community colleges and adult education

teacher wrote:

I teach math at a public high school, but I'm looking for other career options. I have a masters in education and I'm considering going back to school and getting a masters in math, statistics, or economics.

Is anyone here a community college prof? Do I need a doctorate to teach math or education at a 2-year college?

Does anyone here teach GED prep or any other kind of adult education courses?

What is the pay like? What are the hours and stress in these fields?

I taught part-time for a community college in California, and I just have an MA (English Education). Most community colleges do NOT require a doctorate to teach there.

I also have taught GED prep and adult education courses. I did this from 1993-1995 while living in Michigan. It was for a non-profit organization and I made $21,500 salary during that time with a 10% bonus at the end of each year, so really $23,650. I was offered the job of director in 1995 for basically double my salary, but my wife finally finished graduate school and we were headed to Washington DC for jobs there, so I had to turn the job down. I'm sure you'd make a bit more now, but I don't think anyone ever got rich teaching GED prep and adult education classes.

I found the stress to be mimimal at both jobs. The only stress with a non-profit is wondering if you will continue to receive funding from year to year. At community colleges, the stress to publish is MUCH less than at a 4-year school, so that's nice, but you do get kids who have no business being in college at all, and that's disappointing if you have it in your head that all will succeed. Sorry my info isn't more up-to-date, but that's what I know.

It depends on the school, but most of the times you don't need the degree......but the pay will suck!!!

i have to say that i really like cc math profs - most seem to actually like teaching. uni profs or grad assistants don't really give a damn about teaching in most cases - many of the grad assistants can't speak english in the first place ... but cc types often do a great job, imho.

I go to a large university and many of the teachers here don't have doctorates. You can't be a professor here without a doctorate, but you can make good money as an instuctor or lecturer. The difference is that you teach three classes a semester while profs only teach two and you don't do any research. I don't know about community colleges, but I assume that if you can do it at a university you could do it at a cc.

I looked into teaching at the community college system in California a few years ago. There is a lot of competition for those jobs, and a lot of people will teach part-time indefinitely until they can get a full-time position. The greatest demand for teachers is in the core subjects like English and Math. I would recommend meeting with a dean at community college where you might be interested to teach for an informational interview. You should find out what the requirements are for education (or previous teaching experience) before starting another graduate school program. You may already have enough coursework units in Math. Be prepared to teach part-time to get direct experience with community college students and to make contacts with other instructors and administrators.

I have taught math at a cc in NY for 24 years. As for credentials, it varies widely from school to school. At my first job, the dept wouldn't hire anyone without an MA in math. Where I am currently employed, the inertia seems to be toward hiring teachers with credentials in education. In either case, however, you will improve your chances by familiarizing yourself with the cc culture, and showing an interest in working with students at this level. I have been on many searches, and the qualified candidates who have some background at a cc always get an interview, and many who have only good academic credentials do not.

As far as hours and stress, we teach 15 hours per week in NY. The kids are generally well behaved, so you don't have the discipline problems of a high school, and you generally don't have to publish to get tenure. Some professional development is expected, as well as committee work and advisement. Exactly what you have to do to make it to the top depends on the particular union contract in place. Currently, my schedule is great. I start at 9:00 and am done by 2:00, 4 days a week. Tuesdays I have off. I teach in a small department and teach mostly Calc III, Differential Equations and Linear Algebra. I am the only one that teaches these courses, so for the most part, I am left alone to do as I see fit. As long as I do a decent job, and my students are relatively happy, the administration doesn't bother me. As for my own satisfaction, I turn out a lot of very competent students who are very successful at the university level, but only I care about that.

I teach at a junior college, the same thing as a community college. My contract is to teach two semesters, fall and spring, each year. Summer is an option. A full load is 5 classes (15 hours), 10 hours of office hours, and 10 hours of prep. I have a master's degree, which is the minimum requirement to obtain a full time position. However, you can teach as an adjunct instructor with 18 graduate hours in the field you teach. Pay scales are public record, and are usually posted on the college's website. I usually teach an overload, one extra class, each semester to pick up some extra money. I have taught summer school once. I make about 45k. I tell everyone I work 24/7

24 weeks a year, 7 hours a day!

You will never be rich, but it is a great job. The classes are small, about 30 students in each. You don't have to publish. You don't have to do any research. The students are nice. The atmosphere is relaxed. I have my own office. It is a great job.

do you need a teaching certificate to teach community/junior college like in high school or just a master\'s in your field??

Just a MA in your discipline. Many have education credentials because they moved up from a high school, but that is not necessary.

If you teach at a community college, make sure your contract terms are laid out really explicitly and fairly. I get the sense that CC teachers get much less union backing than both primary/secondary teachers and university professors. As a result you can get screwed over, and your case falls through the cracks in a way that it couldn't otherwise. I knew one CC teacher that got his pay cut by 2/3 (literally) between two years teaching for the same college because of this. There's no way that would ever happen to a school teacher or a university professor.

teacher wrote:I have a masters in education and I'm considering going back to school and getting a masters in math, statistics, or economics.

Have you thought about getting an Ed.S. instead?

D3 runners wrote:

If you teach at a community college, make sure your contract terms are laid out really explicitly and fairly. I get the sense that CC teachers get much less union backing than both primary/secondary teachers and university professors. As a result you can get screwed over, and your case falls through the cracks in a way that it couldn't otherwise. I knew one CC teacher that got his pay cut by 2/3 (literally) between two years teaching for the same college because of this. There's no way that would ever happen to a school teacher or a university professor.

One major difference between cc's and high schools, is that all high schools in our area require all teachers to be paid at the same full-time rate, whereas at a cc, there is a huge differential in wages for full-time vs. part-time. Our full-time pay range is 45k-90k, whereas a part-time instructor can cover the same course load (30 hrs. per year) for 21k. We did have a non-tenured economics teacher laid off, and then re-hired as an adjunct for less than 1/2 the pay, so it does happen.

And, job security for even a tenured prof. is largely dependent upon the strength of the union.