Do your homework before you agree to that part-time position

Benefits options vary by college, teaching load and credentials.

By Bridget Murray
Monitor staff

If you?re planning to take a part-time faculty position, it helps to know some basics about the benefits, salary and professional treatment you can expect, says Rutgers University English instructor Karen Thompson, a representative of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Thompson, who chairs its National Committee on Part-time and Non-Tenure Track Appointments, advises that new part-timers get wise about their prospects in several ways:

? Research your salary options?Teaching salaries vary according to your credentials, how long you teach at the institution and the type of institution it is.

As psychologist Kathleen Barker, PhD, of Medgar Evers College?City University of New York (CUNY) points out, 'In New York City you?ll make anywhere from $1,400 a course at private institutions to $3,000 at some public universities.' Barker, an employment researcher, recommends shopping around?calling different institutions and talking to people. 'You have to extensively interview other adjuncts to see how long they?ve been at the institution and what they make an hour.'

Some institutions, such as Collin County Community College in Texas, pay you more the longer you stay. Others, such as Minnesota?s community colleges, provide a 'pro-rata' salary, meaning you?re also paid for advising, curriculum development and other duties beyond teaching. Contractual arrangements also vary. Some are renewed every quarter or semester; others stretch over three years or more.

? Scout out the best benefits plans?Most adjuncts don?t qualify for benefits, says Thompson. At some places, like Rutgers, graduate teaching assistants get health coverage while part-timers don?t.

But some public universities and a few private universities offer full or partial health benefits. An example is CUNY, where you qualify for health benefits if you teach two or more courses a semester.

Adjuncts who don?t qualify for health coverage must either seek it through their spouses or buy their own plans. (Under a standard health insurer, such as Kaiser Permanente, coverage costs you significantly more than $100 a month.)

Most places also don?t offer part-timers life insurance and retirement coverage. But there are exceptions. For example, Washington state?s community college system offers part-time faculty the TIAA-CREF retirement plan.

Other benefits to check for include your access to computers, libraries, office space, a mailbox, gym facilities and computer classes, says Thompson.

? Organize?Thompson advises adjuncts to form their own groups or join one that?s affiliated with the AAUP, the American Federation of Teachers or the National Education Association.

These organizations can provide you with resources and useful advice, and their local chapters give you a say in part-time politics.

Because they lack job security and tenure, part-time faculty have historically been afraid to speak out, says Thompson.

But, she says, 'the more you raise your voice and make yourself visible, the better your chances of improved salary, benefits and job security.'