How to Become a Community College Teacher

Community colleges are unique learning environments that offer basic college education to students and reach out to the larger community and offer services to them as well. They specialize in non-traditional students or students who wish to save money or establish good grades before going to a four-year college.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Master's Degree or Doctorate Transcripts References Phone Computer

Gather Your Materials

1. Before you apply, get copies of transcripts from your degree programs. Most community colleges will accept unofficial transcripts for an initial application, but if you are hired, you will probably need to provide official transcripts. Make several copies of each transcript.

2. Call your references. If you have any teaching experience, good references include former colleagues, superiors and students. If you don't have teaching experience, good references include former work superiors and others who have some idea of what kind of teacher you would be. Once you've determined who would be good references, call them and ask their permission to use them as references. That way they will be prepared if the college calls them and asks for input about your qualifications.

3. Make a list of the community colleges within your driving area. Most communities have several, and most counties have at least one. Go to their website and find out who is the head of your department.

Contact the College

4. Call the department head. Tell him or her that you are interested in teaching, even if only on an adjunct or part-time basis. Ask if they need any instructors in your subject for the next term. They will probably tell you to send in your materials to the human resources office. Tell them that you plan to do so, but that you just wanted to get the information first hand from the head of the department. Let them know that you will follow up your documents with a personal phone call.

5. Send your materials to the college. Send two copies to each college--one to the human resources department, and one to the head of your department. In your cover letter, reference the conversation you had with your department head. Also indicate whether you are available for day or evening classes.

6. After about two weeks, follow up with a telephone call to the human resources office and to your department head. Ask if they received your materials, if they have any questions, and if they think they might be able to use your service in the next term.

7. Be persistent. Just because a school can't use you now doesn't mean they can't use you ever. Call them back to remind them that you are available to teach. These calls should be made in February for Summer and Fall classes and in early October for Spring classes.

Prepare Yourself

8. While you're waiting to be hired, ask the school what textbooks they use for your subject matter. You can get these at the college bookstore or online. Read through the materials and start to consider how you would present it to college students.

9. Find resources that can augment your classes. Look into video, music and online resources.

10. Do research on teaching and different learning styles, and plan your lessons to appeal to a variety of different students.

Tips & Warnings

• Phone calls are great, but person-to-person visits are even better. When you talk with the department head, ask if you can have an appointment to discuss your application. You can send in your documents electronically, but make sure you talk to a real human on the telephone or face-to-face.

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