Have you just completed your graduate degree and want to get into teaching at the post-secondary level? Or looking to apply your industry expertise in the classroom? Landing your first adjunct teaching opportunity can be harder than you think. Read on for tips and tricks to get your foot in the higher education door.
If you've tried and failed to obtain an adjunct teaching opportunity by sending in your resume to job boards like higheredjobs.com, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of being selected to teach a course at a University. But first, what is an adjunct?
The Adjunct Instructor
More and more, Universities are using adjunct instructors to teach courses that can't be filled by their full-time faculty. In an effort to cut costs, many departments have seen a reduction in the elusive (and expensive) tenure-track faculty positions. But when course offerings are steady or increasing, Universities have to fill the teaching roles somehow. Enter the adjunct. A notoriously underpaid, but vital part of keeping classes on the schedule, adjunct positions are temporary (typically semester-long) teaching opportunities.
Teaching opportunities are continually changing and may result from a faculty member stepping into a department chair position and lowering their course load, or a faculty member who took a sabbatical, or perhaps a retirement or resignation. As a result, many Universities have accept continuous applications for adjunct positions through their employment page (more on this below). In some cases, adjuncts can be full-time or they may be "permanently" selected to teach a specific course on an ongoing basis, but in other cases, adjunct opportunities fulfill a one-time need.
Some Universities have been criticized for relying too much on adjuncts to cut costs and therefore decreasing the quality of the education provided. Adjuncts may not receive the same level of support as full-time faculty, often aren't invited to department meetings and can unfortunately be viewed as a necessary evil. But the reality is that adjuncts play an important role in delivering high-quality education and often bring much-needed practical application perspectives to the classroom.
These teaching opportunities can be very fulfilling for the industry expert, and can provide much-needed teaching experience for aspiring academics. But despite the increasing opportunities, it can be tough to land the job. Here are a few tips to apply in your adjunct-search.
Resume or CV?
First things first, throw your resume out the door and write a CV. The Curriculum Vitae, or CV, is an academic version of the traditional resume. It has some distinct differences and many hiring managers for adjunct positions will expect to see a CV (though I'm sure they see plenty of resume's cross their desks). Writing a CV will show that you understand academic industry expectations.
Typically, the CV is structured to emphasize your academic contributions: teaching, research, and service. This can be challenging if your academic experience is lacking, but here are some good CV writing tips from The Writing Center at UW-Madison and The Professor Is In (who also has a great blog about writing the academic cover letter). Check these out and get writing your own CV!
Finding adjunct teaching opportunities
Next, how do you go about finding what opportunities are available? Interestingly, a LOT of adjunct teaching positions are never formally posted. What? You must be wondering, then how can I find them?
One word - NETWORKING. This is probably your most powerful tool when it comes to finding and landing adjunct opportunities.
Here are some ways you can network:
Search for courses you'd like to teach at a specific University, then follow the faculty on LinkedIn
Reach out to the faculty member and offer to guest-lecture in their course
Attend academic conferences and interact (key word) with attendees
Find the name of the department chair (this is often who hires adjuncts) and reach out with your interest
Find ways to get involved with the University of interest - judging a competition, volunteering to mentor students, guest speaking at a club meeting
In addition to networking, make sure to bookmark University employment pages and check back often for new opportunities. Many Universities also keep a continuous pool of qualified applicants. You can find the application link on their website and submit your information. They'll reach out if an opportunity pops up that matches your qualifications.
Learn how to teach
Don't be pretentious about your teaching ability. It is frowned upon when industry experts think they know how to teach by virtue of their "expertise". Teaching a course at the undergraduate or graduate level takes a lot of planning, understanding of adult learning theories and the ability to engage students in the learning process.
Especially following Covid, the shift to online-learning modalities forced many faculty to learn best pedagogical practices in this format. Show you are committed to being a great instructor by investing in professional development in education. There are a number of ways you can gain this knowledge - check out LinkedIn Learning for short courses, or consider a more in-depth graduate level certificate in Teaching, Training and Leading with Technology like this one offered by Saint Mary's University of Minnesota or this shorter Professional Certificate in Online Education by UW-Madison.
Final thoughts
It may take some time, but crafting your professional background to be attractive to Universities hiring adjuncts is important to land that first job! Here are a few additional tips:
Know what specific courses you are qualified to teach
Create a few lesson plans that you can use as a guest lecturer or to showcase during an interview
Focus your efforts toward building a relationship with a few local Universities you're interested in
Leverage connections at your Alma matter - consider teaching at the University from which you obtained your degree
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