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[dmnapolitano]

Hi everyone.  I'm in a bit of a weird situation and it's really stressing me out, so if anyone can provide some advice, I'd definitely appreciate it.

I've been an adjunct at the same school/department for over two years now.  It's been a fantastic experience...well no, being an adjunct is a terrible experience :)  But the teaching, the students, all of that has been amazing and has made me realize that this is what I want to for the rest of my life, as cheesy as it sounds.  Yes, I'm young, and I only have a masters degree, so I'm quite eager to get back to school and get my PhD.

Now, the reason I haven't done this yet is because I don't have any money to spend on applying to schools, taking the GRE's again (ugh), all that great stuff.  And why don't I have any money?  Because I'm an adjunct of course :)  An adjunct with rent to pay, car payments, student loans to pay back, oh and it'd be nice to eat every once in a while...yes I do have a second job but it's not really been helpful.  Things here are pretty tough.

So, naturally, I've been looking for a new job, and I've actually been lucky and I'm getting some interviews.  One of the jobs I applied for in the beginning of December wants to bring me in for an interview quite soon...which means that if all goes well, I'd be starting somewhere in the Spring semester.  And my department is going to want me to sign a contract for teaching classes that start on Monday. :\  (BTW the potential job told me all of this on Thursday (yesterday))

Needless to say I've been freaking out.  I could do both the teaching and the job of course, but not really, because it's a position that I'd have to relocate for...not that the relocation is very far, maybe 3 hours away, but still.  I can't afford to live like this anymore, and I'm sure that if I did continue teaching I could get a different second job and make things work...maybe.  I don't know anymore.  Of course, if I don't sign the contract and don't get the new job...and on top of that I'm concerned that if I do get the new job it'll push my plans to get a PhD back even FURTHER, and I've been pushing them off for over two years...since I started adjuncting actually.  And in the long-term, having a PhD and a full-time professorship is much more important than this job (as awesome as the job would be).

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation?

Thanks for reading this, sorry it ended up being somewhat verbose :)

- dmn

[toklas]

Since I'm the person trying to quit even before the semester begins, thought to chime in.  I was actually talking with a friend tonight about a similar situation.  She was adjuncting and offered a full time position in the middle of the semester.  She took it and ended up not getting a reference from her employer at the university.  In her case, it turned out that the ft job didn't work out that well...but her lesson was to make sure the FT job is something one really, really wants before quitting b/c quitting mid-semester can be a major hassle.

Perhaps part of the issue is how much you want the potential job.  Also, is there any way of speeding up the process on the FT job? Are they aware of your situation w/the teaching? Would it be better to have this job and then apply for a PhD, or adjunct and then apply?

I don't know if any of this is helpful...but I think bottom line, whether it's a PhD program or another job, adjuncting is something to get out of (I write this as an experienced adjunct who is leaving it behind after this semester!).

Best of luck.

[larryc]

If you have not signed a contract you can quit. It leaves the department in a jam but god dammit if universities want a commitment they need to pay a living wage. Good luck.

[hegemony]

You've got two separate problems.  The first is whether to quit mid-semester.  I'll just say that I did know someone in the same situation, and she commuted two hours each way to finish the course she agreed to teach.  That's a good way to keep on people's good side.

The second problem is whether to take the job if it sets your graduate school prospects back even further.  But then you also say that you need the money to apply to schools, take the GREs, etc.

Presumably this means you haven't applied to start grad school this coming fall.  In which case, a more lucrative job for the year-plus you have left seems like no bad thing.  If it's such a good life that you're diverted from going to grad school, that's no disgrace.  Wherever you find a lucrative career you like, it's a good result.

[goldenapple]

Pushing back the start of your Ph.D isn't such a terrible thing. And it will make your life as a grad student much easier if you have a little cushion of savings, which you'll only have if you take a regular job.

[seniorscholar]

One of my grad students several years back was in a slightly comparable situation: adjuncting three courses in the semester of the dissertation defense, which had just been completed in mid-February when a full-time (not TT, but with a renewable contract, more pay, and better benefits) position was offered with an immediate start. Not wanting to face the problem of burning bridges with references, worked out a way to handle both obligations with a simply hellish two months commute, online work for students one day a week, etc. etc. etc.

Rereading your message, it appears that you have not yet started classes for the semester, which would make it slightly less awful to bow out (especially if you can suggest a replacement). If you have actual students in progress, leaving for anything short of serious illness, serious family emergency in another state, or jail sentence will probably cause major resentment. And is your current supervisor one of the people you will want to call on for a graduate school recommendation letter?

Finally -- if you have not yet applied to doctoral programs, you probably can't in any case start until fall 2012, even if you find a decent program that will provide full funding -- and doing the latter may well take more than one year's worth of applications.

[dmnapolitano]

Wow, thanks everyone for the responses.  This has been helpful :)  I think the only thing I can do is play it by ear.  It's possible that I may not even like the job once I get to their office, it's possible that I may not even get the job, and it's also possible that they may not even hire me until close to the end of the semester anyway.  I interviewed for a job in October and didn't hear back about it until earlier this month (and was then told they didn't get enough money in their budget to fill the position).

Of course, had they begun their interviewing process, you know, last week or so, life would be a lot easier :)  I don't have a contract with my school yet but I know I will in two, maybe three weeks at the most.  Of course that gives me some leeway but I would still feel extremely guilty about it, since in reality teaching isn't about me, it's about the students.  But at the same time, I gotta eat.  Isn't adjuncting wonderful? :)

If it's such a good life that you're diverted from going to grad school, that's no disgrace.  Wherever you find a lucrative career you like, it's a good result.

