overheads. Sprinkle the lecture with humor.
I showed up an hour and a half late to the interview for the adjunct gig I had this semester. My saving grace was the sample lecture I gave. Apparently, the students loved it and that compensated for my extreme tardiness. One of the professors told me that if I had bombed on the lecture, I wouldn’t have gotten the job.
So in your case, a winning lecture may overshadow your “disadvantages”. Even if they don’t make you do a sample lecture, I would offer to do one just to allieve any doubts about your abilities.
