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[brodiebankyaz]

I'm a grad student in history who is finally being cut loose from his home institution in the spring. I knew about this well beforehand and I've been papering local colleges, universities and c.c.s with my CV and all the other related material to apply for an adjunct job for the spring semester. I swear I have a 50 mile radius of my home covered.

I've followed all the rules that I've seen on the Chronicle forums and elsewhere, but just this week as line schedules are being finalized, I've received several "we don't have any anticipated openings, but if you like, we can put you on the emergency list." I'm fine with that, but its increasingly sinking in that, come January, I may have no revenue coming in whatsoever. I've been looking for other jobs outside the academy that fit my skill set, but when I reveal I'm committed to teaching 2 classes at my home institution until December, interest usually dries up.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have my name on several emergency lists; should I just wait it out? Should I try and find an outside job and wait until the fall to try again? Can someone talk me down a little bit here, because quite frankly, I'm starting to get scared.

[seniorscholar]

This is not an answer about other options -- alas, grad students in your position used to clerk at Borders, and we even sometimes called a random nearby Borders when we had a last-minute need for another adjunct to handle one section. However, have a calm talk about your situation with the DGS (as well as your supervisor). When I was DGS in my English department, I got a surprising number of calls from even quite elite nearby schools that didn't have doctoral students of there own and had a sudden need for someone who could cover the classes for a senior faculty member who was being scheduled for heart surgery next semester. I also knew which of our recent PhD's were involved with non-college kinds of teaching programs (one example: literacy classes at the community center in a Hispanic neighborhood) and could sometimes provide at least some income (and new networks).

[aristotelian]

You have income through December, so keep on applying for adjunct jobs through that time and see if something comes along for January.

If December comes around and you have nothing lined up, then start applying for full time non-academic jobs. If you need cash in the meantime, pick up a job with flexible hours that can work around your teaching, such as waiting tables or bartending.

Long term, give yourself a time limit for how long you can pursue academic employment (1 year, 2 years). In that time, start developing a backup plan. If you don't have a full time academic job by that time, then it's time to do something else, whatever that is.

And yes, talk to your advisor and DGS.

[sugaree]

It's a bit early yet for spring scheduling so I wouldn't yet give up hope about an adjunct position coming through. Beyond that, you are doing what you need to do and the others here have given you good advice as well. Good luck!

[caesura]

If you're willing to teach online, you can paper the whole country!  That should increase your odds that something would come through by January.

[reener06]

Yes, look into online courses, and online grading of GRE exams. Others on here have done this, and I may be going that route next semester.

Also, I'm finding that the 2 institutions I teach at now scheduled me without consulting me about my availability. Only because I asked did I find this out--and apparently they've scheduled everyone else too, without consulting. I know most of these adjuncts, and many are not available for the classes they have been scheduled for, including myself. Come a few weeks, when they announce to us what we are doing, they will likely find themselves using that emergency list.

Good luck--it's a hard place to be. You may also want to look at your institution's job page for staff positions or temporary employment. Oftentimes I find interesting jobs on there--including acting as a sick patient for the medical students. It pays well.

[zharkov]

Chime about online teaching and grading exams.  All those big online schools (Phoenix, Kaplan, and such) have a link on their websites about employment.  But since you typically need to take a short and free training course, don't wait until the last minute.  About grading, look into the College Board and also Measured Progress (which manages the NCLB type exams for most states).   

You may check into subbing in HS or even teaching some courses in an online HS (like VHS or VLACS).  The regs vary a lot by state but you might be able to get a temporary license based on your grad work.  An ideal gig may be as a long term sub.   

[neutralname]

I don't know about it being to early for Spring scheduling -- I've already got my adjuncts lined up for the spring classes.  But things change, and positions may come open.  We are not hiring any new people: we have been cutting back on classes and so we have many more people interested than we have positions, which is a rare situation for us.

For online teaching, I'd really want some evidence that the person has thought hard about how to do it and has good relevant skills.  Simply being able to teach in a classroom is not sufficient background. 

[zharkov]

For online teaching, I'd really want some evidence that the person has thought hard about how to do it and has good relevant skills.  Simply being able to teach in a classroom is not sufficient background. 

If/when we need to hire adjuncts to teach online, we feel the same way.  Those big online outfits are typically less concerned about that, partly because they have a very canned curriculum and approach to online teaching. 

[amlithist]

Our CC is already scheduled for spring, and remember, most CCs (and other schools, too, to some degree) see a dropoff in enrollment in the spring vs. fall numbers.

[mickeymantle]

I would provide a caution about the grading of essays for such exams as the SAT and GRE.  A friend of mine did that several years ago, and found the grading requirements ridiculous, to say the least (correlations pursued to the nth degree.)

[jerseyjay]

Adjunct work is by definition casual employment. It is likely you may not have anything lined up until the week before the semester begins, or, in some cases, the week after the semester begins. As a grad student, and an outsider, you are on the bottom of the list (i.e, most places prefer to hire people they know, and then go to people with doctorates, before unknown grad students). However, you are also more flexible, so it is possible that you might get a call after all the other possibilities have turned them down.

My only advice, as a once and future history adjunct, is to make sure you are not selling yourself short. Since your doctoral work is in something specialized (e.g. US 20th Century, Ancient Chinese, etc), you have to make sure places see you as qualified and willing to teach at least introductory classes in other areas (World Civ, Western Civ.) that often are needed. I am a US historian, but have taught: Intro to U.S (part one and two); Intro to American Studies; Intro to European History (part one and two); Intro to World Civ (par one and two); Intro to Western Civ (part one and two); the Modern World, etc, etc, etc. My experience is that many people limit themselves to one area, but this also limits one's chances of getting hired. (Being a generalist also helps when applying for full-time jobs at teaching schools.) Once you get in the system, you can be a bit more discriminating, but even then, it is good to be known as able to teach different classes so when scheduling issues come up, you are often able to keep teaching.

[seniorscholar]

My only advice, as a once and future history adjunct, is to make sure you are not selling yourself short. Since your doctoral work is in something specialized (e.g. US 20th Century, Ancient Chinese, etc), you have to make sure places see you as qualified and willing to teach at least introductory classes in other areas (World Civ, Western Civ.) that often are needed. I am a US historian, but have taught: Intro to U.S (part one and two); Intro to American Studies; Intro to European History (part one and two); Intro to World Civ (par one and two); Intro to Western Civ (part one and two); the Modern World, etc, etc, etc. My experience is that many people limit themselves to one area, but this also limits one's chances of getting hired. (Being a generalist also helps when applying for full-time jobs at teaching schools.) Once you get in the system, you can be a bit more discriminating, but even then, it is good to be known as able to teach different classes so when scheduling issues come up, you are often able to keep teaching.

This is excellent advice. I used to say "at the intro level, I can teach anything that doesn't involve calculus" -- since I'm in English, there's not much chance of math/science courses, but I've certainly taught in more than one department, which also had the advantage of making it possible to sell myself as a competent "interdisciplinary" faculty member. In addition, I remember the years when not one member of the Women's Studies core faculty (who all had appointments in other departments at that point) had even taken a Women's Studies class; i.e., we'd all finished degrees before that was likely, though many of us had taught a Women's Studies crosslisted class in the days when grad students were the majority of people interested in forging a new discipline.

[luckychance]

What exactly does "cut loose" mean? Does that mean they kicked you out of the grad program?

[lasquires]

What exactly does "cut loose" mean? Does that mean they kicked you out of the grad program?

I think it is more likely that the OP has run out of financial support at the home institution but isn't yet finished with the dissertation.