At the moment, I’m teaching at four venerable NYC-area institutions simultaneously: undergrad courses at NYU and The New School; a continuing ed course at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute; and professional training seminars/classes at Mediabistro.

The easiest way for me to explain my world is to answer the questions that I’m asked most often:

Q: Wow, your schedule sounds insane.

A: Yeah, it can be. But I try to lump all my classes into two days a week. Love that flex time, which I need as a single mom shuttling around a 14-year-old daughter. Each gig is different. What’s always the same, unfortunately, is that I only get paid if my classes fill. So it’s not enough to land a teaching assignment; the students have to show up.

Q: Why do you teach at so many places? Can’t you find a full-time job?

A: Mmm. Full-time work -- those jobs are pretty scarce. Until then, I’m an adjunct, a freelancer who is typically allowed only one course per school. More than that, and you’re into work rule issues that are covered by the unions. But if a college’s adjuncts aren’t unionized, multiple courses are okay. 

Q: So how do you actually find a job?

A: Thank God for the cold call. I have an earlier post on this topic which you might find helpful. Only my New School job came through a connection. Kinda. Someone invited me to a faculty cocktail party, where I introduced myself to the provost. He asked for my resume and circulated it in-house.

Q: You mean you’re not reading the want ads?

A: Sure I am. I even went on a few interviews. But to actually find work, my strategy is to pick schools that appeal to me and then, just...connect. It’s like going into a bar, casing the prospects and pulling up a stool next to that cute guy who definitely should buy me a drink. Occasionally, he will.     

Q: Just like that?

A: Well, no. Now I’m into reporting the story, so to speak...I’ll check the school’s website for the official contact. If the website says not to call the person, of course, I’ll pick up the phone and call! My excuse is that I’m checking to make sure that the contact info is still accurate. I’m often told that there are no openings. But I’ll try to line up a visit to that person’s office anyway. Or at the very least, I’ll ask if it’s okay to stay in touch. This is how the courtship starts. And trust me, it can go nowhere.

Q: Sounds scary.

A: If you think that’s intimidating, you know what else I do? Sometimes, I ask: “Would you be interested in looking at some ideas for courses that I could teach?” I landed two of my jobs by sending my future employers a pitch letter with one-paragraph descriptions of several courses that I could create. Only one idea got a green light. That wasn’t the point, though. My goal was to present myself as a go-getter who can help boost enrollment by offering the next flavor-of-the-semester.

Q: But I’ve never taught before. Besides, don’t you need a PhD?

A: Nope. Sometimes, a college degree is enough. Although, colleges seem to like adjuncts who have  masters degrees, preferably in journalism. Being an alumni can give you an edge too. And there are always exceptions, especially if you’re a superstar in your field. Even I got a break. My first boss hired me despite my lack of teaching experience. “I have a good feeling about you,” she told me.

Q: They want superstars? Hey, I won a Pulitzer!

A: That’s very nice, honey. Now get back in line with the rest of us. I’m serious. Unless you’re applying for a job at an absolutely horrible college, the market’s overflowing with award-winners.

Q: I’m confused. So what are the colleges looking for?

A: Depends on what you’re offering. If you’ve got the credentials to be a show horse, more power to you. The rest of us are work horses who train students to actually report and write. That means editing stories, and more stories. Oh, it’s a lot of work. (But all quite thrilling when a student truly gets it.) 

Q: Okay, let’s get to the hard question. What’s the pay like? 

A: Hmmm. I have no idea about the stars. But if you base an adjunct’s hourly wage on straight time in the classroom, we’re talkin’ maybe anywhere from $45 to $130 an hour. Of course, that’s not counting grading homework, making lesson plans and holding office hours. Some classes are less demanding. But in the end, whatever you make, I’ll bet it’s more than your paycheck for most freelance writing gigs.

And while colleges don’t usually do much for adjuncts, two of my employers offer health insurance. One even gives me a pension. There are also other perks. Like at the New School -- for every course I teach, I can audit almost any course in the catalogue. I love taking those free classes!

Full-time faculty salaries vary according to title (full, associate or assistant professor), school and if you’re tenure track. My own casual observation is that while six figures might be possible, most ads seem to offer $35k to $80k with full benefits that can include free tuition at that particular college for your kids. 

Btw, if you’re tenure track, be prepared to do slave work (e.g., teaching extra classes, crappy hours, etc.) until you reach the promised land. A dream gig with summers off and teaching only one or two courses per semester will probably demand that you do something else notable, like publish a book.  

I could go on endlessly but here’s one last suggestion: If you want to end up on a college campus and that’s not happening yet, take any kind of teaching job. Just get some experience.

For me, that meant running an “Asian Cooking” class at my daughter’s elementary school. It was for the after-school program and there I was with these hungry, unruly third graders who were flinging rice at each other. Even though I’m now teaching a “Food Writing” summer elective at NYU, I still like hanging out with my little chefs; you can find me messing around with them on Mondays, at 3 p.m.

In looking back over these last few years of becoming a teacher, I feel like I’ve been connecting the dots without realizing it. And, having a pretty good time in the process. Because in teaching and in life, my motto is, Bird by bird, buddy. Bird by bird.

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