Center for Faculty Excellence
 

“How Do I Get an Academic Teaching Position?”
A Resource Guide

  1. What Can I Do to Prepare In Advance?
    1. Teach, Teach, Teach! 
      Colleges and universities are looking to hire those with varied teaching experiences, so try your best to teach often and in both introductory and advanced levels in your discipline.
       
    2. Learn, Learn, Learn!
      Take advantage of the programs available at UNC through the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Graduate Student Professional Development Program which will help you prepare for academic success, as well as show potential employers that you are committed to excellence in college teaching.  Graduate students can also apply for the UNC Future Faculty Development Program, which is an incredible opportunity to gain extensive knowledge on becoming a productive faculty member and effective teacher.
       
    3. Keep records of your teaching (begin as soon as you start graduate school)
      1. Student evaluations and faculty evaluations
         
      2. Syllabi from every course*
         
        *Even the original versions that you have since improved upon, since you may want to include the old and new versions in your teaching portfolio as evidence of growth and reflection .
         
      3. Graded assignments, essays and tests*

        *These will show your evaluative style as well as provide evidence of student learning.
         
    4. Ask a professor to observe your teaching (more than once if possible).  Not only will you be able to document their feedback in your teaching portfolio, but you will also receive constructive criticism useful for improving your teaching.
       
  2. Where Should I Apply and How Do I Find Available Positions?
    1. Colleges and universities are most often categorized according to the Carnegie Classification. When you visit a school, be sure to know the classification of the school at which you are interviewing and all institutions from which you have received degrees.

    2. Find available jobs on multiple websites that are updated daily. If you are not sure where to start, Chronicle of Higher Education and HigherEdJobs are two of the most frequented sites. Additionally, About.com provides a list of online resources for locating academic positions.
       
    3. Network with your peers – they may be aware of openings that you have missed in your search of openings
       
    4. Check with UNC Career Services


  3. What Might Schools Ask for in a Job Application?*
    1. Cover Letter and Curriculum Vitae (CV)
      1. Marketing Your Credentials: Writing CVs and Cover Letters by Dr. Ed Neal
         
      2. Composing Your Curriculum Vitae (About.com)
         
    2. Three Letters of Recommendation
      1. Choose three people  who know you in different ways and who can speak to your various skills and characteristics
         
      2. Requesting a Letters of Recommendation (About.com)
         
    3. Teaching Portfolio and Statement of Research Interests

    4. Graduate and Undergraduate Transcripts
       
    5. Selected Reprints of Publications

      *Check the posted advertisement or human resources website for each institution to determine which of these items are required.
       
  4. How Do I Construct a Teaching Portfolio and Statement of Research Interests?
    1. Resources on how to compose research and teaching statements (Career Services Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
       
    2. Developing a teaching portfolio (Faculty and TA Development, Ohio State University)
       
    3. Items you may want to include in your teaching portfolio (Faculty and TA Development, Ohio State University)
       
    4. Tips on writing your statement of teaching philosophy
      1. Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement (Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University)
         
      2. Writing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy for the Academic Job Search (Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan)
         
  5. When I Get a Job Interview, What Do I Need to Know?
    1. Tips for the Academic Job Interview, (The Graduate School, UNC-Chapel Hill)   
    2. What to Ask During an Academic Job Interview (About.com)
       
    3. What You'll be Asked During an Academic Job Interview (About.com)
       
  6. When I Get a Job Offer, Is It Negotiable?
    1. Tips for the Academic Job Interview, includes a section on negotiations (The Graduate School, UNC-Chapel Hill)  
       
    2. Negotiating Your First Academic Job Offer (Office of Career Services, Harvard University)
       
    3. Salary negotiation and job offer tools and resources
       
    4. 2007/2008 CUPA-HR Salary Surveys for Higher Education (HigerEdJobs.com) 
       
    5. Average salaries by discipline and rank, 2007-08 (Inside Higher Education)

 

Compiled by Becky Klatzkin