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0 pointsawelkie5y ago0 comments

I'm a PhD drop-out, and I'm reticent to give it another shot. Is it easy to find teaching jobs at the university level without a PhD?

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jseliger5y ago

If you have a masters and are willing to be a relatively low-paid adjunct, my impression is "yes," particularly in CS, where relatively few people want to be adjuncts.

I don't think it's easy to find jobs that pay at middle-class levels in many larger cities.

hackyhacky5y ago

Again, just my two cents, but in looking for full-time, contract-based, permanent, non-tenure-track teaching positions in the northeast of the US, I found no shortage of schools eager to make offers to someone with the right background. Here, "right background" means previous teaching experience, good evaluations, and extensive work in industry, as well as a killer demo lecture.

hackyhacky5y ago

In my experience, in the job market right now in the US, universities are positively salivating at the chance to hire experienced tech people into teaching roles. This is because lots of students want to study CS, and not a lot of people want to teach it (being that qualified people usually either go into industry, or go into research).

The salary may not be great, if you have experience and good student evaluations, you are in a strong negotiating position.

Some caveats: getting a university teaching job is a lot easier than getting a university research/teaching job. Previous teaching experience is a big plus, as is previous industry experience. PhD is nice, but not required (I don't have one).

ScottFree5y ago

US or Europe? If Europe, would any of them hire a filthy American? ;)

hackyhacky5y ago

I have experience teaching in eastern Europe as well. It's been hit-or-miss. It's best if you're flexible and don't fixate on any particular location.

If you need a visa and work permit, it really complicates matters: I highly recommend acquiring European citizenship if at all possible. (I did, which had the side-effect of immersing me in genealogy as a hobby.)

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jseliger5y ago

If you have a masters and are willing to be a relatively low-paid adjunct, my impression is "yes," particularly in CS, where relatively few people want to be adjuncts.

I don't think it's easy to find jobs that pay at middle-class levels in many larger cities.

hackyhacky5y ago

The salary may not be great, if you have experience and good student evaluations, you are in a strong negotiating position.

ScottFree5y ago

US or Europe? If Europe, would any of them hire a filthy American? ;)

hackyhacky5y ago

I have experience teaching in eastern Europe as well. It's been hit-or-miss. It's best if you're flexible and don't fixate on any particular location.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse