Types of jobs

There are many different types of teaching jobs available. Not only are there differences in the type of institution (two-year college, liberal arts, non-comprehensive university, comprehensive university) but also in the expectations that come with any of the above jobs. Some places expect you to teach several different classes, some expect you to teach several sections of the same class. At some places you will have to run all of the labs for your courses yourself, some places have TA’s to help, some even have lab coordinators. Some places expect extramurally funded research, some expect some research with undergrads, some expect no research at all. Some places have lots of money, wonderful resources, new buildings and equipment, others have virtually nothing, and most are somewhere in between.

You should try to decide which type of position would be ideal for you. Think about how you would like to spend you time and keep in mind how busy you will be no matter which of the above options you are interested in pursuing However, I would suggest applying for some of the types of positions other than what you think is your ideal situation. I learned a lot about expectations by going on interviews at various places and realized that my original "ideal job" is not really what I expected it would be like.

What/who are schools looking for?

I want to preface the following information by noting that I think there is a very wide variety of opinions of what qualities a good candidate will possess and what will impress the search committee. It depends a great deal on the school’s philosophy and exactly who ends up on the search committee. However, there do seem to be some common themes that I have run across in my search for a position.

I will rank them in order of what I feel most schools think is the most important:

1. Broad range of training and/or laboratory experiences. Take courses from many departments, perform research on different organisms or systems, TA as many different courses as you can. And usually a postdoc makes you more marketable especially in places where they expect that you will do research (but it is not always necessary). From what I can gather, most places do not much care at what institution you did your postdoc or whether it was in a really famous lab, they are most concerned that you did something different than what you did for your thesis. One place did tell me that a postdoc at a more prestigious place would carry more weight but another told me that a postdoc from Harvard or MIT would make a candidate less attractive because it implies that you are more interested in research than in teaching (you can’t win!). Another place told me that if you did a postdoc with someone that a professor on the search committee knows, it is very helpful (I assume only if the prof has a favorable impression of your PI!!).

2. Clearly stated interested in teaching in your cover letter. At first, I assumed that since the search committees would recognize that I came from a highly-respected research institution, that by just listing my teaching accomplishments would imply that I was extremely interested in teaching – WRONG! You should strongly state that you really want to teach in the beggining of your cover letter. Talk about your teaching experiences first and then mention your research. You can be a little more detailed about your work in letters to schools that expect you will pursue extramurally funded research there. A professor at one school told me that they immediately threw out any applications which started the cover letter out by describing the candidate’s research first.

3. Teaching experience, preferably something beyond a teaching assistantship (TA) and if you are applying at a small liberal arts college, preferably at a small liberal arts college. They want to know that you know that you want to teach. If you do a postdoc, they suggest that you make it clear right away to the PI that you are interested in teaching and look for opportunities to give a lecture or help in a lab here and there. One professor at a liberal arts school told me that even if you do not teach at all during your postdoc, you should still be open with the PI because when it comes to writing letters of recommendation, they can comment on whether they think you will be a good teacher.

Professors at small colleges are concerned that you might not realize that a small college atmosphere is much different than a large research university and they look highly on someone who went to a small college or has had some experience teaching there. They want to make sure that you know what you are getting into by teaching a smaller college (more personalized attention to students, research on a smaller scale/budget, being in a position where there will probably not be anyone that understands your research (except you) limited resources (journals, equipment), etc).

4. Miscellaneaous. Some schools looked highly upon research done at prestigious places, academic awards or competitive research awards (Howard Hughes, NIH postdoc grants, etc.) but most were not too concerned with these sorts of things and surprisingly many were not too interested in the number of publications, etc. However, again I must say that those small schools expecting a candidate to do extramurally funded research will probably look more highly on those qualifications than a school which requires little or no research.

Tips for applying for a position.

Tailor each cover letter to the specific position (and have the writers of your letters of recommendation do the same if they can). This is EXTREMELY important, a lot of places do the initial weeding out based on the cover letter alone! Do as much research on the school/area/city as possible. Get onto the internet and visit their webpage, go to the library and get their catalog, call them if you have questions about the position or to get more information. I know a fellow who when looking for a teaching position at a small college, researched the surrounding area for biotech companies, called the companies, told them he may be hired by the college and tried to set up possible collaborations. Then, when he applied to the colleges, he could tell them that he already had made contacts with the biotech companies.

Market yourself. I received a Ph.D. in oncology and I found out along my search that many places (including all of the places at which I interviewed) considered my degree too "clinical" or too "applied" (even though I did basic research on mouse genetics). Advice given to me was to make it clear that I was well-rounded in my background and to stress that I was interested in basic problems but it just turned out that the work in the cancer lab was an interesting way to study basic genetic problems. Having a unique background can help. For instance, I could teach a course on basic oncology which may or may not fit in with a particular school. But don’t be too unique because then you may look too specialized (and not broad enough). Again, find out the expectations from each school.

Several places at which I interviewed were interested in outreach-related activities. A lot of places consider community education as a scholarly activity (helps to get tenure). But again, I would caution you to hold back with too much information or enthusiasm until you know whether they are interested in someone who wants to work with the community.

Be sure to read the ad really well and provide everything that they ask for in your application packet (usually a cover letter, a cv, a teaching philosophy, transcripts, and a statement of research interests). Some places require you to fill out an application form which they have to mail to you. Adding lots of extra materials is probably not necessary and may end up costing a lot to send (especially if you apply to many positions). If you are wondering, just call them and ask if they would prefer any additional materials.

Finally, don’t be too hasty in a decision. It is very important to consider how well you will "fit in" with the people and the department’s objectives. Some places have a distinct political or religious undertone. Or one department may cater to teaching to standardized exams while another teaches the learning process but "leaves out" a lot of factual knowledge. You need to be in a place where you are comfortable. (Don’t take a job just to get a job!) Be yourself and you will find a position that suits you.

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