How do you start a teaching career?
- Started
- Last post
- 19 Responses
- GeorgesII
Any designers here that have thought or are currently teaching classes.
Do you need some certifications?
How did you contact the school?
did you have to graduate from the school you are teaching?
how is the pay?thanks
- d_rek0
If you want to teach at the University level in the US there are a couple of different options:
Adjunct Instructor (AKA part-time)
You only need a bachelors to teach adjunct. It might only be 1 or 2 classes a semester and the pay will probably be not that great. IMO the pay wasn't worth the amount of time you need to invest inside and outside of class. For example, they wanted to contract me out for just over $2k USD for adjunct instructor at an expensive art college in Detroit. This would have been 2 three-hour classes a week for 16 weeks, or 96 hours of on-site instruction. But that didn't account for any expenses such as gas, materials, etc. And after talking to other people who had taught adjunct it sounded as if you had approx. the same amount of time (6hrs/week) outside of class you had to put in just for stuff like grading, answering emails, meeting with students, etc. So if you assume that you're billing 12hrs/week for 16 weeks, that's 192 hrs, which barely worked out to over $10/hr for adjunct instruciton. Hardly worth it IMO.Full-time Instructor / Professor
Get a masters, yo. Live in debt the rest of your life, yo.
- d_rek0
Also, it really helps to know a few of the instructors (or even better, the Department Head) that you want to teach in. They typically know better than HR does about which classes they need more/better instruction in.
- GeorgesII0
How about private school,
I guess most of the teacher have some kind of diploma, but some of my friend working, often only have experience and a huge portfolio in the field they are teaching,
maybe it just comes down to connections
- d_rek0
@GeorgesII yeah that was for a private art college. I think the requirements are similar across the board in the US, since a lot of schools rely on some nationally instituted accreditation system which sort of sets a minimum set of standards for hiring instructors. Not all have to play by those rules though, I think.
- GeorgesII0
Years ago, the only requirement you needed to have to be an english teacher in korea, was to know english, lots of friend got teaching gigs with no prior experience,
I have no diploma, but I've worked in the "industry" for more than a decade, maybe I should look for one on one courses,
- pressplay0
I was giving a class in indesign (for cartographers) last year for one semester (once a week). Pay was shit considering the work I had to put into that (mostly preperation of the tutorials).
I was horrified in the beginning but later on it was fun and I was getting along well with the students. But I learned I’m not the teaching type (kind of knew that before but figured that jump onto the deep end would be a worthwhile experience. it was. learned a lot about indesign myself, too). Got into that by recommendation of a friend who was already working there.
- 23kon0
Depends what you are wanting to teach.
If you work in the design industry then you can get a part-time gig at an art college coming in a few times a week to work with students, crit their stuff and run projects etc.
If you are talking about teaching kids/teens then yeah you need to have a teaching qualification. If you already have a degree/masters and something then it's not as long a course.
- marychain0
I teach for three different universities here in the states as well as working full time in an Agency - you'll never live on a teacher salary...I do it because it's waaaay more satisfying than my agency
They won't look at you without a Masters Degree in Graphic Design or discipline directly related to what you are teaching.
Yes...it's a lot of hours outside of class getting prepared....in the beginning, but soon you have your materials and projects built and it becomes less prep time.
Don't do it for extra scratch...it's not worth it, don't do it because you can't get an agency job...the students will know you suck....only do it if love it or get satisfaction from the free exploration of design and exchange of ideas with students.
- GeorgesII0
Thanks for the input marychain,
can I fake a diploma though? like print it on green kinko printer paper to make it more legit?
- Glitterati_Duane0
I was asked to apply for a teaching gig that opened up once at the university that I studied at. I had a BA with honours at the time but wasn't able to fit teaching into my schedule so it didn't work out.
I have a friend that currently teaches fashion related stuff at our local community college who also has a BA. The community college seems more interested in real world experience though. This is based on people I know who studied there.
- bulletfactory0
I began teaching when I was Art Director in the Marketing Dept at a university.
The department chair of Dept. of Art and Design asked me to lunch to see if I was interested in teaching a few classes each semester.You could always check job postings at institutions around you to see if anyone is looking for adjunct instructors. Also, you could send a faculty member in the dept, or the dept chair asking if they are looking for instructors.
- 74LEO0
You can get your teaching cert which is 1 additional year if you have bachelors. 2 years you can get masters sometimes a school district will do an emergency hire and you can work towards cert or masters and the district sometimes if not most will pay for your education this happens when they really like you.
- d_rek0
@marychain
Yeah, i would really like to start giving back and sharing knowledge now that i've been working in the industry for a little while. Up until I graduated college I was always involved in a peer mentoring / tutoring group of some sort and always enjoyed it immensely. I'd really like to give teaching a go but it just doesn't make sense financially (being pragmatic, i'd basically be paying to go down there and teach.) But maybe in the near future.
I do like the idea of going to a community college and teaching - cause that's where I got my start.
- 74LEO0
I wound up teaching right out of college 13 years in the education realm and I'm still not sure what happened? but I like the hours and I get the summers off.
I'm planning on moving towards art therapy in the next year or 2.
- marychain0
The real world experience thing sometimes makes up for the lack of a masters....but it usually means SERIOUS lifetime experience.
Also depends on the accreditation of the school....but hell even the Art Institute requires you to have a masters.....that should tell you something about the schools that don't.
I should point out that I am firmly in the camp that serious experience is far more what I would think is important for my instructors to have than a fancy degree.
- BozMan0
I Teach a course at my Old Alma mater. The cash is actually really good not to mention I enjoy doing it. It's 4 and a half hours a week at night for 15 weeks. I can only teach a maximum of 2 courses a semester which equates to just over $19K a year before taxes but normally I teach one so that extra 9K a year is real nice and defiantly worth it. Now every State and University is different but this is in NJ and the only requirements are 5 years of experience a BFA and it always helps to know someone. One of my former professors got me the gig 2 years ago.
- BozMan0
last words - The interview process was quite a workout with Several interviews and a very strong portfolio is needed. Not to mention I get evaluated every semester by students and a surprise visit from administration.
- 74LEO0
You could look for positions in adult learning or continued ed you usually dont need anything as long as you can teach well.