How to Get College Teaching Jobs at Community Colleges

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By sorin
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Community Colleges

Community colleges are experiencing a boom in student population due to the flagging economy. As a result, there are opportunities for college teaching jobs, and if you have an MA or a PhD in a general education content area, you might be poised to take advantage of this new employment opportunity. After sending your CV and cover letter to several community colleges, you may be lucky enough to be called in for an interview. This guide is a how to ace that job interview and secure a position as an instructor.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Different community colleges have different missions, so it is important that you research the school first before going on campus for the interview. Are you interviewing at a rural school? An urban one? What does the student population look like? Are most of the students first generation Americans? Returning adults? Nowadays, a lot can be learned from their websites, so make sure that you read them over carefully before going to your interview.
Step 2

One of the best things that you can do when interviewing for college teaching jobs is to attempt to anticipate the questions that will be asked of you. To do this, you need to draw upon your research. If you have a good idea about the student body population, you can bet that you will be asked questions about your experiences teaching that particular population. Community colleges are also interested in your ability to take complex material and break it down for the first and second year student, so be prepared to answer questions about your teaching techniques.
Step 3

Most community colleges will also require a teaching demonstration as part of the interview process, so be prepared! This is one of the trickiest parts of the interview but is also the most important. You will most likely only get about 20 minutes, so be sure to pick a topic that it is easy to teach in a mini-lesson. These schools are interested in your ability to teach general education, so pick a basic math/english/history etc. topic like a calculus I topic, a grammar topic, or a basic history lesson. Don't LECTURE! The "class" will be made up of members of the department, and they want to see your classroom presence. These kinds of college teaching jobs put a lot of value in active learning, so involve your "students." Put them into groups, write on the board, provide handouts, etc. Community colleges are different from research universities in that they put a high value on teaching, so show them what you have got!
Step 4

Part of the interview process for getting college teaching jobs at community colleges is an interview with administration. You will most likely meet with several deans, a vice president, and perhaps even the president of the institution. Again, be prepared for the types of questions they will ask you. They will ask questions about your experiences and willingness to get involved in the life of the school--committee work, advisory experience, etc. When being interviewed by administration, it is important to ask them good questions when it becomes your turn to ask. Ask questions that demonstrate that you have researched the school. Most schools publish "Letters from the President" or "State of the College" newsletters. Read these closely and ask admin larger questions about the institution.