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[_mara_]

I am on the tenure track, but have long wondered what is considered to be more "prestigious," an instructor line or a visiting line. I always thought it was visiting lines...but at my university, instructors make significantly more (not that salary=prestige, but you know what I am saying). Just curious.

[aandsdean]

In many schools, "instructor" is a tenure-track rank (if it's not preceded by "visiting," of course), while visiting is always visiting.  (Uh, duh.)  An instructor generally doesn't have a terminal degree, and as such is not in possession of the same level of professional accomplishment as a VAP, but the presumption of ongoing appointment makes the "instructor" a better job.

And an instructor probably has other duties (advising, committees, etc.) that at least in part account for the higher pay, just as an assistant prof (TT) will get more than a visiting assistant prof.

This pattern isn't universal, but I would guess it's the way things work at the majority of places.

[crazybatlady]

At my U, "instructors" are either graduate students or adjuncts.  They do not make nearly as much as visiting asst. profs do.  Unfortunately.

[neniaf]

It depends completely on the institution; there are no national standards.  Sometimes Instructor is used for a faculty member who has not yet defended the dissertation, but sometimes it is used for all NTT faculty.  Visiting positions are often given ranks like Assistant Professor to keep them consistent with the individual's rank at a "home" school, keeping the institution out of trouble with the AAUP. 

In my first few years of pre-tenure-track teaching, I went back and forth between the two ranks you mention, and didn't notice any differences in prestige.