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[daow80]

Hello, for people who have been on search committees, when is the best time to look for faculty positions?  Is there a certain month that schools usually decide that they will be hiring?  I am in biochemistry--not sure if that makes a difference in the answer.  Also what does it mean when a posting says a "tenure track 9-month position"  does that mean you work 9 months and have the rest of the time off? 

Thank you!

[mleok]

These are all questions you should be asking your PhD or postdoc advisor. Quite honestly, what stage are you careerwise? These are not the kind of questions I expect to see from a person who is ready to apply for a tenure track position.

[msparticularity]

It would be very helpful if you could supply just a bit more information about your background and training--nothing that would identify you, of course, but perhaps you could tell us if you have already completed your PhD, if you expect to finish soon, or if you are farther out than that. Also, in your other thread, you've mentioned that you have already applied for 20 positions; did you not know that the hiring cycle can extend from the fall months all the way into the spring? The time from the application closing date to the date of hiring decisions is quite variable, and if you do not get shortlisted (asked for additional materials and/or actually interviewed), you literally may never hear from that search committee (SC) at all.

I'm also struggling to understand how you could know so little about academic positions. Have you discussed any of this with your advisor, or the Director of Graduate Studies in your program? Have you checked with others in your field to find out what is typical there? Have you tried reading some of the posts here on the Fora to learn about others' experiences with the job search? Truly, people here can be remarkably helpful, but it's difficult to tell from your posts whether you have any information and/or training at all--or are even qualified to be applying for academic positions.

[atlchemist]

My advisor is minimally helpful in the job search, other than writing recommendation letters. So I've learned most of what I know about applying for positions at teaching-focused schools from reading.

In my field, most positions are posted in mid-September, but others trickle in throughout the year. Most of the jobs I applied for closed in November, but I still have one application due in February. The process can be up to a year long, so it's best to check the job postings on the Chronicle website, HigherEdJobs.com, and your professional organization's website on a regular basis.

[polly_mer]

I am in biochemistry--not sure if that makes a difference in the answer. 

This makes a huge difference.  While jobs are advertised all year, the big season has deadlines in about November to about February.  If you are serious about getting a position this season, then you should have been applying all through Christmas.  New jobs are still being posted, but many places are already interviewing and a few will have already filled the positions.

Also what does it mean when a posting says a "tenure track 9-month position"  does that mean you work 9 months and have the rest of the time off? 

I'll agree with the other posters that this is not a question you should be asking if you are getting a degree from an American university and are at a point you are applying for tenure-track positions.

The short answer is:

1) A teaching-only school may be 9 months of work with three months mostly off--usually you will recruit, prep, and possibly give or attend workshops in pedagogy during the summer as well as possibly teach summer school, but the probability is high that much of the summer is off-the-clock and you can do anything you want.

2) An institution that expects scholarly productivity will expect that you find a way to fund yourself to do research during the summer.  The 9-month part means they pay you for 9 months, but your productivity is counted on an annual basis.  Generally to show adequate productivity, you will have to spend a substantial fraction of most summers doing research/scholarly activities.  For institutions where research is at least 40% of your load and you are in a field like biochemistry where you should be doing research with students and postdocs, you will be expected to fund those students and postdocs through the summer as well.

[academic_cog]

You are going to want to read up on the academic search process, which is very intricate and complex and not necessarily at all like non-academic job searches.

Go get The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition) Mary Morris Heiberger (Author), Julia Miller Vick (Author)

and read up on the whole process. You will also notice an "asked and answered" section on these forums that puts frequently asked questions about the basics of the job application process.

Then, go to your own institution's human resources web page and read up on how the college works --- look at the tenure requirements and faculty handbook and see if you can look up as many of the institutional hr terms as possible. You're going to want to know at least the basics of what is a contract, offer letter, benefits and so on. And have a basic understanding of what the different types of colleges are.

Finally, it sounds like you may have missed the job season this year, so you're going to want to look into applying for postdoc positions. That I can't help you with, so try searching around in the forum to get some background info.

[sagit]

I thought that all science fields basically require postdocs to be viable for a TT position.  Is this not the case for biochemistry?

