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[cliointampa]

I am 5 years post-PhD, in which time I have been working at a non-profit research institute with fair success.  Now that I have been in the nonprofit sector for ten years,  I have an unexpected opportunity to move to an academic position but it is non-tenure earning.  This university states that there are many professors on non-tenure lines and that they receive promotions at a higher rate.  They also stated that, although not a sure thing, there is always the chance that I could form alliances and have a department offer me a tenure line down the road.  What would you do?  The job is very interesting and a natural extension of what I have been doing in my career.  I miss teaching and having contact with students and really do welcome a break from non-profit soft monies. What advice would you give me?

[larryc]

So you would move from one non-tenure job to another non-tenure job that you believe you will like better. And there is some chance of tenure down the line. Sounds like a no-brainer to me, take the job and congratulations.

[cliointampa]

Well the issue becomes should I instead look for a different opportunity?  Is a non-tenure track position safe?

[larryc]

You can both take this position and continue to apply to TT jobs. No one can say if any position is safe.

[fedscholar]

For me, I would trade a secure, tenured position for a nontenured, but nontemporary slot (assuming the position has some base funding, core clientele) if the latter provided an intellectual future. Namely, I would prefer a position that offered personal growth if the choice were a permanent trip to stagnation.  If you can excel in the position, it seems like there would be some resistance to cutting you loose in any case.

[pigou]

They also stated that, although not a sure thing, there is always the chance that I could form alliances and have a department offer me a tenure line down the road.

I would discount this entirely.

That being said, there's still nothing wrong with the position. As others have said, you can still apply to TT positions. It might even be easier to get one once you have a foothold in academia again.

[systeme_d_]

They also stated that, although not a sure thing, there is always the chance that I could form alliances and have a department offer me a tenure line down the road...

What advice would you give me?

I would advise you not to believe this part.

But sure, if you want to get back into academia, and would be ok with a non-TT position, then do it.

[cliointampa]

For me, I would trade a secure, tenured position for a nontenured, but nontemporary slot (assuming the position has some base funding, core clientele) if the latter provided an intellectual future. Namely, I would prefer a position that offered personal growth if the choice were a permanent trip to stagnation.  If you can excel in the position, it seems like there would be some resistance to cutting you loose in any case.

This is exactly what I have been hearing.  I really appreciate all this valuable feedback.  It's clearer to me now that the idea of change is what you make it.  I need to really think about this more seriously.