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[squiddude]

Hello, your friendly sock puppet here.  I'm looking for advice from more experienced academics.

I followed my SO to hu's tt position and have been working as an adjunct in the same dept while finishing the diss.  I am fairly close to being done and we are both eying the job market.  Neither one of us is particularly thrilled with our current college, but the economy is very frightening and, while we are both reasonably "hot" (or at least "warm"), we know the realities of the two body problem.

At the same time, several new lines are opening up in the dept - unfortunately, the faculty does not seem to be taking me into account (do they simply assume I will be happy as an adjunct for the rest of my life despite my PhD?) and my SO and I have every expectation that we would be employable, maybe not on the R-1 circuit, but someplace - or perhaps two places in reasonable proximity.

A staff worker who is a good friend and knows our dept very well suggested I approach our chair and simply ask, "What is my future here?" - particularly given that double jobs are extraordinarily hard to find and then land and such a search is very likely to end in failure.

The chair is an unusually kind and professional person and is a personal friend - we have gone out socially with hu on a number of occasions - so I would never do anything to put hu in a difficult position.  Nor is hu the kind of person who would do something to damage either of our careers, but I do want the faculty to know that I will not settle for an adjunct position (if I can help it) and this may mean that I take my SO (who they love) with me.

Has anyone ever been in this sort of situation?
Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks, Socks.

[larryc]

I think it would be fine to ask, but your husband--the one with the TT position--should do the asking. "You know that my wife is almost done with her dissertation and will be looking for a TT job. Is there a chance for her here? Or should I go on the market with her?"

[sciencephd]

It's hard to understand the phrasing of the following statement from your post in the context of the way faculty searches actually work:

"At the same time, several new lines are opening up in the dept - unfortunately, the faculty does not seem to be taking me into account (do they simply assume I will be happy as an adjunct for the rest of my life despite my PhD?) and my SO and I have every expectation that we would be employable, maybe not on the R-1 circuit, but someplace - or perhaps two places in reasonable proximity. "

What does "not taking you into account" mean ?  Are there positions that you have already applied for ? 

When you say "what is my future here" ?  Are you asking as an adunct or as a faculty spouse ?

Are you hoping to negotiate a "spousal hire" or to apply for a TT job ? 

[squiddude]

It's hard to understand the phrasing of the following statement from your post in the context of the way faculty searches actually work:

"At the same time, several new lines are opening up in the dept - unfortunately, the faculty does not seem to be taking me into account (do they simply assume I will be happy as an adjunct for the rest of my life despite my PhD?) and my SO and I have every expectation that we would be employable, maybe not on the R-1 circuit, but someplace - or perhaps two places in reasonable proximity. "

What does "not taking you into account" mean ?  Are there positions that you have already applied for ? 

When you say "what is my future here" ?  Are you asking as an adunct or as a faculty spouse ?

Are you hoping to negotiate a "spousal hire" or to apply for a TT job ? 

Ah, sorry.  I was trying to be as general as possible, just in case...

For various reasons, several new tt lines opened up in the department.  The faculty met to decide on what new jobs they would open up for national searches.  I was watching this process very closely to see if they would write a job description that I could apply for. 

I perfectly understood that there were no guarantees or promises made and that, even if there was a position in my area, someone else might legitimately beat me out.  Nevertheless, at least two of the faculty have asked me in the recent past "Would you be interested / available in teaching xxx" and I know that they are concerned that they might loose my SO, at least in part because they understand I will probably go on the market (there was a circulated email to this effect).  In addition, my SO mentioned to a couple of the faculty that they did not have a specialist in my area and that I might be interested - at which point they both expressed an interest.

But then the faculty met for the first time and the sub-fields were tentatively decided upon...and they were not for me.  None of the new lines have been actually voted into effect yet, nor have the job adds have actually been written. 

I am little confused - either the faculty were blowing smoke our way to placate my SO, or they forgot, or they changed their collective mind, or they have assumed I am happy in my dead-end adjunct position, or they know that we may leave in search of a two body contract and have decided that other departmental needs take precedence.   

I was just hoping that we might be able to clear it up by starting with the chair.

That's kind of long winded - hope it makes things clear.

Thanks again, and thanks Larry for the good advice - I will take this to the SO.

[sciencephd]

If they have a number of potential openings, and they haven't been advertised yet, then the obvious approach is to try to negotiate a spousal hire.  Of course, this usually works best with leverage.  Since your spouse is there, unless he has an outside offer, maybe there's not so much leverage right now.

[macaroon]

One possibility that you haven't mentioned is that they'll hire a TT faculty somewhat outside of your specialty, and ask the new TT faculty member to teach your classes.  Your adjunct position could potentially be eliminated.

You've cast yourself in a very submissive role right now.  You and your SO need to go on the market and look for other offers.  Then you'll have the upper hand.

[squiddude]

Thank you everyone for your input.  And yeah, macaroon, there is a university-wide directive to eliminate all adjuncts (good luck with that!) and this, in part, is what fuels my half-expressed desperation.  We began assembling applications materials today.  Actually, we wouldn't be too terribly upset to leave this place (understatement) - it's just that the alternative may be forever stuck in teaching the same two 100 level classes again and again or learning to cage fight for a living.

I think perhaps this is a topic for another thread, but why is it that adjuncts are so routinely disrespected?  Wouldn't those of us who have seen the innards of the department be better prepared to accept the roll of a tt faculty there?  Or is there something I'm missing here?

[zuzu_]

it's just that the alternative may be ... learning to cage fight for a living.

AWESOME.

I think perhaps this is a topic for another thread, but why is it that adjuncts are so routinely disrespected?  Wouldn't those of us who have seen the innards of the department be better prepared to accept the roll of a tt faculty there?  Or is there something I'm missing here?

Come hang out in the non-tenure-track forum.

It's the whole adjunct = mistress/whore thing.