next »

[seniorscholar]

Indeed, many VAP jobs aren't even advertised. Along about mid-July, the graduate director in the appropriate department at the nearest R-1 gets a phone call from a not-too-distant college (sometimes a very high-ranked LAC, but more often a little Catholic college or a regional state college): "One of our tenured faculty just asked for a year's medical leave/ is being deployed/ has been awarded a big research fellowship/ whatever, and we need someone to staff upper-level courses in Basketweaving -- Underwater, Salt-Water, and Professional Certification. We don't want to use adjuncts for advanced courses. Do you have a recent PhD who is still in the area who would be interested in a one-year VAP at a salary of [decent figure] and full benefits?"

[yellowtractor]

And some, of course, are imaginary, or retroactive.  I blame all my pedagogical faux pas on an imaginary VAP who worked here at HappySLAC in 2006-07.

[bacardiandlime]

Indeed, many VAP jobs aren't even advertised.

I was actually invited to apply for a (non-advertised) VAP last year: a prof in the department knew me and sent me an email. They did run a 'search' in the sense of asking more than one person to apply, but it wasn't open.

[john_proctor]

Indeed, many VAP jobs aren't even advertised.

I was actually invited to apply for a (non-advertised) VAP last year: a prof in the department knew me and sent me an email. They did run a 'search' in the sense of asking more than one person to apply, but it wasn't open.

At current program, the last VAP got hired exactly this way - and that's exactly what I meant below.

Here's what happened:

We had a faculty member decide to resign unexpededly at the end of the term (medical reasons.  Left on the best possible terms.  No hard feelings, at all).  Left us short for the next term by a whole, ft curriculum.

We had a department meeting where all the tt people came together to discuss options.  1. reassign courses to adjuncts (opted against. None of our current adjuncts were really specialized in the ways needed for the upper level curriculum.  Plus, they're all already half-time).  2. Thrown together, half-assed latelatelate season search for a ft (eeeeeehhhhhhehh.  No.)  3.  Cancel classes (not unless we have to).  4. Hire a VAP for next term and do a full tt search simultaneously. 

Decided on 4.  About five of us partialed up a quick list of places/people we could call regarding candidates or interest in coming.  The chair went to work getting approval for salary (easy, since there was money available from the budget for Dr. Hadtoleave.  Indeed, the VAP salary was about half).  All five of us sent out emails and made phone calls.  Most of the queeries came back bust ("Nope.  Sorry, love to help you out, but I got bupkis here.  But, hey, it was great talking to you; love to the wife").  Some came back tentative ("well, it's not really what you said you want, but I know this one person who's pretty close and might ...")  Three came back hits.  We emailed them and inquired about their interest/availablity.  One wasn't available.  Two or three of us got together for one afternoon and called them via conference all.  We took a weekend thinking about it, then got together Monday AM over the coffee pot and hashed out our choice (it was pretty clear).  Called and offered.  Verbal committment by lunch; contract in the mail by Friday.  Newbie arrived two weeks before classes started (came to town once in the Summer to get temporary housing squared away).

Done like that.

(BTW, the candidate we hired?  S/he was one of the finalists for a job at the school of the recommender.  Pays to impress folks in interviews, even if you don't get the immediate job).

[yellowtractor]

This is all very interesting.  At my present school and its immediate predecessor, a full-fledged VAP--full-time, salaried, benefits--requires a formal search.  If standard search protocol aren't followed (ads in the usual places, preliminary and final interviews, etc.), the only other option is to hire adjuncts to plug the gaps.

Which is what often happens, when we find out too late we need somebody for the coming year, or on the rarer occasions when a formal VAP search fails.

[john_proctor]

This is all very interesting.  At my present school and its immediate predecessor, a full-fledged VAP--full-time, salaried, benefits--requires a formal search.  If standard search protocol aren't followed (ads in the usual places, preliminary and final interviews, etc.), the only other option is to hire adjuncts to plug the gaps.

Which is what often happens, when we find out too late we need somebody for the coming year, or on the rarer occasions when a formal VAP search fails.

Nope.

We just invoke a clause in the "hire of opportunity" protocols.

So long as the position is temporary, there are no formal requirements.

If we had a full-time permanent position (at any level; with or without tenure potential) the formalities ensue.

If a VAP line becomes permanent (or tt), then we have to initiate a full, formal search (and, the VAP can, of course, apply).

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

My apologies for not addressing the VAP discussion.

Yo, Farm_Boy, what are your reasons for waiting to go overseas? Are you looking to teach overseas? ESL, I presume? If that's your plan, it's probably much more likely that you'll find an overseas job than a VAP. After teaching overseas, you might actually be a more likely candidate for a VAP. (Right? No? I may need correction on that last point.)

[farm_boy]

This has been a very beneficial thread for me.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

I have two options for the fall: A. I've applied for a one-year Instructor position or B. If I dont' get A. I will give up forever on working in higher ed in the U.S. and put up with one more year of teaching public school before going overseas fall of 2010.

The problem is I may have to go overseas without my spouse the first year at least.

[john_proctor]

This has been a very beneficial thread for me.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

I have two options for the fall: A. I've applied for a one-year Instructor position or B. If I dont' get A. I will give up forever on working in higher ed in the U.S. and put up with one more year of teaching public school before going overseas fall of 2010.

The problem is I may have to go overseas without my spouse the first year at least.

?!?

That's what you get from this thread as your only options?  Get a job this Fall or give up forever? 

And, the only alternative in life is to go overseas and teach (without your partner)? 

There's a WHOLE lotta other options and permutations.

Frankly, this doesn't seem at all to be a reasonable or sensible response.  Indeed, it almost looks like you're seeking justification for "being forced to give up" some dream of teaching in higher ed.

Now, don't get me wrong.  There's about one billlion million meaningful things one can do in life apart from teaching in higher ed.  And there's about one gazillion billion million reasons somebody could choose to do one of those things.

But if you go blaming that choice on circumstances or other things (and don't simply say "well, I decided I just didn't want to do that"), you're setting yourself up for decades of disappointment.

[farm_boy]

My last post was misleading, because the conclusion I've reached (either option A or option B) is based on two threads, not just this one (the other is in Leaving Academe).  It's a long, long story, but I'll just say I made some questionable decisions a few years back, and returning to higher ed just doesn't seem feasible.