Wanna be a professor of Geology but...

[LOTRFan]

Which is very true, and one of the many reasons why I think teachers should get paid a lot more than what they do.

 

[The Mike]

Which is very true, and one of the many reasons why I think teachers should get paid a lot more than what they do.

I would definitely agree with you if we got pay equal to that of a babysitter which on average is $10 per hour, per kid, per day. While that doesn't sound like a lot initially, I have classes of at least 35. I teach all 6 periods of the day. I work for 180 days. Which means on a Babysitter's schedule I'd be making $378,000 a year. That is 6x more than I make right now. My pay doesn't include the hours out of the classroom grading papers, making tests, creating lessons, tutoring students, etc.

Where we get screwed is that we only work an average of 180 days so people are out there even now saying we are overpaid because we don't work the average 280 that a 9-5er does.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

Don't mean to speak for Rizzo, but most Ph.D.s don't need courses in teaching (or even to pass a knowledge proficiency exam) to get a job as a professor. Some places may, but I have been on the job market for awhile, and have yet to run across a position where either of those were prerequisites.

However, experience actually teaching is key for most teaching positions, and for some research-oriented positions, as well.

Some Masters students in some departments at some institutions will be able to teach. Others won't. In my department, grad students aren't allowed to teach upper level courses unless there is an emergency, and generally aren't supposed to teach without getting their Masters or the equivalent (beginning the 3rd or 4th year for those taking the thesis by-pass route).

That makes more sense now. I know for the USF (Go Bulls!!) Social Work program you have to have at least a Masters degree and pass a proficiency exam to show our mastery of the subject material. Since the Doctorate program would require us to teach, we would have to take and pass this exam by the end of the first year I believe.

 

[FQRizzo]

Don't mean to speak for Rizzo, but most Ph.D.s don't need courses in teaching (or even to pass a knowledge proficiency exam) to get a job as a professor. Some places may, but I have been on the job market for awhile, and have yet to run across a position where either of those were prerequisites.

However, experience actually teaching is key for most teaching positions, and for some research-oriented positions, as well.

Some Masters students in some departments at some institutions will be able to teach. Others won't. In my department, grad students aren't allowed to teach upper level courses unless there is an emergency, and generally aren't supposed to teach without getting their Masters or the equivalent (beginning the 3rd or 4th year for those taking the thesis by-pass route).

I can't speak for graduate programs outside of Chemistry, but in general, you don't need any kind of teaching experience to be a professor of Chemistry at the large universities. They are more interested in your research experience. From the universities' standpoint, they want to you produce new and innovative research that will cause the university to gain prestege and attract new students.

The best grad students generally don't have to teach to be funded, they receive federal grants until their research advisors (Professor) funds them. The cool part about Chemistry is that you don't have to pay any kind of tuition and actually receive a (meager) stipend.

For smaller schools, like my undergrad college, teaching experience may matter more, though nothing formal (i.e. a teaching degree) is required. We sat in on some interviews for new professors and they basically gave sample a class to display their teaching ability.