Being a professor means having a great responsibility. You will not only have to teach the students but will also have to take part in various ongoing activities like attending meetings, giving special lectures, etc. However, you may also want to think of being a professor but may be in great doubt. At this point in time, you can think of becoming an adjunct assistant professor. If you do not have much information about adjunct assistant professors, here we will guide you to know more about them.
Quick Takeaways
- An adjunct assistant professor is one who is appointed on a contractual or part-time basis.
- The most common qualities that you should have as an adjunct assistant professor are communication, leadership, punctuality, etc.
- You will be getting a lower pay rate if you are an adjunct assistant professor.
- On the other hand, you will be performing fewer responsibilities than the full-time professors.
However, if you want to know more about adjunct assistant professors, you must read till the end.
Who is an adjunct assistant professor?
An adjunct assistant professor is the one who will take the class on a contractual or part-time basis. The duties that the adjunct assistant professor performs are similar to the full-time professor. As an adjunct professor, you will teach the students, create the course curriculum, evaluate the performance, etc. just like normal professors. The only difference will be that you will have a contract with the institution for a specific period of time. You will be guiding the students just like the normal professors. Adjunct assistant professors are usually appointed when a professor dies, or there is no other faculty for a subject. The appointment period of the professor varies from institution to institution.
What are the qualities of becoming an adjunct assistant professor?
The following are the qualities for becoming an adjunct assistant professor –
1. Communication
To become an adjunct assistant professor you will need to be in contact with the students you are teaching. Having clear communication is very easy as the main task of you is to teach the students and make it easy for them to understand the content.
2. Leadership
Being a professor means leading a full class. Therefore having a leadership quality is a must if you are an adjunct professor. You will need to guide your students at different times when needed. In addition to that, you must also have a better understanding of the content and get a good knowledge of the subject you are teaching.
3. Punctuality
Being an adjunct associate professor means that you will have to get in the class on time. As a professor, the first thing you need to do is to be on time and take your class properly. Being on time leaves a great impact on your students and also helps to show a student that you are dependable.
4. Preparedness
Every student wants to study from a professor who has good experience and has a lot of knowledge. When you are presenting to the students you must make sure that you are skilled in the topic chosen. You must be prepared so that your students know that you have the right knowledge and can teach them properly.
What are the benefits of being an adjunct professor?
The following are the benefits of being an adjunct professor –
1. Flexibility
As an adjunct professor, you will need to teach on a contractual or part-time basis. It will give you the benefit of flexibility as you can create your schedule for teaching or not. Having the benefit of flexibility will also allow you to make other career choices except for teaching.
2. Enjoying different learning environments
Being an adjunct professor means going to different institutions and getting interacting with new students and giving them different teaching experiences. Also, every institution has its own policies and thus you will face different situations.
3. Increasing opportunities
When you are an adjunct professor you will be getting more opportunities like switching careers, teaching students at different levels, etc. You will have time for your other things like developing more interests, employment opportunities, etc.
4. Fewer responsibilities
As you are not a full-time professor you will have fewer responsibilities than them. You will not need to sit in the faculty meetings, conducting research, publishing, etc.
What are the disadvantages of being an adjunct associate professor?
Following are the drawbacks of being an adjunct associate Professor –
1. Lower pay
Adjunct professors usually earn lower pay than the full-time professor. You will have to only teach the students and not do anything else. As you are not doing anything else you will be getting a lower pay rate.
2. No job security
As you are working on a part-time basis or a contractual basis you will not have any job security. You will not be getting any benefits like tenured professors. Also, you will not know if the institution you are working with will renew any existing contract or not.
3. No employee benefits
As an adjunct professor, you will not have any employee benefits that you can take up. You will not be getting any benefits that other employees will be getting. Having no employee benefits means having no health insurance, no retirement plans, etc.
How to become an adjunct assistant professor?
Following are the steps that you need to become an adjunct assistant professor –
- The first thing you need to do is that you will need to complete the undergraduate degree. You can complete the degree in any subject you want to.
