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Several people have asked this question recently. A lot of it will depend on which kind of a school you work for, because each type of college or university is looking for a different blend of teaching, research, and service from its faculty.
I don't teach math, but I have been a professor for 32 years. I usually do spend five days in the office, but not all of my colleagues do. That doesn't mean that they aren't working a full day at home, and most of us work between 60 and 80 hours/week. It is currently Saturday and I plan to spend at least 8 hours today on grading some of the 7 stacks of papers I have sitting here to be done. Each usually takes me from 6 to 8 hours to do. You will be teaching between one and five classes at a time, and while that may seem like very little, it can take a lot of preparation - one of my colleagues, who is admittedly very dedicated, calculated that he spent approximately 1,000 hours preparing each class, not counting grading. On top of that, most schools will expect you to do a certain amount of research, which can range from one or two articles a year to a significant output. You will probably also be preparing presentations for conferences or other talks, and you may have to do grant proposals to fund your research. Some schools would expect you to advise a group of students as well, and you usually have to be present for open houses and new student receptions and other things of that sort. You would generally have regular department meetings, college meetings, and some other committees or tasks forces on which you would be serving.
Winter break can be very short. Mine was one week long this year because the school where I worked had a January term which started right after New Year. The few days before Christmas were spent grading finals and term papers, and the time over Christmas was spent getting ready for my January and Spring classes.
Summer varies. I have spent all but two summers teaching summer school and working with grad students. It is a little less hectic than the school year, but while it is a "break" for students, it has never been that for me. Even those who don't teach summer school generally spend most of the summer working on research, going to national conferences, and doing other work-related things. Yes, most of us also take our vacations during the summer, but as is the case in most jobs, that is usually only for a week or two.
I will say that some faculty contracts are for 9 months and others are for 12 months. If you go to a school with a 12-month faculty contract, you basically are beholden to them throughout the summer. If you have a 9-month contract, you could potentially work for someone else during the summer, if you wanted to. Most don't, because they need the time to catch up, but you could.
I don't teach math, but I have been a professor for 32 years. I usually do spend five days in the office, but not all of my colleagues do. That doesn't mean that they aren't working a full day at home, and most of us work between 60 and 80 hours/week. It is currently Saturday and I plan to spend at least 8 hours today on grading some of the 7 stacks of papers I have sitting here to be done. Each usually takes me from 6 to 8 hours to do. You will be teaching between one and five classes at a time, and while that may seem like very little, it can take a lot of preparation - one of my colleagues, who is admittedly very dedicated, calculated that he spent approximately 1,000 hours preparing each class, not counting grading. On top of that, most schools will expect you to do a certain amount of research, which can range from one or two articles a year to a significant output. You will probably also be preparing presentations for conferences or other talks, and you may have to do grant proposals to fund your research. Some schools would expect you to advise a group of students as well, and you usually have to be present for open houses and new student receptions and other things of that sort. You would generally have regular department meetings, college meetings, and some other committees or tasks forces on which you would be serving.
Winter break can be very short. Mine was one week long this year because the school where I worked had a January term which started right after New Year. The few days before Christmas were spent grading finals and term papers, and the time over Christmas was spent getting ready for my January and Spring classes.
Summer varies. I have spent all but two summers teaching summer school and working with grad students. It is a little less hectic than the school year, but while it is a "break" for students, it has never been that for me. Even those who don't teach summer school generally spend most of the summer working on research, going to national conferences, and doing other work-related things. Yes, most of us also take our vacations during the summer, but as is the case in most jobs, that is usually only for a week or two.
I will say that some faculty contracts are for 9 months and others are for 12 months. If you go to a school with a 12-month faculty contract, you basically are beholden to them throughout the summer. If you have a 9-month contract, you could potentially work for someone else during the summer, if you wanted to. Most don't, because they need the time to catch up, but you could.
I keep waiting for this answer to end
ReplyDelete"So if you want to be a student forever and take long vacations to Spring Break locations, you'll need to find something else, you little shit."
Maybe it's just the kind of day I'm having?
I kind of want to answer it. I particularly like "describe your average day."
ReplyDeleteMy average day. Sleep until I absolutely must get up. Fry an egg and make a gallon of coffee. Drink the coffee. Eat the egg. Bathe. Sniff clothes. Put on ones that aren't too rank. Drive to work. Drive for twenty minutes to find a parking spot, avoiding at least two collisions in the parking lot from texting students who are driving 40 mph. Realize I missed a spot shaving. Go to class. Ask questions and endure mindless silence. Entertain myself at the expense of the dull little bastards. Pick at the missed spot on my chin. Go to class again. Do the same exact thing again. Get a stale sandwich. Try to eat it. Meet with a student who cries. Go to a committee meeting. Entertain myself at the expense of the dull little bastards. Play with the tiny patch of whiskers on my chin. Go to class. Entertain myself at the expense of the dull little bastards. Go home. Grade. Drink. Grade. Comment on College Misery. Drink. Watch TV. Drink. Sleep.