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[historianguy]

Hi all,

I'm in a quandary.  I had previously applied to several universities asking about adjunct work in my field (history) and I had been told there was nothing yet and they'd keep me on file.  In the mean time, a late 2 year VAP post was offered and I only interviewed today (campus interview).  I won't know anything until next week at the earliest but I can't just say 'No' yet to adjuncting immediately or keep the department chair waiting.

Would it unduly aggravate the chair at the university (which wants me as an adjunct) if I say 'I'd be interested' and then later turn it down should I get the 2 year VAP position?  The timing is typical, but I hadn't anticipated a campus interview this late in the season even for a VAP post.  I just wouldn't want to burn any bridges should I get the 2 year VAP.

[gamera]

Would it aggravate the chair if you said "yes" to adjuncting and later turned it down because you got a 2-year VAP contract?

Sure, of course it would.  But then again, I'm fairly sure that the chair wouldn't blink at having to give your classes to a TT faculty member should should his/her classes not fill.

I don't think there's anything wrong with you saying "yes" to these adjuncting positions  while you wait to hear on the VAP contract.  Even if your chair gets a little peeved should you duck out of teaching the classes in a few weeks, he/she must understand that you need to take a better contract over adjuncting.  Period.

[historianguy]

I don't know the chair personally, so I don't know how he'd react but I don't want to say something like 'I am very interested but I have recently interviewed for a position and will have the results in a week...' in case that makes him decide to withdraw the offer (which would leave me in a sticky spot if I don't get the 2 year VAP).  The adjuncting is for this coming fall semester, too.  So maybe that'd make them slightly less aggravated but I'm not sure.  Thanks for your thoughts, gamera.

[breskvar]

Well that happened to me not long ago.  I accepted an adjunct offer and then a week or so later I was offered a full time position at another university.  I (foolishly) called the chair at the FullTime U about whether I could do both, was told an emphatic no, and then politely called Adjunct U to decline the offer.  All profs involved were very understanding of the situation. 

[jbracken]

Is it common that you can't do adjunct at another place if you have VAP at one?

[historianguy]

In my case, they're in two different states.  I'm not sure about the breskvar's case, but I would suspect it might be due to contract stuff perhaps?  Or that the VAP U expects you to devote yourself full time to the courses they hired you to teach rather than moonlighting?

I suppose what I will end up doing is something along the lines of what breskvar did (unless someone chimes in thinking it's ok to warn them I may well receive a 2 year VAP offer and if they can wait a week for confirmation).

[breskvar]

Yes it was the contract.  It said expressly that in the first year of employment, staff could not take up outside work.

For a short while I thought I should STFU and accept both secretly (the two Us are only a 30-minute commute from each other), but I thought better of it, since more likely than not the faculty in both places know each other.

[larryc]

Dude! You owe diddly to an adjuncting gig. If they want certainty, they should offer a tenure track line.

Accept the adjuncting jobs while you wait on the VAP. If you get the VAP, email your adjunct chairs immediately and tell them that you have been offered a full time job and can't teach for them after all.  Those chairs will harrumph, then open the file with CVs from other potential adjuncts and hire one of them.

[oldadjunct]

In a very friendly way, let me smack you up side of the head while asking, "What are you thinking?"  Of course hold on to the adjunct gig until the last possible moment; when the VAP comes through, even during the last week of August (or even the first week of classes), drop the adjunct gig without thought or regret.

[mozman]

Accept the adjunct position.  If the TT position comes through, drop the adjunct position.  Don't worry about pissing them off - you owe them nothing.

They would have no problem dropping you as an adjunct if the budget changed at the last minute - people get screwed like this all the time.  I know someone who moved a fair distance for an adjunct gig only to be told that it was canceled when they got there.  Don't be that guy.

Look out for yourself.  No one else is going to.

[adjunctprincipessa]

Please don't worry about this.  Your field is history, so there will be many candidates grateful to get a phone call  asking, "can you teach xyz starting tomorrow?"  I've gotten many of those phone calls, and managed to convincingly offer fake sympathy as the chair complained about the thoughtlessness of the previous adjunct for quitting at the last minute, all the while being quite happy that:
 A.) I got a job that I wanted
 B.)somewhere  out there another adjunct may have achieved stability or is at least happy because they got a better offer.

 Sometimes unavoidable situations like yours arise and any reasonable chair will understand (and any smart chair will be prepared to fill the vacancy within 24 hours).  

[niceday]

Don't even worry about it. Any full-time job trumps adjuncting, and anyone with a shred of decency knows this. They will replace you within the day, if not the hour.

 

[historianguy]

Thank you all for your advice.  I will shoot them an e-mail later today or tomorrow when I'm a little less nervous/zonked out (I'm flying home today from my campus visit).  I'll tentatively accept the offer of 2 Western Civ courses and hope I get the 2 year VAP post.  I expect to hear from the VAP U by next week (they're in a rush to appoint someone) so at least the adjunct U won't have to worry too much about replacing me at the last minute if I suddenly have to decline.

I appreciate all of your advice and I do understand that I have to look out for myself but, at the same time, I also wanted to display some collegiality so that no one thinks I'm 'jerking them around'.  They had told me that there were no free courses when I applied.  I had applied a month or two ago when the prospects of even a VAP were unlikely and then a last minute VAP job showed up.  I applied and got a last minute campus interview.  I just hope that they can hold off on any in-person meetings or contract stuff for the adjunct U until I hear from VAP U.  Not much to do but play it by ear, I think.  Thanks, all.

[niceday]

Thank you all for your advice.  I will shoot them an e-mail later today or tomorrow when I'm a little less nervous/zonked out (I'm flying home today from my campus visit).  I'll tentatively accept the offer of 2 Western Civ courses and hope I get the 2 year VAP post.  I expect to hear from the VAP U by next week (they're in a rush to appoint someone) so at least the adjunct U won't have to worry too much about replacing me at the last minute if I suddenly have to decline.

I appreciate all of your advice and I do understand that I have to look out for myself but, at the same time, I also wanted to display some collegiality so that no one thinks I'm 'jerking them around'.  They had told me that there were no free courses when I applied.  I had applied a month or two ago when the prospects of even a VAP were unlikely and then a last minute VAP job showed up.  I applied and got a last minute campus interview.  I just hope that they can hold off on any in-person meetings or contract stuff for the adjunct U until I hear from VAP U.  Not much to do but play it by ear, I think.  Thanks, all.

Don't tentatively accept. Accept. Don't worry about it. Hiring adjuncts is the ultimate jerking around. Accept.

[historianguy]

Will do, niceday.  Sorry, it's the post-campus interview jitters I think (it went well but I do need a back-up plan).  If nothing else, history taught me all about back-up plans!  ;)