"A good friend of mine is looking for a position as a research fellow or instructor in microbiology with an emphasis on teaching. While she's exploring options herself I figured it couldn't hurt asking; I usually know who is hiring in [my area of expertise] but this is way outside my usual networks, and from what I've been learning positions with an emphasis on teaching are surprisingly rare. Any pointers to departments or groups that might be hiring would be highly appreciated (as are tips on how to find such a position)."
And alas I did not have a good answer. So, with this person's permission I am reaching out to the blogosphere to see if anyone has suggestions for good places/sources of information about job openings in teaching and/or research fellow positions in microbiology.
All teaching jobs (not just microbiology ones) are advertised on a fairly specific schedule, and we are near the end of it. Positions at primarily undergraduate institutions (where most of the teaching heavy jobs will be) are advertised in August/September, interview in October/November, and try to get candidates offers in December/January. This is because Fall class schedules are drawn up in February, and smaller institutions need to know who will be teaching what, and if any adjuncts need to be hired.
ReplyDeleteThe silver lining is that this is the time when Visiting Assistant Professor positions for fall 2012 will be listed, mostly in HigherEdJobs. If the person looking has recently decided teaching is what she wants to do but lacks teaching experience, visiting professorships are an excellent way to get some.