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[anywho]

I'm conducting a job search this year in a field where interviews are scheduled at the annual conference.

I'm not well off. I'm an adjunct and I live within a strict monthly budget. I have significant medical debt from an injury that happened last year during a period when I didn't have insurance coverage.

I just tried to make travel arrangements for the annual conference, and found that flights cost between 950$ - 1600$, the conference registration will be several hundred dollars, and hotel will be 169$ per night. Obviously it's the cost of the flight that really kills.

I just can't do this. I'm SO discouraged right now.

If I get interview requests, I'll be forced to tell them that I'm not attending the annual conference. I'll have to ask if they will consider a phone interview.

[schoolmarm]

You need to budget shop for travel a bit more....

If you are going to Chicago, the Club Quarters has a great deal during the holidays in the middle of the week.  I think it was about $60 or 70 per night.  They also have hotels in NYC, Philly, Dallas, DC, and a couple in California.  They won't show up on Orbitz or Travelocity, most of the time.

For airfare, you can get a transatlantic flight for that cost...do some digging.  Try priceline.

Check Southwest and other budget airlines.  They don't show up on the travel search engines either.

It's also wise to check the travel search engines as well as the airlines' web sites.

For hotel, find out the address of the conference hotel and then do a search on the travel sites (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity) and search for hotels nearby. Sometimes there are much cheaper hotels nearby.  Check out B and Bs and hostels, as well.  Or get a roommate....

The other advice is to book early (OR at the last minute...for last minute hotel check out www.ratestogo.com  it's good for some cities, not so good for others).

Good luck

[anywho]

Love the handle, schoolmarm.

Thanks for the info. I was able to find a roundtrip flight for only (hah) $350. So, now my total expenses including conf registration cost ($200-something), flights, and hotel ($400) add up to ONLY about $1000 (not including food, transportation from airport to hotel).

Only $1000...sigh. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

[nonny]

Are you staying at the conference hotel?  If so, you can probably cut some expenses there.  For hotels, you can try tripadvisor.com.  They not only rank and review hotels in each city, but you can also list hotels by price range (including <$100 range).  The benefit there is that you can find cheap hotels AND find out from customer reviews if they're tolerable.  And of course, you can bid your own price for a hotel through priceline--and can get pretty good deals. 

[southbound]

If it does happen that you are unable to attend, and that you are invited to interview, all may not be lost.  I suppose some departments might hold attendance at the conference to be a necessary condition for advancing your candidacy, but I hope that this would not universally be the case. 

I'm in a discipline that uses these conference interviews, and my department would--I think--try to make accommodation if we could (midwestern SLAC).  I'm not pretending that that it would be equally convenient for us, or that there might not be a distinct advantage in being able to sit down and talk face to face for 30-40 minutes in the same circumstances as all other candidates.  But if we read 2-300 applications and yours was one of 15 that we wanted to pursue, we really do want to pursue it. 

Wishing you the best in what every single one of us knows to be a difficult and discouraging time. 

[wanna_writemore]

If you get interview offers, try last-minute deals on Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz for hotels.  There's no need to stay in the conference hotel, and you can save hundreds.

Good luck!

[expatinuk]

Additionally you can try and find out who is going to the conference and might be willing to share a hotel room. I'm a full Prof and make pretty good money, but I almost always share when I go to one of the major conferences in my field. At this point in my career it's not for financial reasons (well.... it does stretch my budget) but for all the 'catching up' that I do with friends.

A couple of years ago 4 of us pitched in and got a 2 bedroom suite in Las Vegas for our conference. We had a blast!... erm... when we weren't working of course!

[margarete]

The major conference in my field actually has a section on the society website for people looking for roommates (and carpools).  It's worth a look for yours.

[gunsgermsandsteel]

The major conference in my field actually has a section on the society website for people looking for roommates (and carpools).  It's worth a look for yours.

Yes, very common, such roommate ads. In many major conferences, that is. You can advertise your own needs on the mailing lists of your field(s).

[anywho]

The major conference in my field actually has a section on the society website for people looking for roommates (and carpools).  It's worth a look for yours.

Oh, I wish that the major conference in my field had a section like that on its website. They don't unfortunately.

Good news though, I found a much cheaper hotel about half a mile from the conference site. It is so cheap that it might be a little scary (as in grimy, not unsafe), but I can handle it for two days.

I also decided not to register for the conference at all. I can go to interviews without registering, and it saves me several hundred dollars.

[cackalacker]

I also decided not to register for the conference at all. I can go to interviews without registering, and it saves me several hundred dollars.

Good call! I think that's a pretty common form of cost-cutting; it was certainly the first thing that I cut out when I was job huntin, budget style.

Also, don't be too proud to stock your room with snacks from the Kwik E Mart or a nearby grocery store.  Hotel food is expensive and (often) grody.

[polly_mer]

I also decided not to register for the conference at all. I can go to interviews without registering, and it saves me several hundred dollars.

As tempting as it is from a financial standpoint to save the conference fees, register for the conference and go to some relevent sessions.  Use the opportunity to network.

Cutting corners on everything else is smart and will be lauded by everyone.  If the search committees find out that you didn't register just to save a few bucks, they will record that as a big black mark against you.  I know you're broke and I sympathize, but professionals attend the conference, even if it's just to drink at the end of the day and say "Did you see X's talk?  Tee hee.  I can't believe he's still trying to get people to buy that bilge."  Attending the conference is part of the initiation process.  You must do it to be taken seriously.

[cackalacker]

How on earth would a search committee know if the OP didn't register?  There's no need to do so to attend panels or get to interviews.  Registration badges are a ticket into the book exhibit, and that's about it.

[polly_mer]

How on earth would a search committee know if the OP didn't register?  There's no need to do so to attend panels or get to interviews.  Registration badges are a ticket into the book exhibit, and that's about it.

Hmm.  We must attend very different conferences.  I am accustomed to being met at the convention center front door with either a request to see a badge or directions to registration and they do watch to make sure you go over to the table.  Staff check badges to enter most of the sessions, the food court, and the exhibit hall.

I guess I just don't understand why one would even debate about registering for the conference.  It's a chance to see some interesting talks, meet some new people, and catch up on the gossip with old colleagues.  Even if the search committee doesn't find out one skipped (and there are ways to find out other than just checking badges), it still seems like missing a great opportunity to further ensconce oneself into the proper community.

[cackalacker]

Food court? We do go to different conferences.

It's probably safe to assume that if Anywho has considered not registering, then it's the sort of conference where one doesn't need the badge for much.  At every conference I've ever (humanities/soc sci), I could have gone to sessions and cocktail parties, stood in the foyer, and spoken to my colleagues without having registered.

Besides, I can't imagine a search committee member caring either way.