Teaching students is a vast field and there are a lot of other opportunities that you can think of taking up. You can either teach the students at a higher level or a lower level. Some of the common roles that you can take up are professors, assistant professors, etc. One of the uncommon roles is Visiting assistant professors. Many people are unaware of this profession and thus here we will help you to know more about it and how can you become one of them.
Quick Takeaways
- A visiting assistant professor is one who has the required skills that are required to get a position in another institution.
- Depending upon the institution you are choosing you may need to give a bachelor’s or master’s degree to become the one.
- The average salary of the visiting assistant professor is around $72,000.
- The main role of you will be teaching the students.
- You will need to take seminars, special lectures, research, etc.
- Some of the skills that you need to have are time management, flexibility, teamwork, etc.
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of visiting assistant professors.
What are Visiting Assistant Professors?
It is a position that is taken by the individual who has all the skills that are needed for a particular rank in another institution. In short, we can say that as a Visiting assistant professor, you will be hired on a temporary basis. You will be appointed on the basis of tenure for the professors who are on extended leave. It is very common for Visiting assistant professors or VAPs will be appointed as academic as academic advisors. As a VAP you either work part-time or full-time based on the needs of the subject or the university.
You will be supervised by the head of the department and may work with graduate assistants, undergraduate majors, etc. Although just like the confusion between the doctor and professor titles you may also be confused between the visiting assistant professor or adjunct professor. Thus further we have discussed the difference between both of them for your better understanding.
What is the difference between an adjunct and a visiting assistant professor?
The main difference between the visiting assistant professor and the adjunct professor is the type of appointment both of them hold. If we talk about visiting professors you will be usually working on behalf of the professors who are on leave in another institution. Whereas an adjunct professor is the one who is appointed temporarily for two or more terms or even for only 1 or 2 years.
How to become a visiting professor?
Following are the things that you need to do to become a visiting professor-
1. Get a related degree in the chosen subject
As you are going to teach a subject to students you will need to have a particular degree in a particular subject. Some may accept the bachelor’s degree, but usually, you will be asked to get the master’s degree in the subject you have chosen. Having a higher degree shows your expertise in a particular subject. However as the requirements will be different for each of the schools, you must check the requirements of each of the schools.
2. Choose the right school
There are a lot of schools and it is very confusing to choose the school in which you want to go. Thus you must research properly which will help you to decide in which school you want to become the visiting professor. Choosing the school will depend upon your personal choices. You can either teach in a school that focuses on quality or teach in a school that is more renowned.
3. Increasing your network
Having a good network helps you to get more opportunities in the related field. When you get into a great network, you will find people who may have someone who could help you to become one. Further, when you have a great network, it also helps you to learn new skills which will further help you to make a good resume. They may also help you in improving your resume which will further help you to get a good job.
4. Get the related experience
Starting to gain experience from the time when you are in college or university. If you are really interested in going into the teaching field you must think of tutoring someone. You can either teach your classmates or someone whom you know. It will help you to get some experience and knowledge about how to teach the students. You can also look for internships, creating personal projects, volunteering, etc.
5. Look for an open position
Most of the schools will be posting the available positions online which you can search for. They will also be listing the experience and other requirements which will help you to choose the right job for you. Further, they have always given customer care numbers which will help you to get in contact with them if you have more questions related to it. There are high chance that they arrange a meeting with other decision-makers that will help you in preparing your interview or resume better.
What are the skills of Visiting Assistant Professors?
The following are the skills of Visiting Assistant Professors –
Leadership – As you will be teaching the students you will need to guide them. Thus you must have leadership skills that will help you to lead the students easily. - Time management – Being a visiting professor means that you will be doing different tasks together. You may need to teach two or more subjects or take special lectures or seminars according to the teaching of the students. Teamwork – Teaching students means working in a group of individuals. As you are working with a lot of different individuals you must be able to work as a team.
- Problem-solving – When you are teaching the students you will need to clear all their doubts and thus it is important that you have problem-solving skills.
- Researching – Being a professor you will need to be in a lot of research projects. It means that you must have research skills so that it could be easy for you to give them research projects and help them in their final projects.
- Empathy – Every student is not the same and there will be students who will be having a lot of problems in their personal lives. In such a situation, if a professor is not able to understand the student they get more demotivated and even get into depression. Thus you must have empathy in yourself so that you can understand each and every student’s perspective and make them feel comfortable in the class.
- Flexibility – Being a visiting officer you will need to be flexible with your daily schedule. It is because you will need to perform a lot of different duties. Thus having a flexible schedule will help you in managing the tasks and completing them easily.
What is the salary of the Visiting assistant professor?
The salary of the visiting assistant professor will depend upon different factors. Some of these factors are the area of living, school choice, qualifications, experience you have, etc. On average, the visiting assistant professor earns between a range of $41,000 to $125,000 which shows an average salary of around $72,000.
What are the jobs and responsibilities of Visiting Assistant Professors?
Following are the responsibilities that you need to undergo as a visiting assistant professor-
- The main duty of a visiting assistant professor is that you will be teaching the students.
- You will need to develop and organise the course according to the needs of the school.
- Giving one or more than one class to the students who are in the university or the school with which you are working.
- Taking up seminars or special lectures to the students of the institution. There are chances that you may need to take the seminars or special lectures weekly.
- You will need to either do a detailed research or understand a case study on the current issues in America.
- Conducting interviews with the students who may want to enter the respective university.
Conclusion
A visiting assistant professor is one who is appointed on a temporary basis to fulfil the position whose skills and credentials match the role in the other university. You may be either working full-time or part-time as a visiting officer based on the opening in the university. To become a visiting assistant professor you will need to have a degree in the subject you want to teach. Some colleges may accept your bachelor’s degree others may want to have a master’s degree. As a visiting assistant professor, you will need to teach the students, develop the course, and take part in research. Some of the skills you must have are flexibility, teamwork, leadership, research, etc.
FAQs
Is visiting a professor worth it?
The answer to this will depend upon which University or school you are going to teach at. Visiting assistant professors get salaries depending upon the subject and the university you are at. The expected growth of this sector in the next decade is around 11% which is huge. However, there are also chances that you do not get a good job or get a lower salary. It will also depend upon the experience you have gained. If you have a higher experience you will get a good job easily. Thus being a visiting assistant professor is worthy will depend upon the person and also on other factors like area of living, University, etc.
Can visiting professors become permanent?
Visiting assistant professors is not a pre-tenure track and is generally hired on the basis of a temporary level. In most of the cases, it will not lead you to a tenure-track position. It means that it is very hard for a visiting assistant professor to become a permanent employee at the university.
Can a visiting professor use the title?
When you become a professor in a particular institution you will have the title of assistant professor or associate professor depending upon the level you are at. However, when you are appointed as a visiting officer you will be using the title of visiting officer, visiting associate or assistant officer depending upon the role you are assigned at.