By Dr. Dani Babb
Faculty member at American Public University
With interest in online education high, credibility for online institutions building and more state schools and private colleges developing online programs, the demand for professors is growing. I will walk you through many of the steps required to get into the field of education as an online professor and what to expect along the way.
All candidates looking for online teaching jobs will usually go through a very similar process to get their first position. Landing the first job is by far the hardest; after that, getting new teaching positions becomes much easier because you can show that you have experience.
Sometimes, much like credit, candidates feel like they need to have a teaching job to get a teaching job – which can be a frustrating process. However, professional or trainer experience, entrepreneurial experience or community service where you led or taught others counts as experience. Having this clearly identified in a professionally honed academic curriculum vitae (CV) is crucial to getting that first teaching job (and subsequent jobs after!)
Putting Online Education Rumors to Bed!
Before I go on, let me put some rumors to bed. I hear almost every day that you need a doctoral degree to teach. This is absolutely not the case.
Even positions that advertise “doctorate required” will sometimes hire someone with a master’s degree – they may also have positions available you do not know about requiring a masters. While having a doctorate can make your work to get a job a bit easier, not having your doctorate does not eliminate your chances to teach. In fact, over 60 percent of the candidates I have worked with in the last eight years have had a master’s when they began teaching, and not a doctorate.
Another rumor: if you have no experience it’s too late now. This is absolutely not the case, and more on that later in this article.
How Long Will It Take?
In general from my experience, you can expect to apply to 80 to 120 positions to get your first job. Without experience, that might be 200 applications or more.
Some people get their first job in weeks; others can take far longer. Some of it is timing and the discipline you are trying to enter – the more unique or niche the discipline the more likely you will be hired more quickly when a job pops up. On the contrary, the more unique the discipline the fewer jobs there are.
The key is to be consistent and apply often with exemplary materials to help you land that position.
What Do I Need to Get Started?
In general, I recommend you have available: your academic CV (not a resume!), a cover letter, unofficial transcripts, three letters of recommendations, your statement of teaching philosophy both in the CV and as a separate file, and three references in your CV and in a separate file. When you have these documents available and fine-tuned, you are ready to begin applying to teaching jobs.
Your teaching philosophy should have at least two parts or paragraphs. In the first part or paragraph, identify what your theory of education is. Why does education matter to you? Why do you want to teach? How are you qualified to do so?
In the second paragraph, explain how a dean or faculty reviewer would see evidence of your philosophy in the classroom. How do you engage students? How do you put into practice what you believe and how would someone else see it? Take some time to think through this and write it thoroughly and elaborately. Try to keep it to 2 to 3 paragraphs.
If you choose to have a separate, longer version of your teaching philosophy statement, you may wish elaborate a bit. A good thing to ask yourself is, “if someone came to me asking if they should pursue an education, how would I answer and why?” Remember you should be writing this in first person and it is okay to express emotion. Showing passion for education is good in my opinion and I have seen it positively correlated with getting teaching jobs.
If you are comfortable, I suggest explaining a bit about why and how education has played a role in your own life. Personal stories and examples can help convey the meaning and value of education to you. You should also elaborate on what you find most important to students. Is it engagement? Is it retention? Is it leading by example?
Finally, wrap it up with a paragraph identifying how a dean would see evidence of your philosophy carried out the class. Essentially the first element is theory, the second is practice and the third is application.
I highly recommend integrating the teaching philosophy statement into your CV as the very first thing after your contact information.
Getting Started Teaching Online With No Experience
Not every job will require experience as an online educator. Even jobs that say experience required don’t necessarily require it.
However, chances are you have something you can add to your CV in the teaching experience section. Here are some examples: guest lecturing at a local college, teaching others in the workplace, being a workplace leader, teaching others how to use a new technology, software, master a new process etc., or even creating a course on a system, giving you course development and teaching experience.
[Related: Gaining Meaningful Experience through Community and Civil Service Programs]
If you enjoy on ground lecturing, chances are just about any college educator at a local community college would be happy to give you a platform for an hour or two. List this in your teaching experience section.
Get Your First Job Teaching Online
You have your files lined up, your CV is in great shape, and you are ready to get your first online teaching job and become an online professor! Continually update your CV as you gain new experience or training and as universities hire you.
[Related: 5 Tips to Landing Your First Online Teaching Job]
Get job leads and apply to everything – whether you fully qualify or not. One goal is to get your CV into as many job systems as you can. Sometimes this can take months, and it absolutely takes a lot of applications – particularly if you are getting your first online teaching job.
Keep your social media profiles updated; LinkedIn and Twitter in particular, so that deans will find you and note you as a subject matter expert. Connect with colleagues on LinkedIn and don’t be shy about your goal to secure an online teaching position.
About the Author: Dr. Dani Babb is the author of the book, Make Money Teaching Online, 1st and 2nd edition, speaker, and television commentator. She teaches Economics and Marketing at American Public University. She is the founder of The Babb Group, Inc., an educational solutions provider helping faculty secure jobs and institutions provide training to educators and services to students.
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