I think that about sums it up: as much as I want a PhD, maybe that's not what life has in store for me.  Or maybe not yet.

Thanks again everyone :)

[cranefly]

If you do end up quitting in the middle, see if you can find someone (a grad student, another adjunct?)to take over for you: it'll make it a lot easier on your current employers  if you  can say "sorry to leave in the middle, but I've already found someone to take over for me and briefed them on the course..." You don't owe them, but it would help keep you in their good books.

[libarts]

I've had part-time instructors quit in the middle of a semester. If they are clearly sorry to do it, have a good reason (like a full-time job--who could blame them?), and do everything possible to ease the transition for the students it's not the end of the world. It's a hardship on the school and especially the students and if your attitude acknowledges that, it will really help.

[aggiesadjunct]

I would think long and hard before quitting.  If it's "only" three hours, maybe you could set something up where your Ph.D. classes are not being held on the same days as your teaching and suck it up and do the distance thing for half of a semester.  The first semester of grad school (at least mine) was mostly a wash anyway. Or better yet, get accepted, then apply for a deferral for a semester.  If you've put in two good years at your institution, I would hesitate to burn any bridges by leaving them in a lurch mid semester.

[learningkat]

Can you put together a "Plan B" for the school that you may be leaving?  Is there another professor who is part-time/adjunct who teaches a similar course that might be available to take on the course(s) you will be unable to teach should you get the job?  Perhaps you could reach out to other colleagues that you work with to see if they might be available as well.

If you were able to provide options (including one where you suck it up and/or offer the course with more of a blended delivery style), I would think the school would look upon you more fondly when they get the news.

[sourapples]

Legal
If your department has a collective bargaining/union agreement, read the terms of your agreement.  For example, there is nothing in my collective bargaining agreement that states that any instructor is required to honor their employment agreement until the end of the last class of the term.  If you have signed a contract during the beginning of your term that you are teaching now or have signed one when you first started working at the university, read the terms of the contract carefully. 

I plan to ask around my community of attorney friends and acquaintances about finding a good legal clinic to just review the terms of these crazy documents with a 3L student just to have another set of eyes confirm my interpretations.

Parting ways with your school
I am an adjunct instructor who is teaching as my bread and butter and I have wanted to quit for awhile and have been on a confidential job search while attending school part time in another discipline.  I agree with the other posters on this forum who said that you should make sure that you really want the job offered before you decide to sever ties with your school.  I am only saying this because you said that you are very interested in pursuing a PhD and teaching as a career - which is commendable. 

However, common sense would say that you need to be able to feed yourself better and pay your bills in order to finance the school application process, so of course, it is a good idea to leave your position for a full time job.  But unfortunately, schools live by semesters and don't handle "two-weeks notice" very well.  Well, whose problem is it, really?  Not yours.  This marketplace is very competitive and unless if they step it up and provide real benefits and competitive pay, they will just have to suck it up if they lose an adjunct during the middle of the term. 

References

I have been listing co-workers I trust and former supervisors as references on employment applications.  I have also indicated that I do not want prospective employers to contact my current workplace while they are screening and interviewing me. 

Best of luck! 

[psychology_grad2011]

Just wondering what the OP ended up doing.  What's the other job? :)

[karlhungus]

Hi everyone.  I'm in a bit of a weird situation and it's really stressing me out, so if anyone can provide some advice, I'd definitely appreciate it.

I've been an adjunct at the same school/department for over two years now.  It's been a fantastic experience...well no, being an adjunct is a terrible experience :)  But the teaching, the students, all of that has been amazing and has made me realize that this is what I want to for the rest of my life, as cheesy as it sounds.  Yes, I'm young, and I only have a masters degree, so I'm quite eager to get back to school and get my PhD.

Now, the reason I haven't done this yet is because I don't have any money to spend on applying to schools, taking the GRE's again (ugh), all that great stuff.  And why don't I have any money?  Because I'm an adjunct of course :)  An adjunct with rent to pay, car payments, student loans to pay back, oh and it'd be nice to eat every once in a while...yes I do have a second job but it's not really been helpful.  Things here are pretty tough.

So, naturally, I've been looking for a new job, and I've actually been lucky and I'm getting some interviews.  One of the jobs I applied for in the beginning of December wants to bring me in for an interview quite soon...which means that if all goes well, I'd be starting somewhere in the Spring semester.  And my department is going to want me to sign a contract for teaching classes that start on Monday. :\  (BTW the potential job told me all of this on Thursday (yesterday))

Needless to say I've been freaking out.  I could do both the teaching and the job of course, but not really, because it's a position that I'd have to relocate for...not that the relocation is very far, maybe 3 hours away, but still.  I can't afford to live like this anymore, and I'm sure that if I did continue teaching I could get a different second job and make things work...maybe.  I don't know anymore.  Of course, if I don't sign the contract and don't get the new job...and on top of that I'm concerned that if I do get the new job it'll push my plans to get a PhD back even FURTHER, and I've been pushing them off for over two years...since I started adjuncting actually.  And in the long-term, having a PhD and a full-time professorship is much more important than this job (as awesome as the job would be).

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation?

Thanks for reading this, sorry it ended up being somewhat verbose :)

- dmn

Yes, you should certainly quit if no contract has been issued.  It's their fault for

a) relying on adjuncts, and
b) not issuing you a contract

I say, "screw 'em" for their own sake.  Eventually they will learn and the students will ultimately be served in a manner they deserve.  Pretty soon the schools will get tired of their own game and wander on home.