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[Looking]

    I have a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies.  I am seeking adjunct work in hopes of being able to secure a full-time teaching position via this experience.  Most accessible around me are community colleges.  However, in California, at least, community colleges don’t generally teach courses in Bible.  I’d appreciate suggestions on how I might market my Ph.D. for adjunct work at community colleges that do not have my major but do teach various areas in which I could theoretically teach.  For example, I can teach Bible as Literature in the English dept.  I can teach Greco-Roman History and Culture in the history dept. or I can even tech intro to the Bible in the philosophy dept.  The problem comes up, however, that community colleges around here tend to expect you to be certified to teach in a major.  So I can’t teach in the philosophy dept. it appears because I can’t be certified in philosophy without a Master’s degree in philosophy.  Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Pecos]

Back East, there is no such thing as CC teachers being certified.  Is that just a California thing? Here, as long as you can demonstrate that you have the academic background, you can teach anything, especially as an adjunct.

Although I'm not familiar with New Testement Studies, it sounds like it would be theology, which is philosophy.  Can you make that claim?  Or am I off base?

[Senior Scholar]

I'm in the East, and most of the CCs advertise for people with a Master's in their subject -- which is why I advise doctoral students to take the MA "in course," since our students discovered years ago that the local CCs (there are a number within commute range) do not consider an ABD -- without a Master's -- as an appropriate qualification. (Go figure.)

To "Looking," -- I think most of your subjects sound too specialized for the typical CC. What other colleges are around where you are? Any old two-year private colleges (there are some in this vicinity which were once Catholic women's secretarial and nursing schools, that still do two-year vocational degrees of various kinds but which have more in the philosophy-history-liberal arts line than most of the local CCs)? Any two year "feeder campuses" for bigger universities -- these, too, have more academic courses than the typical CC.

I guess my other advice would be to read the catalogues and websites of all the schools very carefully and figure out from course descriptions if there is anything you can appropriately do. Of course remedial writing and ESL are always in demand, and adjunct positions open up right through the first week of classes.

[CC adjunct]

For many CC's (not sure about CA), you can get certified to teach by having a masters degree in the subject or a masters degree in a related area with a certain number of graduate credits in the teaching discipline (this is often 18 semester units).  I'm not sure what type of coursework your degree required, but you may be able to teach some religion courses if you did any comparative classes early on.  Many CC's have specific requirements listed for teaching religion (types of courses required, etc).  If your degree is too specialized, you may be able to teach some non-credit courses if the CC near you offers them.  Good luck!

[Hiring Chair]

In California the requirements in an academic area are:  a credential (no longe issued. . . you had to be "granfathered") or; a master's in the field (there's a "disciplines list" that tells you the acceptable degrees for each field) or;  "the equivalent".

You should make a case that your Ph.D. is the "equivalent" to the acceptable master's degree.  The proof falls on the applicant, and since your major is very atypical for a cc, you'll need to pick and choose your courses and show how they are similar, or equivalent, to those of an acceptable master's degree.

What can be difficult is the fact that your doctoral courses are likely esoteric, highly specialized, and may not be easily viewed as "equivalent".  That may sound odd, but consider that we teach lower-division, survey courses.  You probably have the background from a bachelor's or perhaps master's program, but the doctoral stuff might not be viewed as terribly relevant for what we do.

We frequently have candidates who apply under equivalency.  It rarely has an impact on the hiring decision.  As long as you meet the academic qualifications, we're going to be much more concerned about your ability and experience teaching our subjects to our students.  

We teach survey courses to the broadest range of students you can imagine.  If you want to get hired at a cc, tell us about that!

Hiring Chair

[Hiring Chair]

And hopefully I'll beat "Pedant" to the punch on my typos.  What can I say?  I'm at home with an old computer and no spell check!!

Hiring Chair

[%sig%]

[CA adjunct]

"We frequently have candidates who apply under equivalency. It rarely has an impact on the hiring decision. As long as you meet the academic qualifications, we're going to be much more concerned about your ability and experience teaching our subjects to our students. "

I wonder if this condition (that equivalency rarely has an impact on the hiring decision) is school-specific or discipline-specific or...?  I was told (directly and in no uncertain terms) that the California CC where I adjunct will not hire a full time math instructor who qualifies by equivalency.  If it is school-specific (rather than discipline-specific), how does one go about finding out before investing the time, energy, and emotions in an application?  Would HR be able to tell me?

I sure would like to know before I invest $30K and 1-2 years in getting a Masters in Math so I can teach various shades of algebra!

[%sig%]

[anon47]

You've probably considered this already, but your experiences sound ideal for teaching at a private school.

[Random Pedant]

I believe you meant to write "I'm at home with an old computer and [do not have a] spell [ing] check [er]!!

I am also generally irritated by persons posting such phrases as, "what I said" or "I meant to say," in reference to previous written posts on a listserver.  If you put it on an internet listserver, you wrote it.  You did not say anything, unless you are talking out loud in front of your computer.  Talking to a listserver seldom, if ever, leads to answers to your questions or concerns.

Random Pedant (who finds it fun to be obnoxious)

[Pedant]

I like you.

I like the way your mind works.

I will accept an occasional misspelling, but I loathe postings that lack punctuation or capitalization.

Keep up the obnoxious work. May our tribe increase.

[%sig%]

[Pleistocene Pedant]

Well, one might go further, and waaay back, and say, "Nothing seen on this forum is 'written,' as the _original_ definition of writing meant to use an instrument--pen, pencil, brush, chisel--to produce marks on some physical medium, such as stone, bark, cloth, or paper."  Then the verb (SOED) has passed into allowing the product of such tools as typewriters.  But here? The text is as ephemeral as a cloud, and can hardly be said to be "written," when all that really exists is phosphors variously and temporarily excited to greater or lesser photon emissions, produced by keyboarding, which is "really" producing just a string of ones and zeros in some obscure spot on a chip of silicon.  I'd be willing to say "written" only if everyone printed out each forum communication on paper--that is, I'd say that if I were even more pedantic...but I'm not.  I'm willing to say "say" and "written" for even these communications, and accept informal usages of all kinds.

on the other hand, why anyone would "write" in all lc even the personal pronoun and all unpunctuated is something i "say" i cant stand or understand

BUT, THANK GOD, THE ALL-CAPS FOLKS APPEAR TO HAVE "HEARD" THE MESSAGE AND STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Can we do something about the use (any use is "abuse,", I say!) of emoticons?  Just a thought.  ;)

[Looking]

anon47 wrote:

> You've probably considered this already, but your experiences
> sound ideal for teaching at a private school.

 I certainly have but except for one course, which I’m teaching right now, I’ve had no success at getting other in-classroom work.  I’ve tried contacting people I know and everything I could think of, but I’m not having much success doing that. I’ll be teaching on online course for a private school in the Fall, but my perception is that, in terms of impact on a C.V., online teaching experience is only a small step above janitor experience, and I’d rather teach in person anyway.