Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

Summary:

Do I keep applying for VAPs or stay another year? I have money in the bank.

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Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

Social psych (guest) 16 Mar 2016 14:01

I'd like to ask for some insights and advice. Long story short: Do I keep applying for VAPs or stay another year? I have money in the bank.

Here's my situation:

Background: I am finishing my 7th year of PhD and will defend this summer. Have four first-authored peer-reviewed pubs, in journals ranging from mid- (PSPB-ish) to lower-tier. Taught about 6 courses independently, most of these seminar-style, < 15 students.

Career goal: A TT position at a small or large institution with something like a 2-2 or 3-3 load, research support and research-engaged students, and perhaps masters students for the sake of teaching a few grad courses, research productivity and possible TA support. I love teaching, do not want tenure to depend on getting grants.

Current situation: I've received a number of phone/Skype and one on-campus interview but no offers, and was unsuccessful in all of my postdoc position or grant applications. I'm currently applying to VAPs, and more positions are popping up. Something might still pop up, but I'm trying to be realistic.

However, I have the opportunity to stay another year at my current (R1) institution and teach 1-2: a seminar area, research methods, and a large class in my area. An important angle to this is that I have savings from a previous career that I can easily live on for a year, and have no pressures regarding family or kids. In terms of publishing in the short-term, I have one MS a few months from completion suitable for a mid-low journal, and one of my diss studies will be suitable for a mid-high journal, not yet begun writing up results. I have great datasets immediately relevant to my area that I helped collect at my disposal, and can quickly get a few studies running with engaged research assistants who need minimal supervision. Great relationship with supportive advisor who is an excellent co-author and makes no demands of me other that I publish.

So, do I stay or keep pursuing the VAP positions and/or less-ideal TT positions, considering my career goal? One the one hand, some people say that VAPs at institutions like one wants a TT position at would make one more competitive. On the other hand, it seems that publication record trumps everything, especially if one has solid teaching experience, and at the end of next year (if I stay) I will have had both seminar and larger classes under my belt, including service courses.

Though I'm SO ready for a change of scenery and department, my living situation (with GF) is good, I find upheaval/moving very draining, and I'm so lucky to no have financial constraints.

Does anyone have any insights or advice? Questions I should be asking myself? I'm happy to clarify any aspect of this. Many thanks for anything you can offer. This forum has been a huge help over this year, and I really appreciate that people take the time to offer help.

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

DocJ 16 Mar 2016 17:19

If you want to work at a SLAC or teaching oriented institution, the VAP is 100% the way to go. Here are my thoughts and observations as an academic job search veteran.

1. A 1-year VAP is a mixed blessing. It looks good on your resume, especially if it's at a prestigious institution. However, you'll need to jump right back into the job market as soon as your teaching begins. If you'll have a heavier teaching load (3/3 or above) and new preps, this will be a huge hassle. Such a move would also probably slow your research productivity as well, so if going this route, try to get an article in the pipelines this summer at latest.

2. I've known several colleagues who started with a VAP and all of them are in tenure-track positions now. I think a VAP looks better than being a "hanger on" at your PhD institution as it shows that you're independent.

3. Look for multi-year VAPs. I know several are out there right now. Carnegie Melon has an attractive 3-year one, but I forget whether it's open area or has a specific psych field attached. A 2 or 3 year VAP means you can have at least one year of FT teaching on your CV before jumping back in the job cycle. It also means you can get a recommendation from your VAP chair. To me, this is the best avenue to pursue.

I hope these thoughts are useful.

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

DocJ 16 Mar 2016 17:21

And let me add - publication records are not necessarily everything. I landed TT positions during both of my job searches with a fairly modest publication record. That said, most of my publications are strong with some lead author pieces in top journals. For SLACs with a 3/2+ teaching load, the search committee will doubtlessly scrutinize whether applicants have significant teaching (and student mentoring) experience. Thus, I still say the VAP is the way to go.

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

neverlosetheillusion 16 Mar 2016 21:45

This is my take: I would suggest hanging on, but don't but your Ph.D. entry date on your CV. I don't think VAPs look great on your CV, unless they are a GREAT school. Folks want to hire candidates that they perceive as winners. You career goals (you were actually asking for a r1 or r2) suggests that you need folks to perceive you as a winner.

anon123 (guest) 16 Mar 2016 22:52

Social psych, I empathize with your situation as I am in a somewhat similar spot myself. Seven years is a long time to be in a PhD program. Do you have the date range on your CV? To echo what was previously said, I'd leave that off (4 first author pubs is great, 4 in 7 years might not look as great).