- Decide the subject you want to teach to the students. Choosing a particular subject will help you to decide which subject to teach.
- The next thing is to get into graduate school to get a degree in the chosen subject. Having a degree in a particular subject will help you to get a job in the related field.
- Gain the related experience so that your chances of getting selected increase. You can do internships, voluntarily teach the students, or assist the full-time professors.
- Collect the material needed for the application which will help you to make your application stronger. Try to add your skills, experience, achievements, etc. to make your application stronger. You can also try to get a cover letter and give a diversity letter to increase your chances of getting the right job.
- Start applying for the positions that are open for the position of adjunct professor. Make sure that you are considering all your options from colleges to universities. It is important to apply to more than 5 institutions so that you get your desired position.
What are the educational opportunities for adjunct associate professors?
Following are the educational opportunities that you get as an associate adjunct professor-
1. Conferences
Every educational institution has its own conferences and as you are an adjunct professor you will be a part of it. You can attend the conferences that will be happening in the institution and will gain a lot of knowledge from them.
2. Visiting Scholars
As most of the institutions bring scholars from different institutions you will get a chance to meet them. It will help you to increase your knowledge and you may also get a chance to have direct communication with them.
3. Talk with a tenure-track faculty
There is no doubt that most of the professors have started their careers by being adjunct professors or assistant professors. You can get to meet such people and can get advice on how to go on your career path. They may also help you to develop your expertise in your field.
4. Professional associations
As an adjunct professor, you are eligible to take part in various professional associations happening in the institution. Many of the organisations will provide you with the learning and teaching resources that will help you to grow up your career.
What is the job outlook for an adjunct associate professor?
There are many online institutions that are hiring adjunct professors for their institutions. Further, there are many offline institutions as well, that are hiring adjunct professors to teach students in their institutions. The expected growth rate of the adjunct associate professor is 11% in a decade. However, the job outlook for adjunct professors in different sectors will also vary. The further table shows what is the expected increase in the job outlook for different sectors-
- Psychology: 12%
- Health Specialities: 23%
- Biological science: 12%
- Nursing Instructors: 20%
- Business: 16%
Is the adjunct associate professor different from the visiting professor?
An adjunct professor is one who is appointed on a contractual or part-time basis. Whereas if we talk about the visiting professors, they are the ones who are retired or are from a different University. Although the duties are almost similar for both of them, how they work in a particular institution is different. If you are a visiting professor you will be appointed most commonly for a year or less. However, if you are an adjunct professor the period may be different and usually can be up to 2 years or more.
Is the adjunct professor job worth it?
An adjunct professor is one who is appointed on a part-time or contractual basis. Due to it the job responsibilities that you will be doing will be fewer than the full-time professor which will result in fewer responsibilities. On the other hand, the biggest drawback of being an adjunct professor is that you get a lower salary than the other professors.
What is the salary of an adjunct associate professor?
The total pay that you get for being an adjunct associate professor is around $147,386. However, if we talk about the average salary, it is around $132,790 each year. Further one thing you must remember is that there are many other factors that will affect your salary as an adjunct associate professor. Some of the factors that will affect your salary are type of institution, area of living, etc.
Conclusion
An adjunct professor is one who is appointed on a contractual and part-time basis. As an adjunct associate professor, you will be performing similar responsibilities to the full-time professors. To become an adjunct you will need to have different qualities like communication, leadership, punctuality, etc. To become an adjunct you will need to complete your undergraduate degree. Choose the subject you want to teach, complete the higher studies and gain experience related to your field. According to different research, the expected job growth of adjunct associate professors is around 11%. Some of the educational opportunities that you get being an adjunct professor are – professional associations, conferences, meet visiting scholars, etc.
FAQ
Can adjuncts be called professors?
Adjunct professors are the ones who are temporarily appointed to teach the students. Therefore there is no doubt that adjunct faculty can be called professors.