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  • Ask the Administrator: Tracking the Elusive Full-Time English Gig

    By Dean Dad July 16, 2009 9:29 pm

    A new correspondent writes:

    I am considering a English Education master's degree with the intent of teaching at community colleges. I have traveled extensively, started businesses, written grants, am passionate about teaching, and I have a diverse range of skills and specialties. I want a career core that will act as the glue and incorporate my values and an aspect of service, while allowing me to pursue my frequent tangents (folklore collection, noir comic paintings, travel blogging, adult literacy, neuroplasticity...).

    Since my personal experience says that adjunct professors are cheap and universities are hiring more and more of them to reduce costs, the job outlook should be relatively good. But the horror stories! The indignities! I know where I stand on wealth. If I can take basic care for myself, have health insurance and do low-cost travel when I want to, I'm good. I have never been particularly drawn to becoming a four year university instructor because extreme specialization seemed to be a requisite, and I am a honey bee, admiring of experts, but fueled by exploration.

    So--too much information, but--is it ridiculous to pursue community college level teaching? Can you make a reasonable (knowing that my expenses are not high) living? Anything is POSSIBLE, but I am not a big fan picking unnecessary obstacles. I want a job that affords basic living expenses while I have other passions on the side--not another amateur (in the 'to love' sense) practice to fund.

    Somehow, I'm picturing Susan Sarandon's character from Bull Durham.

    A few thoughts, and then I'll ask my wise and worldly readers – especially those from English and Education programs – to put some meat on the bones.

    My first thought is that English Education is a hybrid, so I'm not sure what your goal is. If you want to teach in an English department, it's usually best to get a Master's in Rhet/Comp or maybe English. (Rhet/Comp will greatly improve your chances at the cc level.) The “Education” part implies teaching in a program that trains K-12 teachers, which is not the same thing. (A Master's in Education puts you on a very different track.) Or maybe you're thinking of teaching ESL? In some states, certification in teaching Reading can set you up to be a remediation specialist. Without some clarity on that, it's hard to get specific about chances.

    From this side of the desk, I can attest that we get far more applicants for full-time English positions than for full-time positions in the Education department.

    Then there's the question of motive. You can be the polymath you want to be during the summers, especially if you don't need extra income from summer teaching. But teaching the writing-intensive lower division English courses full-time is a draining enterprise. During the semesters, I wouldn't expect to have much free time or energy. If you love the work so much that you draw energy from it, then great. If it feels like work, heaven help you.

    Right now, of course, the market for full-time positions in English is ludicrous. That's a result of a combination of a long-term trend toward adjunctification and the Great Recession. It's fair to expect the Great Recession to pass eventually, but the long term structural trend underneath it will probably continue. Yes, universities rely on adjuncts, but cc's (generally) do even more. I'm heartened by the recent attention cc's have received from the Obama administration, but absent a truly historic (and permanent) infusion of funds, I wouldn't hold my breath for a full-time hiring boom.

    Worse, you'd be up against huge numbers of people who literally can't imagine doing anything else. If a hiring committee sniffs a lack of dedication, it doesn't have to settle. You don't “fall back on” teaching anymore. If anything, disappointed would-be teachers fall back on regular jobs.

    My general advice for anyone considering grad school in an evergreen discipline is, don't. This is especially true if it's possible to imagine yourself happy doing almost anything else. A self-described “honey bee” is likelier to find fulfillment in jobs with lower barriers to entry and to change. Full-time teaching gigs in English are rare birds these days, requiring a daunting combination of talent, single-mindedness, and luck. You don't sound like the single-minded sort. Honestly, I'd recommend looking at becoming a corporate trainer, or a freelancer, or something along those lines. You'll get to it faster, be free to move from flower to flower much more quickly, and stand a much better chance of finding both enough work and enough freedom to live the way you want.

    One admin's opinion, anyway.

    Good luck!

    Wise and worldly readers – what do you think?

    Have a question? Ask the Administrator at deandad (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Comments on Ask the Administrator: Tracking the Elusive Full-Time English Gig

  • 18 Grad Hours
  • Posted by Lil Johhny on July 17, 2009 at 5:15am EDT

  • If you are going for a masters degree in education and hope to have any chance of teaching English courses at a community college, you will probably have to get 18 graduate credit hours specifically in ENGLISH (not courses with EDU acronyms). Check the community college teaching requirements in the regional area that you hope to live in and make sure you get those basic requirements met. If you really want to teach English at a community college, you would be better off with a pure English degree... not an English Education degree. Basically, it sounds like you need to decide if you want to do K-12 or higher ed... then dive into the proper graduate program.