Any idea why your phone/skype interviews didn't materialize into campus invites? It seems like you've had quite a bit of interest, so it might not be an issue of how you look on paper.

Finally, what will your position title be if you stay an extra year? Adjunct? Instructor? Post doc? Seems like that could make a difference.

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

Socialpsych 17 Mar 2016 12:15

DocJ, thank you very much for your thoughts! I appreciate it. Considering you mentioned the position at C'Mellon, it sounds like your reasoning would applies as well to VAPs that are at R1s? There are a few VAP ads for 3/3 ish teaching loads at R1s. These institutions are not the sort that I'd like to have a TT position at, but some allow for continuation of research and undergrad research mentorship. Nice thing about most of these is that some of them are longer than 1 year.

Neverlosetheillusion, on what are you basing this (that VAPs don't look good on a CV)? That seems to conflict with a lot of what I've read. To clarify, I don't want to be at an R1. R2s or LACs are what I have in mind, apologies for not being clearer, I see how mentioning 2/2 without specifying could make one think that.

Anon123, my hunch is that for the VAP phone interviews I wasn't as well prepared to talk about certain aspects of my teaching as well as I could have. Never crossed my mind to ask for feedback on phone/skype calls…though I did that for my on campus interview (no response!).

My title would be postdoc if I stayed here.

Re: leaving PhD entry date off the CV. My date of receiving my MA would still give it away, which I assume is important to keep?

Many thanks everyone!

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

DocJ 17 Mar 2016 12:20

I can see the merit in both directions. A "post doc" at your current institution makes sense if you want to aim at competitive top-tier SLAC positions. If you're willing to spread the applications more and go for mid-range SLACs, I'd lean towards the VAP route. Again, a 2 or 3 year VAP is worth more than a 1 year VAP. Unless the 1 year VAP was at an outstanding institution, I'd probably pass.

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

DocJ 17 Mar 2016 12:31

Also worth noting - check into some of the "lecturer" or "instructor" positions listed on Higher Ed Jobs. Some of these are multi-year and have decent teaching loads (e.g. 3/3, a lot but still will leave time for research). If you want to go a teaching career route, such a position would look great on a CV.

asstprof (guest) 17 Mar 2016 17:26

Now that you say your title would be postdoc, I would lean towards staying, unless you find one of these 2 or 3 year VAPs with a load that's better (lower) than 3-3. Places with a 2-2 load have an emphasis on research, so you shouldn't be giving yourself a job that has a higher than 2-2 load to prepare for one of these, when you could stay in your current location and teach 2-1. The teaching experience you'll get next year will still serve you well for teaching-focused places, but you'll have enough time to breathe and get your research out. You also won't be wasting time moving. I had one year-long VAP opportunity once at a top notch school and the load was 2-1. (The load was officially 2-2 but one class was a lab that was very small and still counted as two courses. Also I think one class was team-taught and still counted as a course, so the load was even less than 2-1 in some ways.) I think that if you get an opportunity like this, you should STILL turn it down because of the hassle of moving for just one year, and it's the same load that you'll have if you stay.

Re: Keep pursuing VAPs or stay another year?

Socialpsych 19 Mar 2016 01:22

Hi DocJ and asstprof,

Thank you again for your thoughts. It seems clear that a good 2-3 year position could be a good move, a 1-year position probably not, unless it was at an "elite." So here's a question, and please trust me that I'm not trying to split hairs just for fun. Given my opportunity at my current institution (1-2 load, good data, $ in bank), what would be the advantage of a 1-year VAP with a 2-2 load at an elite place that would require a long-distance move? Publication would slow dramatically, and I might not have time to get the new evals on my CV or a letter from the chair before I hit the market again. On the upside, I suppose it looks good to have been hired by a top notch joint, and to demonstrate some degree of commitment to the SLAC model? Any other thoughts or insights on how to weigh the 1-year VAP at a top-ranked SLAC? It seems like a grey area.

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