Strategies for Finding a Teaching Job

If you haven't already done so, read Steven Covey's book:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Then, following Covey's advice to "seek first to understand before seeking to be understood" start collecting information about particular places (ROPs, community colleges, adult schools, etc.) where you think you might like to teach. Most educational institutions now post information online, but finding a paper copy of a catalog that includes specific course descriptions can also be a valuable resource.

The first thing to do is to collect the following information for each place you think you might like to teach:

1. Name, address and (if available) the web site URL of the institution.
   
2. Name and telephone number of the person in charge of the department in which courses you might want to teach are offered at that institution.
   
3. Name, course number and a brief description of each of the courses offered at that institution that you believe you are qualified to teach.
   

The next thing to do, for each institution in which you have an interest, is to telephone the person indicated in #2 above (don't settle for anyone other than that person) and tell him/her briefly about your qualifications and that you believe you could do a good job teaching the particular courses you listed in #3 above. The key thing here is to focus on particular courses while talking directly to the person who is ultimately responsible for finding qualified faculty to teach those courses!

If any possibility of a vacancy exists, the person you are talking with will want more information about you and you should be prepared to provide that. Only send in an application if you are encouraged to do so and then be sure to follow up with the person you talked with (#2 above).

It might also helpful to establish and maintain a good (simple and well designed) web site with current professional information about yourself that might be of interest to a potential employer.

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August