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[manandwoman]

"Husband has some teaching experience and I have very little and none in the near future"
Meant to say that have none in the recent past ;-) ..or actually may not be in near future - If no one calls me for a teaching job!!

[dellaroux]

One place to start your thinking about teaching might be to construct a syllabus for a course you'd teach, just as a practice effort, doing the course description, weekly assignments, short biography, course bibliography, and proposal, each as a separate piece that worked with the others.

Hope--and a clearer sense of the next steps--sometimes comes from moving towards.

And I hope you understood that I meant no unkindness in discussing your English. I have to function in another language for some of the things I do and I have to be aware of the same issues in those settings, so I'm more aware of it, perhaps--and I do have an editor I work with in those cases, very thankfully!

[manandwoman]

I would like to go back to the original qn...

In short I dont consider myself a really hot candidate even with the research funding.. Reasons- Lack of teaching experience ( we are trying for a research Univ..so not sure if this is relevant), changed field since PhD ( but it all works together well as interdisciplinary research), not a native english speaker, got PhD outside US ( but from a very good Univ.)
Husband- Could be considered a hot candidate if they are interested in his sub- speciality area.

This place has multiple positions - all levels.

We have no idea how they feel about couples being in the same dept.

So option 1: Mention about "us" in each cover letter or send a separate email to search chair about this "disclosure".
Option 2:Wait untill at least one of us get an interview call and then talk to the chair. This way we won't jinx any possible opportunity by talking about all family matters.

We are not desperate for this job ..But it is a desirable location and how often do we see ads were our area of speciality is desired and they have multiple positions..So we really dont want to jinx it and see how it works out.

Lastly if they indeed some how call us separately ( without knowing about "us")  then we could say it is great..
On the other hand mentioning about "us" will gain us some attention - which may be good or bad.

Last thing I want is for them to call me for an interview because they like my husband. But on the other hand, I know that once they call me I can give impressive talks and there will be a much bigger chance than if they haven't met me.

More suggestions? We have to send everything in this weekend.

[macaroon]

You're only applying for jobs at one place?  Good luck!   Did you know it is typical for candidates to apply for ~ 60 jobs?

manandwoman...  I think you should get on the teaching portfolio.  Right now, as in today, this week, if not last week, universities that teach undergraduates are trying to fill all of their adjunct needs for the fall.  Check and see if there is anything available in your area, and send out an application ASAP.  This will greatly improve your marketablility for next year's hiring season if this one job opportunity doesn't pan out.

Large state universities often provide generous start-up packages, and faculty can have low teaching loads, like one course a semester.  BUT a lot of the the position requests from these schools are approved on the idea that the incoming hire will be responsible for a core class - for example, Biochemistry, Genetics, or Physiology.  Candidates that have some experience teaching undergrads have a HUGE edge in this market. 

[totoro]

I'm skeptical about that. I remember in one search I participated in I pointed out a candidate (new PhD/ABD) had some teaching experience and my chairman regarded it as a negative.... Well I don't think it is negative but at research oriented places it's not so important. You'll probably only teach one course the first semester, so how hard can that be is the attitude...

Candidates that have some experience teaching undergrads have a HUGE edge in this market. 

[macaroon]

I'm skeptical about that. I remember in one search I participated in I pointed out a candidate (new PhD/ABD) had some teaching experience and my chairman regarded it as a negative.... Well I don't think it is negative but at research oriented places it's not so important. You'll probably only teach one course the first semester, so how hard can that be is the attitude...

Candidates that have some experience teaching undergrads have a HUGE edge in this market. 

What I've run into is that in the "research oriented" places that have undergraduate majors, it's possible for faculty to "buy out" of their teaching duties with grants.  If the department hires someone, and then that person immediately buys out of Genetics, the same people are then on a search committee to find a non-tenure track person to fill the teaching vacancy.  All other things being equal, a candidate with some demonstrated desire to teach one class while doing research is a better fit for a position with a 1/1 load.  If the OP and her spouse get interviews at the Hutch, they can say they tried teaching and didn't like it.   It's more believable than telling Big State U that they would like to teach but never tried it.

[manandwoman]

I guess I will just be honest with them that I like to teach may be 1 course per semester if I have active research support.

The fact is that I have enjoyed teaching when ever I did it in the past. I am a people person and like being around students and discussing and all that good stuff that comes with teaching. This is one reason to try and move from my current position.
However another fact is that I have been very busy with research and learning a new area of research and trying to procure grant funding. So I can't say that I didn't like teaching.

Well, this is all if and only if we get short listed.

[totoro]

What I was thinking of was a place with a 2-2 teaching load say that gives a 1 course reduction in the first semester or year so that you can get up to speed with teaching and setting up your research etc. in that first year. But I don't know how things work if your whole salary is already paid for...

[testingthewaters]

Splat

I think I was just hit by a spam bus.

[macaroon]

I guess I will just be honest with them that I like to teach may be 1 course per semester if I have active research support.

Yes, but everyone says that in the interview if the job requires the person to teach one class a semester.

[epinonymous]

OP -

I'll jump in as someone in an NIH-related field. If you have a K award, and your husband has a new R01 award, you should both be in a really good position to find jobs within a research intensive university, despite having little teaching experience. This is especially true if you are looking at universities that are trying to increase their research portfolio. While you should be prepared to talk about what courses you can teach (and you might even prepare some sample syllabi), your success in obtaining highly competitive NIH awards will serve you well in the job market. If you have a K award you can't teach more than 1 class a semester anyway, and universities know that entering into the game.

In terms of strategy, I would encourage you both to apply independently, and then when it comes time for interviews to mention the spousal issue. Your husband may not have luck in getting associate professor level, but tenure track trajectories can be negotiated (e.g., short-track to associate).

Good luck and make sure to keep publishing during this process.

[manandwoman]

epinonymous,
                    Thank you for the encouragement.
Probably we did a mistake.. After we applied independently. My husband emailed the chair ( with cc to me)  just as a disclosure along the lines of ..my wife Dr.XX has also applied for a position.
I hope it doesn't turn out to be a negative experience.
We though it might be best to be upfront..if we are both desirable individually..then saying that we are together probably enhances our chances. Also we were not sure if we wanted to move if only one of us was offered.

Do you know anyone who had transfer there career awards to a new place?  My current place is best for what I have to do for this grant. But moving away might give me better chance to be recognised for my own work in future.

[epinonymous]

I wouldn't worry too much about if you've made a mistake or not. If they are interested in one of you (or both) you will be contacted for an interview. I was very upfront with departments that I interviewed with about my need for a spousal hire - and my situation was somewhat unique in that I was an asst. prof and spouse a full prof. I applied for two jobs, got two interviews, and two offers. A lot of my luck had to do with being in a growing field, having published papers, and having had success at obtaining independent funding for my research. One university was able to come up with a great job for spouse and the other one wasn't able to do anything because of the dire situation of the state budget. So, you may have more luck if you apply to uni's in states that aren't in the midst of a financial crisis (e.g., CA, IL, atc.)

Best of luck on finding something that meets both of your needs.