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[englitprof]

My husband and I are in the same field of specialization, and I've just run across a job ad for "one, possibly two" t-t positions in that field.  We'll both apply, of course, but should we reference each other's application in our own?  If so, how should we phrase it?

[wordswords]

My husband and I are in a very similar position. We are in the same discipline but in different fields. We currently have tt positions at the same SLAC and both went back on the market last year. We took both approaches. Early in the search, we just each applied to the schools we were interested in with positions we were suited to, sometimes for the same position, sometimes for two different positions at the same school, never mentioning that we were a couple.  Later in the search, we made reference to one another's applications if we were applying to the same school for 2 different positions, noting that we were not making a dual hire a condition, but wanted to make the committee aware of our situation. Based on the results, I'd suggest not bringing it up until one of you gets an offer for an interview. None fo the schools we applied to "in tandem" responded to our applications.

[seniorscholar]

My sense would be that "one, possibly two" positions in the same field is a coded message about partner hires, especially if the college is in some remote location where they're particularly hospitable to partners because they know they're more likely to stick around (since the two body problem is solved, which is seldom possible). Or they may, like another college I know of, be hospitable to considering two people for one-and-a-half positions, which may, in fact, amount to three-fourths of a teaching load apiece, but "full time" for one person on paper for the purposes of health insurance and so forth.

Thus, I would probably tell one of my advisees to mention the partner if the ad said "one, possibly two" but if the ad simply specifies two positions, to apply separately and not mention. (Of course, search committees do tend to notice it when two applicants have the same address, even if they don't have the same name, but that's simply an item of interest, not a plus or minus.) In general, the time to start talking about the second person is when an offer is on the table, unless some strong signal from the department chair gives you a clue that you might mention it in the interview.