I've been applying to different community colleges (and a larger university or two) in the hopes of snagging a full-time gig as a religious studies instructor, but thus far, no one's been biting. There's an increasing chance that, by the end of August, I'll be looking to step back into the Korean fray. I loved what I was doing before, and will be happy to take up the mantle of English (and occasionally French) university instructor again. It's too bad, though, that I might not have a shot at teaching religion in the States.
But all is not lost on the religion front. Many community colleges announce position openings in July, so I can still hold out hope. What I might have to do is settle for part-time work* at the beginning, and if the school likes me, I can move upward to a full-time schedule, with benefits. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I'll keep on sending out resumes.
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*For many teachers, what happens is that they end up working part-time at several different universities. I'd rather avoid that sort of unstable, itinerant existence, if at all possible. It might have appealed to me 10 or 15 years ago, but it doesn't today.
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Good luck on that. No irony intended . . . though coming from me, contextual irony abounds.
ReplyDeleteJeffery Hodges
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Thanks, Jeff.
ReplyDeleteStrangely enough, a few hours after I wrote this post, I got a call from the human resources division of George Mason University. The gentleman was quite friendly, and said that HR was open to my working at GMU, but that I'd need clearance from the head of the Religious Studies Department. I had emailed the department head the same documents I had given to HR, so here's hoping I hear something from Dr. Ro.
While I wouldn't mind having you back in Korea, I do hope that things work out in terms of getting a religious studies position. The GMU opening sounds promising! Keep us posted.
ReplyDelete(By the way, I am aware that I owe you an email reply... it's coming soon... hopefully.)