Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Job Woes

Somehow, after doing well in college and grad school, I make less money than ever. I like what I do -- teaching writing to college students -- and I'm good at it, but it's messed up career. For the past few years I've been an adjunct professor at a state college. The good things about the job are that I love the work, I love the students, and I have good benefits (or we'd never be able to afford Dr. Baby Factory). The bad things are the 2+ hour commute (that's each way, via subway, train, and bus), the irregular hours, the excruciatingly low pay, and the semester-to-semester uncertainty of employment.

In the fall, I get up at the crack of dawn (usually before that) to teach Freshman Comp for the better-paying Humanities Department; in the spring I stay up late to teach evening classes for perpetually-broke Continuing Ed. I'm finishing a semester of 4-class days: 8:30, 10:30, 2:30, 4:30. This spring, I'm teaching long, late classes on Mondays and Thursdays. If we finish early, I might be home by 10 or 10:30, though we should really go late enough that I wouldn't be home before 11:30.

My fall boss just offered me an 8:30 section of Freshman Comp -- nice of her! Adjuncts don't often get the spring sections of that class. But, ye gods, the thought of leaving the house at 6:15 and getting home so very, very late...I just don't think I can swing it. We could use the money -- I don't see how we'll buy more sperm if what we have doesn't get the job done, let alone put money away towards motherhood -- but I think working those hours will leave my body too messed up to conceive.

I have to call her this afternoon with my decision. Ugh.

(Anybody in the NYC area need a great writing teacher? Or an editor, a writer of video scripts for social work interventions, a test-prep writer?)

4 comments:

  1. That sounds like a horrendous schedule. Hope the economy settles down soon and that lets your schedule settle down.

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  2. You could try homeschooling groups. They LOVE to have a time where their kids are in an actual class and they pay very well.

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  3. I remember schedules like those. Spring semesters for the adjunct comp instructor lead us to some pretty hideous arrangements. I hope you were able to work this out!

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  4. Thanks, y'all. I decided not to teach the morning class. I'll have to find some other way to scrape some money up.

    Karen -- what a great idea! I hadn't thought of that at all, but I have lots of experience with different age groups, so perhaps I can figure something out.... Do you happen to know anything about how to find home school groups?

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