By Dani Babb, PhD
Many years go, I co-authored the first-ever book on how to get into the online teaching job space called Make Money Teaching Online. In 2015, I authored the second edition. It's hard to believe how long ago that was! Many of those principles still apply, but others do not. Let me run through them and help you see the differences today versus just a few short years ago. The third edition is broken up into series and I recommend picking that up!
The Market
First, you should know the market is more competitive than I have ever seen it. I have helped thousands upon thousands of professors get jobs. You can join my group here and see us helping one another, too! There are more applicants, fewer jobs, more requirements, and more cumbersome job applications than ever. Don't despair, I have some tips to level that playing field.
Schools are struggling for enrollment. Institutional health is on the decline (not all, but many). Consolidations, closures, mergers and acquisitions are common. Some online faculty come to me because they worked at two universities that merged into one, and they lost 50% of their work; therefore, 50% of their income. It's a unique market. I haven't seen the same in instructional design (particularly multimedia design) positions, but I am seeing lower salaries and hourly contracts than in the past due to the supply side (many new instructional designers in the marketplace).
Diversity is More Important Than Ever
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is more important than ever. It's more than just a flavor of the month, this one is here to stay, thank goodness. Teaching for diversity is acknowledging the wide range of differences among students in your classroom. Inclusion represents embracing those differences, and teaching for equity allows those differences to transform how we think, how we teach, how we learn, and how we act - all while being handled precisely with justice, fairness, and thoughtfulness. This is a simplistic view - so read up on it more. I will also write more articles on this. We hold professional development seminars on this regularly, and recommend you attend. Very likely, you will be asked about this in an interview. If you'd like to be on the list for future seminars, just contact us here and let us know. We will tell you when the next one is! Don't forget to say you're interested in our DEI course.
Less Flexibility
Sadly, one of the things we love most about online higher education is flexibility. Isn't it wonderful (albeit sometimes lonely) to work from home and do laundry while working? (only half kidding, I find solace in doing laundry!) Hybrid courses or synchronous courses/sessions are making this more difficult. Someone in academia got the bright idea that adding synchronous sessions would improve learning. Except - students widely report that they don't like the lack of flexibility as much as the professors don't like using their only evening time to teach the same thing they just taught in the online classroom. Unfortunately this is increasing, so don't be surprised if your dream job says "oh by the way, you have to teach two hours live every week. No problem, right?" This may be a deal breaker for some (with my clients, it's a deal breaker for most). It isn't laziness, it's exhaustion. Teaching online isn't for the faint of heart. After a full day doing it, it's hard to get up the excitement and energy to now use your evenings to do the same thing you just did online. This is to "help with seat hours" and to "create a sense of community", but I personally believe it's going to backfire. We will see who was right in five years. :) In the meantime, get your zoom button ready!
Your CV is More Important Than Ever
If you want one full time job, or ten part time gigs, you will need a CV. I used to recommend a comprehensive CV. That is an older model. Your CV needs to list all the pertinent areas, such as awards, honors, community service, education, college teaching experience, professional experience and so on, but the relationship is more important. How did your job as an underwater basket weaver in the 1990's help prepare you for today? Make that link. Remove the full course descriptions that we used to do. I have a better way now, and I'm happy to do it for you in my CV writing option. Don't forget your teaching philosophy statement, but I recommend it written differently than in the past.
Apps. Apps and More Apps.
It's no joke that it will take you 150 to even 200 applications for one call back. You may get an interview immediately if that Dean needs someone NOW! Or you may wait two years and a school will pop up with "you applied in 1997, we'd like to schedule you for an interview." It happens to me and my colleagues and clients all. the. time. Most often you get a thank you for applying automated email, and nothing further. Is it disrespectful? For sure. But remember there are thousands of us that applied to that one job. You have to stand out, be patient, and apply to more jobs. THis is a numbers game, until you have precise expertise or experience that schools need and want. Then, it's more of a networking game. We can help you with the apps and are happy to do so.
Now let's get going and get you that job in this new market. You know some things about the market, what it is like and what schools are looking for. Time for Job #1, or #35. Either way, we have your back.
About the author...
I am Dani Babb, PhD. I have been an online instructor since the inception of online education, using newsgroups back in the day! I am also the co-author of the first-ever book on getting jobs in online education, and the author of the second edition. I have made appearances all over network television on becoming an online instructor and making money while doing something you love - teaching others! My work is not about money first, it is about sharing our knowledge and personal fulfillment. The ability to work remotely and earn money doing it is icing on the cake.
I have over two decades of experience helping online faculty and professors find work in higher education and have seen the vast changes in the marketplace. Getting a job in today's online market is harder than ever, largely due to competition from more graduates, a move toward full time jobs, mergers and acquisitions. I network with administration and hiring managers to help find candidates for colleges, and my team offers exceptional services from curriculum vita writing to LinkedIn profiles written specifically to make it clear to the world that you are open to work as an online professor!
To ensure our team provides the best possible services to our clients, I research what deans and hiring managers are looking for at colleges and universities, frequently update our working processes, and provide timely information through blogs and through our online group
We would be delighted to help you move from where you ARE - to where you want to BE. Contact us today.