Anyone worked as an Adjunct college professor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it? Might start teaching Arabic at NVCC on the weekends. The pay is $3900 for the semester. It's a five credit class so that I will be getting paid about $240 a week.... What is the workload like?

I have been teaching something similar at nvcc for a long time. The truth is that the workload is what you want it to be. Good instructors work at least as many hours outside the classroom as in it. Great instructors might put in twice as many hours outside as in, and much more if it's the first time they've taught a class. But unfortunately, nvcc doesn't really care if instructors are good, great, or even just bad. Some people put almost no time into prep and their classes are terrible, and in many departments they will still get classes. I don't know specifically about Arabic, though.

So overall what I'm saying is, if you want to do a really good job, assume if the class is 5 hours a week that you'll be working at least 15-20 hours a week. But if you don't care about doing a good job, you could do less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's great- if you don't need money

Like PP said, it works out to about minimum wage.

My DH did it for a while before he got a tenure track job.
The workload is about 2x the hours of the actual class (so if you teach 3 hours per week, you put in another 6 hours of prep and grading)

My Mom and a couple of her friends did it after retiring, just to keep their minds sharp.

I am not doubting PP, but OP and others should realize that it is pretty unusual to be able to transition from an adjunct gig to a tenure track positions. And, if that does happen, it is usually other things -- such as extensive publications - that make the difference, not the adjunct job.

This is normally true, but at nvcc it is more possible than at most schools. You do need to have some professional work, but not to the extent you need it at other schools. NVCC does care about teaching when it comes to full-time hires, unlike, say, UVa, and they will hire their own adjuncts if they have the degrees and professional work to go along with the teaching experience. I know quite a few people who have been hired into full-time positions from adjunct positions, although sadly this is not the case recently as there simply are no full-time positions in humanities anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did it and it worked out to a minimum wage job. Make sure you're not just counting your teaching time but also the time for prep, office hours, and grading. It's hell being an adjunct and I'm so glad to be tenure track at my current position.

Same here. I did it for five years and never moved beyond adjunct. At one point I was teaching at 4-5 different places trying to piece together full time work. It was stressful for not a lot of money. Between driving all over the place (DC, Glen Echo, Wheaton, Hyattsville) in one week, not to mention the preps for each course/school, it was pretty awful. Also, I was teaching students at every level, from kindergarten-graduate students. Now I have one full time job loosely related to my field within the federal government and while it's not as interesting (and not what I wanted-I wanted to be a professor) it is so much less stress with more money for less work.

OP, if you don't really need the money and are doing it for fun and experience, then go for it. But it can be very difficult to make a living as an adjunct.

Yes. For a part-time gig for a bit of $$ or experience, it's fine. Don't expect it will lead to anything. Don't put in more than one hour outside prep per contact hour (less if you can manage it). Don't expect to be treated well (you won't be a true member of the department, you might not get an email account or parking pass, or even dry erase markers or access to computers / copiers, etc.).

I interviewed at NVCC in Annandale and they seem to have a good system for adjuncts. They had a large office room filled with computers and a copier specifically for adjuncts to use. And the parking is free for faculty there.

It depends on the department. Some departments have nothing for adjuncts, some do. And whenever there are cuts, we are always first in line to get something cut. It's a great side gig, but it's not something you want to count on to feed your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did it and it worked out to a minimum wage job. Make sure you're not just counting your teaching time but also the time for prep, office hours, and grading. It's hell being an adjunct and I'm so glad to be tenure track at my current position.

Same here. I did it for five years and never moved beyond adjunct. At one point I was teaching at 4-5 different places trying to piece together full time work. It was stressful for not a lot of money. Between driving all over the place (DC, Glen Echo, Wheaton, Hyattsville) in one week, not to mention the preps for each course/school, it was pretty awful. Also, I was teaching students at every level, from kindergarten-graduate students. Now I have one full time job loosely related to my field within the federal government and while it's not as interesting (and not what I wanted-I wanted to be a professor) it is so much less stress with more money for less work.

OP, if you don't really need the money and are doing it for fun and experience, then go for it. But it can be very difficult to make a living as an adjunct.

Yes. For a part-time gig for a bit of $$ or experience, it's fine. Don't expect it will lead to anything. Don't put in more than one hour outside prep per contact hour (less if you can manage it). Don't expect to be treated well (you won't be a true member of the department, you might not get an email account or parking pass, or even dry erase markers or access to computers / copiers, etc.).

Sorry, but this isn't true at NVCC. About three quarters of the staff at NVCC are adjuncts, and some departments have only one or two full-timers with a dozen or more adjuncts. I've worked in places where adjuncts were treated badly by full-timers, but the attitude is pretty nice at NVCC when it comes to those interactions. The administration, however, is abominable, and is constantly finding sleazy ways to further exploit part-timers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did it and it worked out to a minimum wage job. Make sure you're not just counting your teaching time but also the time for prep, office hours, and grading. It's hell being an adjunct and I'm so glad to be tenure track at my current position.

I do it and it is a heavy lift but I also work full-time and teach adjunct part-time.