Adjunct Course Mentor - WGU

Discussion in 'Online & DL Teaching' started by SnafuRacer, Jul 3, 2016.

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  1. SnafuRacer

    SnafuRacer Active Member

    I'm about to finish my MS with Western Governors University and looking at transition from the military in the next 3 years. I plan on completing my MBA as well but will wait on initiating my PhD with NorthCentral University probably until after transition to fully benefit from the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

    Does any one here have experience working with them?

    Their job description lists it as a full time work from home job but I wonder if that can be accomplished while holding another job too. I read (and I have experienced) most of the interaction online and via telephone so I don't know if that will be something that is available to professionals seeking a second job or a derivative career into teaching.
     
  2. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I do NOT have experience working for them, however, I signed up 2 years ago to get job alerts from highered.com for hits on "remote" (and others) positions. I will tell you that 100% of the alerts I get every week have multiple postings from that school and none other. I can't figure out how they hire so many people or why they can't keep people. This has been the case for at least the 2 years I've been getting alerts. No other school is consistently on that list. (Edit to add: there ARE other schools that post, just not with the same consistency- sorry if my comment was confusing)
    Take that for what's it's worth.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 4, 2016
  3. SnafuRacer

    SnafuRacer Active Member

    I understand. Well, my student mentor has been with me for the past 9 months and so have some of the course mentors that I see across the blackboard. So at least, their turnover in IT is not that high from I can gather. Maybe, they're hiring more or frequently, because they're servicing many states and time zones.
    I haven't formally applied as I'm still away from completing the degree or concentrating on post-military jobs seriously.

    What other similar schools that you know of who afford work from home teaching/mentoring opportunities?
     
  4. Michigan68

    Michigan68 Active Member

    I interviewed with WGU for a course mentor a few months ago. The starting pay was $42K and they did NOT allow you to have another job. She actually told me that they will verify that WGU is your only employer. Their reasoning was that your attention and access should be 100% to the students. She also mentioned that I wouldn't be a mentor for 1 course, I could have 100 or so students to call and interact with each week.

    I declined to move forward.
     
  5. math_professor

    math_professor New Member

    Whoaa how would they even go about verifying something like this? It seems like any method to do this in a foolproof way would be an invasion of privacy
     
  6. Michigan68

    Michigan68 Active Member

    I assume that since I gave them a resume with my present employer, they would just call the front desk to see if I was still employed there, or check my LinkedIn account. . . . Etc. I'm sure there are ways.
     
  7. math_professor

    math_professor New Member

    Ah okay that makes more sense, I was thinking maybe they could input your SSN and see all your W2s or something. That would be pretty crazy
     
  8. SnafuRacer

    SnafuRacer Active Member

    To require course mentors to have sole employment with WGU (or any other university) is stupidly and patently crazy if true.
    For example, for a course mentor in IT, the pay advertised on Glassdoor is $49-54k and WGU requires a master's degree with CISSP and/or CCNA or similar IT certs.
    Do you know how much would someone with an IT master's degree and CISSP make elsewhere? minimum of $95K if minimal experience (usually the CISSP requires 5 years of INFOSEC experience).

    How stupid are they to restrict work and earning potential like that? Everyone knows that online adjunct work is to supplement an income and provide additional professional experience, not be the sole source of income.
     

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