    I generally concur with DD on this. Once you finish your masters degree, you are first facing years of adjunct work. Without that experience, you can probably forget even being invited to an interview for a full-time position. Once you have the experience... you'll likely be competing with people who have Ph.D.'s in English and more experience. You can eventually break in if you are resilient enough, but it will likely take several years of living near or below the poverty line. Taking a job at a rural community college may speed up your career a little, but it will still be a competitive process.

    If I were you, I might look into K-12 teaching. If you go into the K-12 system, you probably will not have to slave away as an adjunct for years before finding a full-time gig. It would give you more time in the Summer to do things that interest you. Most community college instructors I know HAVE TO work in the Summer to pay their bills. I expect there will be more full-time openings in the K-12 system in the near future... as aging baby boomers finally retire (for the second or third time). A similar trend will occur in higher ed., but they will not fill the positions as quickly.

    You can eventually make it if you REALLY, REALLY want it.

    Personally, I could not work as an English instructor at any level. Reading and grading all of those papers would just suck my soul dry.

  • Posted by Linda Aragoni , CEO at www.You-Can-Teach-Writing.com on July 17, 2009 at 9:30am EDT

  • I've taught as an adjunct with two interdisciplinary masters degrees but it is getting harder and harder to find those jobs. Many colleges won't even look at anyone for their English faculty without a straight English degree.

    In most education settings, your experience outside the hallowed walls won't help you land a job. My diverse background makes me a great writing teacher, but it doesn't help me get a teaching gig.

    Also the pay for adjuncts is only marginally better than unemployment. The last adjunct job paid less than I got for teaching the same course 25 years before.

    I gave up on adjunct for colleges entirely to become a full-time "infopreneur." I teach or sell information about teaching and keep all the profits. I can't count on a steady income, but I couldn't count on a steady income from teaching either.

    You might look into work in adult ed where your diverse background and interests could give you an edge.

    Good luck!

  • Think It Over
  • Posted by Philogenes on July 17, 2009 at 9:30am EDT

  • I'm a cc English professor, and I think DD's advice is pretty good. Some departments actually like English Ed degrees--for people teaching developmental courses, aka deferred high school English. These courses tend to be more regimented than composition courses. On the other hand, willingness and ability to teach developmental can be an asset in a job hunt; having a niche of this kind can shorten the adjunct dues paying time. But keep in mind that singleness of purpose is important. Most of the search committees I've served on in twenty-two years have included a question that boils down to "How committed to this job will you really be?"
    Good luck.

  • "Hybrid degree"
  • Posted by Peter Smagorinsky , Professor at University of Georgia on July 17, 2009 at 11:00am EDT

  • "My first thought is that English Education is a hybrid, so I'm not sure what your goal is."
    This is not true at all from the perspective of people who teach in programs that award these degrees. The degree specifically prepares people for careers as middle and high school English teachers. It's not a hybrid in any way, shape, or form.

  • Don't do it unless . . .
  • Posted by John Mayher , Professor of English Education at New York University on July 17, 2009 at 11:15am EDT

  • The full-time employment picture is grim out there. Better in secondary ed than community colleges. But no one should pursue a degree in English Education who isn't deeply committed to teaching and learning. Adjunct teaching doesn't seem to be a routed to full time work and community colleges keep on benefiting from the four year college job shortages so they are more and more able to hire PhD's with publication records who would formerly have been competitive ast 4 year schools.

    So the only real benefit for an English Ed MA will be found at the high school.

  • Students Deserve Commitment
  • Posted by Louann Reid , Professor of English Education at Colorado State University on July 17, 2009 at 12:15pm EDT

  • In addition to the comments already posted, with which I largely agree, I want to add that students at all levels deserve a committed teacher. This is especially true in the K-12 years, when we teachers must help students to develop a solid foundation in understanding and skills, a sense of exploration, and a love of learning. When I was on hiring committees in high schools, we always sought candidates dedicated to students' well-being as well as competent in the subject matter. Without this commitment, you should spend your time and money on a degree other than English education.

  • "Literally"
  • Posted by Lance on July 17, 2009 at 1:45pm EDT

  • "Worse, you'd be up against huge numbers of people who literally can't imagine doing anything else."

    No, he'd be up against huge numbers of people who FIGURATIVELY can't imagine doing anything else. Pet peeve.

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