Teaching possibilities for me

[kalishakti]

Thanks for this thread!

The amount of online/remote options in teaching interests me. In general, what are compensation and benefits like?

[Ideas]

Thanks for this thread!

The amount of online/remote options in teaching interests me. In general, what are compensation and benefits like?

I have been reading about cc teaching for almost a year, but of course have not done it personally. 

Unfortunately it seems quite competitive to break into. As an adjunct, a person gets no benefits and no job security. It's just a contract for the one (or two or three) classes, for that term. It seems rather difficult to get the first adjunct experience, but much more difficult to actually get enough classes to make it your primary income. Then, apparently relatively few get a full-time position with benefits.

Some online teachers claim to earn $16-18+ an hour, but many claim that they cannot even reach $13-15 an hour and do their job decently. They do not get an hourly rate, it is a fixed amount per course, but I'm saying what they average it out to, when they consider all the hours put in. The ones who earn more tend to be not at cc's and they tend to be more experienced meaning they can do everything quicker.

Also many teachers feel that online courses lack a lot of the pros of teaching.

I don't mean to be a downer about it, but this information is widely known.

I personally have multiple disabilities, so I have few employment opportunities, which is why it appeals to me. Also since the income is not my main concern.

[cookderosa]

Thanks for this thread!

The amount of online/remote options in teaching interests me. In general, what are compensation and benefits like?

The pay is almost always flat rate and the benefits are zero. I've never even heard of adjuncts getting benefits, though I'm sure someone somewhere will say they do- it's certainly not the norm.

GOOD flat rate would be $2500-3000 per section per semester. Adjunct faculty are not part of bargaining unit, but the rates for public teachers (CC) are set by the state in advance, so there is a budget that your college will follow. When I ran a dept, we paid our adjunct $1850 per section per semester. When I left that college 18 years later, we were up to about $2250 per section per semester. I get a flat rate now that is better, BUT it's a 4-year private university and I'm paid on a 1099. Again, benefits are zero. Expect to only get 1 section until they know and love you. Even then, you can't exceed a certain amount, and I won't even venture a guess about how many that is- it used to be 4 sections per semester, but I can't remember if that was *our* policy or a state policy, and if a state policy that may be due to regional accreditors....there are big differences between adjunct and full time rules, so using adjuncts as full-timers is a BIG NO-NO and the college will certainly be called out for attempting to do it.

Our sister forum has many who post regularly who also do adjunct work, there is also a couple who say they are earning a living.... but I can't wrap my brain around that being true based on my own experience. Even if you're getting a nice pay check, you still have to provide your own health/vision/dental insurance, set up your own retirement, and pay taxes which may or may not be withheld (mine aren't now on my 1099). The only way the math works is if you have multiple employers who each max out your schedule AND you're doing a lot of it online as opposed to on campus. There physically aren't enough hours in the day to teach 10 sections in person. If you can get gigs at 3 colleges though, and all throw you work EVERY semester AND it's online, 10 gigs per semester x 3 semesters could support my family. (the insane work load and low quality level at that pace hurt my head)

Adjunct is not most people's goal - it's an entry level or stepping stone job. For those of us who are full time mothers or those who are retired or single, it's a perfect job.

[Ideas]

Jennifer, do you know if they have a certain number of years required before someone can be a full-timer, or anything else about transitioning from adjunct to FT? It seems like hardly anyone is a full-timer with all online classes, they probably have to teach some in-person.

[cookderosa]

Jennifer, do you know if they have a certain number of years required before someone can be a full-timer, or anything else about transitioning from adjunct to FT? It seems like hardly anyone is a full-timer with all online classes, they probably have to teach some in-person.

That's a good question. I can only answer based on my own school's behavior, but when I started, our funding only allowed for 1 full-timer (me) as an admin (different contract) and everyone that taught was adjunct. I was also required to teach sections I couldn't find teachers for. That program launched in 1992 with 8 students and they got approval to hire their first full time faculty member in 2012 when the number had increased to about 200 students in our program. The ENTIRE pool of adjuncts wanted it btw, and the guy that got it was well rounded and deserved it. He could teach several courses well, so I'm sure that was a factor. There are entire depts on that campus that are fully adjunct and will be forever because the program can't support full timers. Full timers are regulated by the unions, so their benefits requirements are expensive whereas adjunct are straight pay.
I think that while being an adjunct isn't going to guarantee you that you'll EVER get promoted to full time, I would also say that probably 99.99% of full timers were adjuncts before being hired full time, so if full time is your goal, it's certainly a way to get in on the ground floor.

Here's something else- arts and sciences (college transfer / gen eds) are going to have the highest number of full timers whereas career / technical are going to have the fewest. You can figure out who is what if the college doesn't have a directory online. Just go into a schedule and pull up the dept course registration for your dept. Say it's Biology. It will list all the sections you can register for. Start looking at names and counting. If someone has 5 sections, they are full time. If it says "staff" that will probably be an adjunct. If you see 1-2 sections, they are for sure adjunct. If you can find the dept chair, see if they have to teach too- if they do, they are stretched for money and may be under a lot of pressure to maintain costs (thus hiring more adjunct). Also, if the registration catalog has archives, go back and see if the same names teach the same sections each year. For instance, does Bob Smith always teach the MWF 9am section each Spring? If so, you don't stand a chance unless he quits. There are all kinds of things you can find out if you poke around...

[Ideas]

There are all kinds of things you can find out if you poke around...

I poked around for a particular school a few days ago, seeing who is teaching in the department for the past year. Your explanation helps me understand what I see better  It looks like they have quite a few people supplementing their income from their main job in the field. I was hoping to find differently, because it seems like the school does get enough applicants with lots of work experience. My only hope is/was that they are expanding the offerings in the 1-2 departments I'm most interested in, but they have so many adjuncts, who are probably happy to get another section or two. I still have a little hope for this particular cc, in case some of the adjuncts don't want those certain classes.

[High_Order1]

I see that most want people who have strong online teaching experience. Is there lower hanging fruit? Could you be a youtube presenter, or like Alison or similar contributor?

I know where the smaller doors are in my career field; what are they in this?