Working Moms

academics, professors out there?

dh works for a private, liberal arts college as an asst professor.  We know that the faculty did not receive raises last year b/c of the economy.  We know he has a job for this coming academic year. No word on raises yet.  The last "state of the college" meeting was full of we need x number of students to actually show and stay put to break even.  no real talk of raises... although they absorbed the cost of a health insurance premium hike.. which their health insurance sucks and we'll be switching to my employers plan in the fall.  We're assuming  the premium hike coverage was probably their raise for the year .

 

so... when do you typically hear about raises at your college/university?

is it private/public? 

how long would you work at a school if they are unable to increase your pay?  (he's talking of giving it another year, and if no raise, to start looking for another position .. that's just when he gets his feathers fluffed about buying a house, we didn't save to buy a $700-900K home... given the economy and his type of position, I'm not sure if he'd find much available a year from now)

he is needed. they had a hard time filling the position given location (nyc) and the starting salary.  and someone will be retiring in the next couple of years.  this job is secure. pay is crap. college is well respected and well ranked in the princeton review.  he enjoys his job.

Re: academics, professors out there?

  • I work for a university and the economy is hitting most college campuses hard. I work for a public university and for the past two years all staff, no matter what grade level, got a flat $700 raise. We usually hear about this in the spring, March/April. Our department budget has shrunk, and we pretty much have a hiring freeze going on. But, the thing about working for a university is job security. I happened to work for one the colleges career centers, here on campus, which is getting a lot more business these days as we serve both current students and alumni.

    He can certainly look around, no harm in that, but what he is going through there is pretty typical right now. 

  • Sorry, we hear about raises in the spring and they usually take into effect in July. Woo hoo for that extra $50 bucks I will be getting in my paycheck in a few days. It's better than nothing, you know?
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  • DH works in higher ed (he is staff, director level).  He just moved from a private school to a public school.  In his previous school, he would find out his raise when he got his paycheck.  In his current job, the school has not given raises for about 3-4 years.  When negotiating his salary he took this into consideration.  His salary at the public school increased about 50% over his salary at the private school.  Private schools just don't pay well.

    He typically expects to stay at a school for about 4-5 years. 

    If your DH likes the school and the area, then maybe he could stay where he is, but do adjunct work for other area colleges (or online - which pays lovely!!) to supplement his salary?

    The beauty of higher ed is the ability to move around and it is almost favored - at least in my DH's line.  They prefer you to get experience at large schools, small schools, private schools, etc.

     

  • I work as an administrator in higher ed. At my college (small, private liberal arts college in New England that is well respected) there have been salary freezes for all who work here, so what is happening to your DH is normal. Most private schools are doing this because they are tuition driven and may not see the enrollments they've been having, and public schools are doing this because the government is cutting some of their financial support, despite increased enrollments. Also, endowments are down at almost all colleges, so financially many are being very cautious.

    I'm hoping we will do ok this year and raises can be an option next year, but I'm not banking on it. Many colleges have laid people off, and some are cutting poorly enrolled/endowed academic departments, so faculty are feeling the effect as well.

    I know faculty positions (especially tenure track) are hard to come by now, but if he feels he has a niche that many colleges are looking for, it wouldn't be a bad thing to look. Some colleges will be doing better than others next year. And he may find perks at other colleges he doesn't have at his current one (lighter teaching load, ability to teach summer classes for extra pay, more support for research...) that aren't related to pay.

    However, higher ed is a small world, and even smaller when you get into specific academic fields, so people often know when others are looking.

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  • thanks for all of the info.  dh's "pay year" starts the end of Sept. he has more on his plate for less money than others with the same title... the professors in the sciences get screwed here.  He is a specialized field, so finding a spot would be tricky.... which is why I'm doubtful he would start to look around . I hear competition is high.  Just wanted to hear from others.  he is tenure track, but at this smaller college, he doesn't have the resources for research that many other larger universities have.  Some of the other professors in his dept go elsewhere over the summers to do research.  Not an option for dh as I work and we have small children. He did get a little extra pay for having grad students over the summer.  He's trying to take on extra stuff for the extra pay.  adjunct at another college or university isn't really an option with his tenure track position.  He's got so much going on... he doesn't teach a class over the summer but is still in the lab and office full time. he was going to teach a summer session, but said he had to focus on his research to work toward tenure.  They only do "9 month"  appointments (what a joke that is considering they all have to work year round if they want tenure). 

    no offense to any of you... but this whole academic route is a joke and an insult to intelligent people. a big horse and pony show with crappy pay.  In our area, an assoc. degree nurse starting out will make more in base salary than my dh who has his pHd and had to complete a 2 yr post doc.  I know he loves his job... he feels like he's making a difference and all of that warm and fuzzy stuff.  But man, is it hard to take after supporting him for 5 yrs of grad school and 2 of post doc.  I just expected more. (I don't tell him that b/c he really loves the job and would never want to work for a pharm company).  He says he has long term stability, esp after tenure and that in the long run he'll do well... try not to stress.  I try not to... but man what a biteful.  

    thanks for the info. 

  • oh and the crappy thing is the pay range doesn't vary much from location to location... the main problem with that is the col here.  we like it here, he likes the job... but that pay range in this city is insane.  He could make about 4 or 5K less a few hours away and housing would be dramatically cheaper.  that's the main issue.  I do work parttime and tell him I should work full time... but I'm working 2 nights a week now and doubling our income... whereas if I worked full time days and we paid childcare, it would be close to equal, maybe a little more spending.. so still not saving much.  crap. so much to think about.

    mainly venting

    thanks again

  • I work for a private university and I'm just assuming we're not getting raises this year. We always hear in the fall. We had received a letter about the financial state of the university this winter, and it outlined the hiring freezes, etc. that were being put into effect. I agree that it never hurts to look around, but I'm someone who enjoys job security, and I know that the colleges/universities are all in the same boat in terms of finances.
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  • I agree that the pay is hard to work with.  DH always claiemd he made a vow of pverty when he entered higher ed.  I have always been the breadwinner until recently. 

    I would consider finding another location to live.  There are so many schools in great areas.  Even Community Colleges - which apparently pay much more - might be an option.  If you look at your future long term and his salary just isn't going to cut it, perhaps it is time to look elsewhere.

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