OP, it may be helpful if you specify whether you are getting your degree in the US or not.  You should also do more networking with the students and postdocs in your own program that have already gone through the job search process.

[kron3007]

Positions are advertised throughout the year and you should always be looking.  There may be a high season, but you should keep your ears to the ground as some positions open up at odd times, especially if you are considering an international search.  

Second, dont take the comments about your lack of knowledge regarding the job search too personally, everyone starts somewhere and this dosnt necessarily reflect your abilities.  Personally, I was always focused on my research more than anything, didn't concern myself much with such details, and have always landed on my feet.  Coming from Canada I am still somewhat clueless about all the R1/R2/SLAC talk that goes on around here. Just focus on publishing and building your resume, the rest will fall into place IMO.        

[ruralguy]

err...."CV"...not "resume."

[atlchemist]

I thought that all science fields basically require postdocs to be viable for a TT position.  Is this not the case for biochemistry?

OP, it may be helpful if you specify whether you are getting your degree in the US or not.  You should also do more networking with the students and postdocs in your own program that have already gone through the job search process.

I have a TT interview in the sciences without a postdoc. However, it's a smaller-name SLAC that wouldn't have heard of outside the region.

[polly_mer]

I thought that all science fields basically require postdocs to be viable for a TT position.  Is this not the case for biochemistry?

OP, it may be helpful if you specify whether you are getting your degree in the US or not.  You should also do more networking with the students and postdocs in your own program that have already gone through the job search process.

I have a TT interview in the sciences without a postdoc. However, it's a smaller-name SLAC that wouldn't have heard of outside the region.

Yes.

For an R1 position, a postdoc probably will be necessary and generally an applicant should either have transferable grants or have evidence of grant-writing ability that is often obtained as a postdoc.

For someone who has done the prep work to be ready to hit the ground running at a primarily teaching school, a postdoc will be unnecessary.

For people who didn't go straight through from undergrad through doctorate in an academic environment, a postdoc may be unnecessary.  I know of many people who did their graduate research in non-academic settings and they would be ready to take an R1 position upon completion of that doctorate.

It's not too late to apply this season, but the peak of ads being posted was last month.  But, things were still being posted last week when I was scanning the chemistry ads so someone on the ball could still apply now.

[heywhynots]

At the SLAC I work at (top 50) in the biomolecular sciences including biochemistry, a post-doc is expected.  Teaching experience as a VAP is great but teaching a course as an adjunct along with your TA experience in graduate school would be sufficient.  The two recent tenure-track biomolecular scientists hired at my SLAC had that level of classroom experience.  They also did service work (served on education committees, did outreach in the community, etc.), supervised undergraduates in research, and went to workshops & took classes on teaching.  They also were authors on multiple publications.

Yes you need to be a great teacher by the time you come up for tenure but we don't expect polished perfect teaching especially your first year.  We also want bright and motivated faculty members who will carry out research with undergraduates and produce a couple of publications before tenure along with submitting a couple of grant proposals.   

Most of the searches are in the fall.  Deadlines appear to be creeping earlier and earlier.  R1 professors are not going to be that helpful usually in searches for positions at SLACs unless they have had former students who went into such positions.

Teaching at a SLAC in the biomolecular sciences is very different than teaching at an R1.  At my GradU, hard money positions taught a 0.5/0.5 load (one of those courses they would be the lead instructor).  The soft money positions taught a handful of lectures in a class.  Anywhere from a 2/1 to a 3/3 load is common at top 50 SLACs (also depends on how they count lab courses).  Regardless it is a big difference in the number of classes you have to prepare for. 

Typically as others have pointed out, 9 month positions mean you are paid for your work during the academic year.  Summers are usually not off.  My school, the expectation is that you mentor undergraduate students during the summer.  The school provides a tiny stipend to do this.  If you get a grant you can get additional salary (up to 2/9 of your AY salary if from NSF and 1/3 of your AY salary if from NIH).

As a biochemist, if you are looking at undergraduate institutions look under both biology and chemistry.  Some schools biochemists teach in chemistry. Others teach in biology.  Some schools have a biochemist in biology and another in chemistry & teaching biochemistry is split between the two departments.