I’ve been an adjunct college instructor for almost 15 years. It is the absolute best “gig” ever. My friends, family, and co-workers are constantly asking me how I began teaching part time at the local college. Although I believe I was at the right place at the right time, I did a lot of preparations to make everything line up.
My Teaching Experience
Typically, to teach at the college level, you need a Master’s Degree with at least 15 credit hours in the field you want to teach in and/or years of experience. For trade fields such as electrician or plumbing, an advanced certification may be needed in lieu of a scholar diploma. I earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration in 2003. After graduation, I actively started monitoring several local college’s job vacancy announcements. In July 2006, there was an opening for a Criminal Justice Part Time Faculty at a college approximately 5 miles from my home. I applied for the position and was hired within two weeks.
When I first started teaching, I taught in a traditional day class setting. There was one available class for me to teach. The instructor was a police officer who had recently been shot on the job and was unable to teach the class. Because his class was during the day, I had to sacrifice my time by driving to the college every Tuesday and Thursday during my lunch break to teach the class. After getting my foot in the door, I was offered an evening class for the next term. A few years later I started teaching in the online program. Now I am teaching 100% online. Although at times I miss the in-class interaction with my students, teaching online has been the best option for me. I can teach online while working my full time job, side hustles, and attempt to be a Stepford Wife and Mom.
11 Tips to Get Hired as an Adjunct College Instructor
Everyone’s road to becoming a adjunct college instructor may be different. The following are my tips and suggestions:
- Earn a master’s degree or advanced certification in your profession or field of study.
- Attend college affairs.
- Network with other full/part time college instructors.
- Check vacancy listings each month.
- Try your own college, speak to your old professors.
- Create a resume outlining your experiences as a facilitator.
- Volunteer for speaking engagements.
- Seek out non-traditional / online schools.
- Become a substitute teacher at a public school.
- Develop and implement a learning curriculum for the training department at your school or job.
- Ask other instructors if you can be a guest speaker for them.
I hope you found these tips on becoming an adjunct college instructor helpful. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments in the comment section.
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