How to Get a Teaching Position at a Community College
If you have a minimum of a master's degree and some teaching experience, you may be able to obtain a teaching job at a community college. Community colleges tend to use more adjuncts than do four-year institutions since they don't have a graduate student population to serve as instructors. This quality of a community college can make it easier for you to get your first teaching job or to pick up classes when you need extra income.
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Instructions
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Understand what it means to teach at a community college by visiting one and talking to faculty and students. A community college tends to attract a different set of students than does a four-year college, with a larger percentage of nontraditional students enrolled. Despite the difference, community colleges as a whole have the same academic rigor as their four-year counterparts.
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2
Make a list of classes or topics that you are genuinely qualified to teach. All of them should relate to your degree or, if you've been working in a specific field for a number of years, your professional experience.
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3
Review course catalogs of the community colleges in your area, which are generally posted online. Look at the current and future semesters as well as past semesters, so you have a good idea of the range of course offerings. Flag any courses that map to the topics and classes that you listed in Step 2.
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Investigate open teaching positions at the community colleges whose course catalogs you've reviewed. Most colleges list full-time faculty positions on their websites, but a number of them don't advertise adjunct faculty positions. If you don't find any notices for adjunct positions, call the department you're interested in working in and inquire about job opportunities for adjuncts.
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Highlight the credentials that lead you to being a qualified teacher in your CV and cover letter. If you have only minor teaching experience, focus on how your professional skills carry over into teaching and will help bring an important point of view to your classroom.
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Prepare for your interview by learning about the community college's mission, student population and teachers' duties, and be ready to explain how you can achieve the mission and serve the population that attends that school.
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Tips & Warnings
It's much easier to get part-time work at a community college than it is to get full-time work. Generally, a community college pays less and offers fewer benefits than does a four-year institution, so you may not find it economically feasible to relocate for a community college teaching position. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
