Job Responsibilities
I was an adjunct professor for a variety of English courses on
the college-level: Freshman Composition, Introduction to
Literature, Advanced Expository Writing. I created a syllabus
for each class, including weekly reading and writing
assignments, as well as guidelines for the course, attendance
policy, plagiarism policy and class participation policy. A
syllabus takes about a week to create; as professor, one must
choose the stories/essays that will be read, and then group them
together by category, i.e., "persuasive" or "informational" for
essays and "short stories" or "poems" or "naturalism"
or "realism" for fiction. Assignments are grouped together and
then a large writing assignment is given, which usually ends
that particular section of the syllabus/calendar. Smaller
writing assignments, in addition to grammar and/or comprehension
assignments, are given, and to be completed, along the way, each
day of class. In-class writing assignments are also given.
These smaller assignments can take anywhere from 1-3 hours to
grade, depending on the size of the class. Longer assignments,
such as 5-page papers, take about a week to grade, or longer, as
it is impossible, and irresponsible, to read more than five
papers in one sitting. A professor's level of critique/comments
may vary; I usually type up a paragraph or two per student,
explaining what works and what does not work in his/her essay.
I also do heavy line editing within the paper itself. Weekly
Office Hours are also held, during which students spoke to me
about problems with the materials, or ideas about papers. I
encourage students to see me in order to brainstorm paper topic
ideas, and also to review grammar issues.
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Job Requirements
I was hired because I had just completed a Master in Fine Arts
in Creative Writing at Southampton College (which is nearby, on
the East End of Long Island). I had taught while in the MFA
Program, and done extensive writing/publishing as well. As a
lower-level Adjunct Professor at a community college, I was not
given much choice in terms of what classes I was assigned to
teach, but after a strong, positive evaluation and a second
semester of teaching, I was no longer on the bottom rung of the
seniority ladder and started to be offered better, more advanced
classes (not to mention better times, not 8:30 AM classes!)
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Uppers
Except for an attendance sign-in policy and one evaluation per year or so, there
is a lot of freedom and responsibility for Adjunct Professors. Some take
advantage of this, as I've recently witnessed at the institution where I just
earned a Master's in Literature (and taught at as well). Others, however, use
this to their advantage, as I did. I showed a plethora of mature, interesting
films,which my students both appreciated and learned from. I took my students
outside on sunny days. I initiated fiery, loud debates about current events and
literary themes/topics drawn from our reading material. The job also allowed for
me to follow other career dreams, such as my freelance writing and editing
career. Once the newbie dues are paid, the hours can be liberating and help
support additional jobs and creative pursuits. Also, there are few, if any,
meetings to attend, as adjuncts are not considered "faculty" and therefore cannot
be forced to participate in professional development. However, one should take
part once in a while, perhaps even lead some workshops, in order to impress the
Dept Chair and help raise one's level of seniority.
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Downers
There is NO HEALTH INSURANCE for adjunct professors. It is
pretty much slave labor--adjuncts are not considered faculty and
not even considered full-time, even if one teaches 6 courses a
semester. Classes can be cancelled at the last minute if
student enrollment is not high enough; likewise, I have more
than once received a call two days before school starts offering
me a course. Adjuncts must really go out of their way to meet
other professors, earn respect and find success.
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Lifestyle
Adjuncts might not be invited to dept social events; if they are, it's up to
them, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not they want to attend. Dress code
varies per school but for the most part it's business casual. The lifestyle is
great if you are comfortable living the "starving artist" lifestyle and/or
traveling all over a given geographic area, to different schools, to teach
classes. There is free time for you to pursue creative endeavors and/or other
jobs, but there is still quite a lot of work to be done per course, as grading is
extremely time-intensive (if done correctly). If you are comfortable patching
together several jobs and not having one "career," adjuncting can be quite
pleasant. If you have a family and/or need a stable, predictable job, adjuncting
is definitely not for you.
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Compensation
The money is not good. In the tri-state area (NY,NJ,CT),
teaching one course pays, on average, $3,000.00 per semester
(semesters are generally 14 weeks). There is no health
insurance at most colleges and you will not earn a raise unless
you belong to an adjunct union that forces a raise upon the
college (which is rare) or you work at one particular college
for many years. No bonuses, ever. Adjuncting is not a money-
making endeavor.
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Advice to Jobseekers
If you are in graduate school, or tutoring part-time, or almost
supporting yourself with freelance gigs, a job as an adjunct
professor will work for you. If you want to gain experience
teaching, or are settled in one geographic area, have a Master's
or PhD and are mostly supported by a spouse/partner and can
afford to wait for a better teaching position to open up,
teaching as an adjuct professor might be good for you. However,
it's hard to stay positive as an adjunct, and it doesn't look as
if unions will be able to change conditions for adjunct
professors in the foreseeable future. It's a very specific type
of position--make sure it is for you before you commit or sign a
contract.
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