Typical teaching load for VAP?

[Curious]

Hi folks,

I'm just wondering what the typical teaching load would be for a visiting assistant professor or full-time lecturer position.

Also, if you're teaching full-time is there any time left over for your own work? I'm weighing the benefits of staying on as a student with no funding or moving onto a VAP.

All advice appreciated!

[tnrd]

I don't know if there is a typical load, but I'll assume that a 2/2 is reasonable/likely and answer the question for that set-up. Assuming this VAP is in a new town for you, you'll need to get used to the new place. Even if it's not, you'll need to get used to a new institution. I mention these, because people tend to forget about them even though they can take quite a bit of energy. At this point, we're not even talking about the amount of effort teaching will take. If you've not taught the courses you'll be teaching then the prep and first-time experience will pretty much use up all remaining energy you have, certainly the first time around so I would not expect to get any research done the first semester. If the second semester repeats the courses then perhaps at that time you'll have some energy left for your own research. Even TT assistant professors often get very little of their own research done even with a reduced teaching load precisely because the many components of such a transition coupled with teaching are exhausting. I've seen lots of people express skepticism toward what I describe, but most get it once they're in the situation. By the way, this is also why one should defend one's dissertation before starting a job as it's extremely unlikely that there will be time to finish it during first-year out.

[recent vap]

VAP's differ a lot depending on the size of the institution. At a SLAC it would most likely be a 5 course teaching year which may be split up as 2-1-2, 2-2-1, or 2-3 depending on whether the school has a january or spring 1 month term, which many of them do. It is also generally expected at SLAC's that all 5 of those courses are different preps. At a larger or public institution, the course load is at least 3-4 if not, 4-4, but you may be teaching two sections of the same class each semester.

Quite frequently, there is no time outside of teaching and being on the job market for 1 year visiting positions. It's a much better deal if you have a 2 or 3 year visiting position because then your # of new preps will decrease after the first year and you won't have the extra burden the first year of doing job market stuff.

A 1 yr position is really only worth it for most people if they can't get adjunct positions at their degree granting institution or if they come from a big research university but desire to get a job eventually at a SLAC or teaching focused institution.

I agree with the last poster that if you have a lot of work left on your dissertation that it's probably not the best decision to take a VAP. If there's a little left and you don't mind giving up your evenings and weekends for the year, then have at it.

As a side note - the whole senior lecturer thing is a move that many institutions are making so that they don't have to create tenure track lines - which is a detriment to all of us trying to get jobs.

[itstough]

I'm doing a visiting at a liberal arts school right now. 7 classes on trimesters.