If You Want That Full-Time Faculty Position…..

“You need to develop people skills and learn to get along with and ‘butter up’ to those in authority if you hope to land a full-time faculty position!”

This piece of advice was given to me when I first began teaching at the community college level many years ago. At that time, I really did not pay much attention to this piece of advice from a well meaning tenured instructor who I shared an office with. As the years passed by, and the list of my being passed over for full-time faculty positions grew, I recalled that piece of advice when I took the time to reflect on my job hunting methods.

You Looked The Part, But…….

What was I doing wrong? My student evaluations were outstanding! I tried my best to get along with other faculty members. I spent time aligning the goals of my supervisor with my own to be a “team member.” At staff meetings, I made it a point to contribute and be heard among full-time tenured faculty in order to “make an impression” and to be engaged. I showed interest and positivity whenever I was at the office and in class. In reality, I was foolish and likely the object of sneers and disdain by full-timers. “This adjunct is trying too hard!” As the years went on, no full-time faculty job offers, with a pattern of being “passed over” despite playing the role and being a motivated adjunct at my place of employment. After a number of years, reality set in and I simply stopped applying for full-time teaching positions despite my qualifications and teaching experience.

The Inner Workings

The years passed, and I began to understand the workings of academic politics, and “getting in” with those in charge. You need to “butter up” and get to know your supervisors and those in authority, and play the game. Most importantly, it is essential to “brag” and promote yourself to those in authority and to anyone at work who will listen to get noticed. Relying only on your hard work and great class evaluations is simply not enough. The fact remains that supervisors and program directors are not aware of your hard work, along with the extra or unpaid hours adjuncts puts in for their classes. I recall one unfriendly tenured full-timer who never acknowledge my presence during my five years at one campus. What was noteworthy was how this full-timer became extremely sociable during his frequent visits with one of the program directors to socialize for some backslapping banter on various topics unrelated with work. Ah yes, playing the game and buttering up your supervisor.

Coming to Terms With Reality

Over the years, I have come to terms with this unspoken rule in academia, initially angry, bitter, and disgusted, but no more. Y As a result, I have taught at the community college and now university level for over 30 plus years. It would be a bit of an understatement to say that I do know a bit about teaching, planning, preparation, and classroom management thanks to my years of experience. I would be willing to share my experiences and advice to new graduate teaching assistants or recent graduates if asked, however no one has, which is fine with me. Experienced adjunct instructors must also deal with department policies which calls for a reduction in courses assigned to them, in favor of Graduate teaching assistants and recent graduates.

Making An Adjustment

As it turns out, my longevity as an adjunct within the same state university system has had some benefits by my accumulating enough work credits to qualify for retirement with a modest pension and health benefits. With this to look forward to, I began to taper back my teaching, more specifically unpaid marking, preparation, creating new lessons, engaging ways of learning, searching for new teaching material, which had always been a part of my weekends and days off. My work is now limited only from Monday to Friday, however, I still do put in the necessary time and effort to teach my courses. The key word with me is to be efficient and to make good use of my time. Students are instructed to contact and meet with me during the week and to not to email me over the weekend (unless it is something urgent) until the following Monday. No more marking, grading, lesson planning, emailing students, or updating the course LMS over the weekends or after 5:00 P.M. on weekdays. It does take some planning, but it has worked wonders for me.

It took a bit of an adjustment, but I am now have learned to value my own time, having come to terms with my job situation. My primary focus and concern is now my quality of life, mental wellness, my family, and not having my work consume me. It is important to remember to never allow your job to become your identity. BTW, have my students and classes suffered in any way? Nope, not one bit. In fact, my classes have become even more organized, effective, engaging, and enjoyable to teach.

“That Adjunct Guy”
October 4, 2026