Job Discussion Forums

[Brooks]

I have to make a decision about university teaching this week, and there is something I have thought about.

What is better about teaching part-time at universities?
Can you make more money than if you work full-time?
I guess with part-time work, you have to pay for health care and pension yourself.
Some people like the flexibility with part-time work, but I wonder about that. How much time do people ride the trains getting to work, if they work part-time at two or more universities?
I think I would get sick of long commutes.

[Glenski]

This is from a FT uni worker.

PTers usually don't have responsibilities or obligations to attend staff meetings (or any other kinds that may arise).
They don't have to do as much proofreading, perhaps, of the uni staff's papers (which are usually done gratis).
They log in and log out when classes are done (which can mean more freedom to get to another gig and make additional money that day, but it also puts them at a disadvantage to getting to know students or perhaps to do any paperwork on campus). You also have more potential for networking simply because you are at more sites and can bump into more people, thereby getting different perspectives on the job and on potential work if one gig falls through.

As far as making more money than a FTer, I suppose that all depends on your PT gigs. I agree that commuting a few times a day can get old, but it's up to the individual whether it's worth it or not.

[Nabby Adams]

pt earns roughly 25,000yen a class a month (all year) ft earns 5 to 10 million a year for 6 to 9 classes a week usually. You can do the math. There are also other financial bennies with being ft.