Anyone ever adjunct professor?

JJ&BB1146

This is a dumb question probably, so forgive me. When the job description says the pay is $ xxxxxxx per credit hour, does that mean per semester, per month?

bluestreet

I'm asking a couple of my friends who've done it and will report back, though I'm sure the best way to figure it out is whatever resembles slave labor the most!

smb29

I have, and was paid by the semester (so if I worked one six week summer school class, I made the same as one 4 month fall or spring class).  If its by the credit hour, I would think that its $X times the number of credit hours - so if you were doing a 3 hr class plus 2 hr lab, you'd multiply by 5.  I've never seen a job post by the credit hour, but I also don't work in a field where you generally have more than a 3 hour/wk class. 

smb29

smb29:

I have, and was paid by the semester (so if I worked one six week summer school class, I made the same as one 4 month fall or spring class).  If its by the credit hour, I would think that its $X times the number of credit hours - so if you were doing a 3 hr class plus 2 hr lab, you'd multiply by 5.  I've never seen a job post by the credit hour, but I also don't work in a field where you generally have more than a 3 hour/wk class. 

ETA: The first semester you teach a new class really is slave labor, but after that it is easy money, IMO.

PMBridetobe

Both my husband and I adjunct.  I get paid a flat fee and he gets paid based on the number of students.  Some places will pay $x on the number of credit hours.  So, for a three credit class, it would be multiped times the pay.  He also adjuncts for a class where he gets paid $50 a credit hour per student.  Where are you thinking of adjuncting?

cookie1and2

I adjunct.  It's usually per credit hour per semester, because adjunct contracts are renewed every semester.  It is slave labor (at least in my field).  However, at the moment, we need the money, so I keep doing it.  I teach 4 classes per semester (that's 4 different lectures to prepare for every day I teach, 4 different sets of things to grade, etc., so it's a lot of work), but my classes are only 2 credit hours.  The pay is a slap in the face for someone with as much education as I do.  I get paid....drumroll....$12K per YEAR for teaching 4 classes per semester.  Yup, per year.  Not a living wage.  And I teach more classes than a lot of full time professors.  And I'm not being slammed by the University I teach for--I've also taught at another private university in San Antonio for the same pay scale, and two big public universities (um, Austin and San Marcos) both offered me adjunct jobs for the same pay scale.  It's a joke.  

 

cookie1and2

smb29:

ETA: The first semester you teach a new class really is slave labor, but after that it is easy money, IMO.

 

I disagree.  Sure, the teaching is easy.  I could do that in my sleep.  But the rest of the work?  Every semester there is grading, finals, time out for extra activities that you have to attend for the students, meeting with students outside of class, endless amounts of e-mails from students with questions, completing progress reports for athletes, etc., etc,  

emabend

cookie1and2:

drumroll....$12K per YEAR for teaching 4 classes per semester.  

  Wow.... I can't believe that is what they pay.  I had no idea the pay would be that low.  I'm absolutely shocked. 

PMBridetobe

Last year, I got 11K from adjunct one job.  DH is getting 7200 for one and 5K from another.  I taught 8 classes and DH 10 classes. 

bluestreet

OP- you've already gotten awesome feedback, but here is what my friend in linguistics wrote. It's kinda funny in a tragic sort of way:

"I'm sure that it varies from place to place, so double-checking is vital BUT at St. Ed's they paid by the course, so per semester. I imagine that when they say per credit hour, that it is the wage for the semester. Make sure your friend is sitting down when you break this news or she may hurt herself when she falls over from shock...It also worked out to less than minimum wage (prep hours, teaching hours, office hours...) BUT it keeps a foot in the door."

JJ&BB1146

Thanks for all the feedback ladies! I assumed it was per semester, but I was too embarrassed to ask the boss. Yes, the pay will be crappy (it's $680/credit hour and each class is 2 hrs), but I'm only hoping to cover DD's MDO and maybe a little more for now. If it doesn't work out, then that's OK. And, as someone said, it will keep my foot in the door when I do want to go back full time at some point when the kids are older.

AustinMimi

Rats. There go my dreams of owning a Bentley.

FWIW, starting salaries for tenure-track jobs in my field are in the $45K range. That's for someone with a Master's and a Ph.D., so roughly 8+ years of grad school, publications, conference experience, teaching experience, etc. Feel free to go throw up in your mouth a little (I just did). 

smb29

I got paid more than what people are posting so that definitely makes a difference in perspective.  Even with the work outside the classroom, I was definitely paid well for my time. 

cookie1and2

AustinMimi:

Rats. There go my dreams of owning a Bentley.

Snort.....We can all enjoy our rides to the poorhouse together.  Same starting salary in my field, but I would g-l-a-a-a-a-a-d-l-y take that over what I am making now.  

The arts get paid the least.  Naturally.  And according to my advisor from when I was a grad student at UT, no one is retiring because of the economy, and most universities are converting full time positions to adjuncts.  Cause they can.  That's why there are only 2-3 jobs per year in the entire US open in my field.  Fun times.