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[twobody]

My partner and are early on the tenure-track at different research institutions. We are in the same field, but interdisciplinary. Partner has a good relationship with the department chair, who has expressed interest in hiring me, but hasn't specified how that process would work. Partner's university does have a record of doing spousal hires (but they were not willing/able to do one when Hu got the offer). Now there is a position open in a different department at partner's university, which I plan to apply for. And my department is also doing a search, for which partner would be a strong candidate. Partner will apply for that job, but should partner let department chair know first? Any advice on negotiating this process would be helpful....

[tenured_feminist]

I'm a little confused. Are you asking if your partner should let her/his own chair know that s/he is applying to your department?

Generally, I think all you need to do is mention in your respective cover letters that the advertised job is particularly attractive to you because of your personal connections to the department. (And that should come after the longer discussion for why you're a good substantive fit for the job/department.) I don't think there's anything at all to announce to your own department that you're applying for other jobs. Once you have an interview coming up, it may be different depending on your institutional culture, and certainly once you have an offer in hand, everyone will agree that it's time to negotiate.

Good luck. It's an exhausting process.

[second_body]

My partner and I just ended a situation remarkably similar to yours: both tenure track in the same discipline (though very distant fields) at universities 1000 miles apart. Given how different our universities were, I don't think blanket advice works for these situations. So I'll share our story with the caveats that how to act really depends on the dept and university itself. Is there a history of partner hires? What are your relationships like with your respective chairs? What is the relationship between senior faculty and junior faculty like?

Partner's chair and dept had also expressed interest in hiring me at the time of partner's offer. I, however, was still ABD. I was fortunate enough to get my own TT position the next year. I asked my chair about spousal hiring during the negotiating process and got a very strong and firm no (chair said dept would consider my overqualified spouse for a visiting position, which we declined, thinking we'd both be stronger candidates for other posts from TT jobs). Given that partner's dept was always more favorable to our situation, and had a record of partner hires, partner let chair know that (s)he'd have to go on the market, albeit reluctantly, to try to resolve our situation. Partner's chair felt strongly that another offer would be useful in getting the admin to create a line for me. Given my own dept culture, that kind of frank discussion with the chair was out of the question. Then, my dept ran a search in partner's field, telling me that (s)he could apply but would but would receive no special consideration; also mentioned that partner would not be permitted to go up for early tenure if (s)he got the offer (yes, the place is that friendly to junior faculty).

Partner let chair know about the search, who then went to the admin and framed the question of my hire as a retention issue. Partner did advance in my dept's search, which I had recused myself from but knew from others that it had turned quite contentious over the spousal issue. Fortunately, just advancing in the search at my uni was enough to move the admin at partner's uni to create a line for me. None of this would have happened, though, if partner's chair, now mine too, hadn't known in advance and supported us from the very beginning.

I was, to say the least, thrilled to leave a place where senior male faculty -- the vast majority in my old dept --  responded to discussions about partner hires, support for junior faculty families, and retention issues with a very smug, "well, that's why I married a librarian."

Good luck to the both of you!

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Any sane department will always do more for retention than they will as part of a hiring negotiation.  - DvF

[larryc]

Partner will apply for that job, but should partner let department chair know first?

Yes, I thinks so.  Good luck.

[oatmeal]

My partner and are early on the tenure-track at different research institutions. We are in the same field, but interdisciplinary. Partner has a good relationship with the department chair, who has expressed interest in hiring me, but hasn't specified how that process would work. Partner's university does have a record of doing spousal hires (but they were not willing/able to do one when Hu got the offer). Now there is a position open in a different department at partner's university, which I plan to apply for. And my department is also doing a search, for which partner would be a strong candidate. Partner will apply for that job, but should partner let department chair know first? Any advice on negotiating this process would be helpful....

Apply for the positions and see what happens. You will have to recuse yourself from anything connected with the search in your department. Before your partner applies though, you could talk with a sympathetic senior colleague or your chair if she/he is supportive to tell them your partner is applying and see how that conversation develops (you will need to watch all the signs)--this is institution and person specific, so it is hard to give good advice on that. Your best bet for a spousal hire at your current institution is if you get another offer (though if you have been very productive and/or you are a stellar colleague and the face of the future--and you are a good fit, this might be enough). Your partner should tell his/her chair and ask for a reference if possible and your partner could mention the position at the university that you will apply to. A good chair will then work on trying for a spousal hire (if they are open to it and if your partner is too good to lose) or at least see that your candidacy is given a close look. This whole process will be long, fraught with issues, and difficult. It depends on policy, people, and persistence. But apply and make the right moves and it might work out. Good luck.