adjunct teaching assistant

Discussion in 'Online & DL Teaching' started by AdamJLaw, Jul 23, 2009.

Loading...
  1. AdamJLaw

    AdamJLaw New Member

    I applied for the adjunct teaching assistant position at Ashford. I was then emailed and asked to submit a writing sample which I sent to them on June 18th. I was told that it would take 10 to 15 days for them to look at the sample and get back to me. I waited and waited and then on July 13th I emailed them to find out the status of writing sample. They told me that they had not yet graded it and sorry for the delay. It is now the 23rd and I have still not heard from them. Has anyone else had this experience? Do they usually take this long? I'm thinking that the answer is probably no they don't like the sample and in that case I would reapply. Does anyone work for Ashford doing this and if so what are they looking for in a writing sample?

    thanks
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    That does not sound promising.
     
  3. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Adjunct teaching assistant? It sounds like a $5 dollars an hour job. Adjunct positions already pay low so I can imagine the pay for an adjunct teaching assistant. They might have a pool of these "assistants" from India or other country where $5 hour might mean something.

    I would suggest to move on and try another school. If teaching assistant is your goal, you might want to try a local school and get at least the minimum wage. Some schools even have unions for teaching assistants so you might even be eligible for benefits. Most teaching assistants work from home anyways so working for an online school or a face to face wouldn't be much different.
     
  4. AdamJLaw

    AdamJLaw New Member

    They have limititations about where you can live, India is not on the list. Anyway, my goal is to teach online but I haven't seen many jobs for education or criminal justice. In the mean time I would like to gain some experience by working online with ashford as the teaching assistant. They money won't be good but it is something I can put on a resume.
     
  5. not4profit

    not4profit Active Member

    Adam,

    I'm not sure what all these negative responses are about regardin the teaching assistant gig. I was picked up and trained by Ashford as an instructor, but I never accepted any of the classes they offered me. The process with ashford takes a long time, and if I remember correctly, they were pretty sporadic with me. Basically, they disappear for a while, then suddenly you get an email from them regarding the next step of the process. Don't lose hope.

    I think the assistant gig is a great idea to build your online teaching resume. You and I both know it is not some Indian lowest bidder gig.
     
  6. Jodokk

    Jodokk Member

    I am a teaching assistant at Ashford

    It's a good gig. Pays nearly as much as I have seen other full adjuncts make for five week session. I'm quite happy, and they contract with me for a class every month, so I usually have a paycheck every two weeks. Hope that helps.
    If you need any further advice about this...message me. They have gone from around 20, to around 300 TA's from what I have seen. And they are very professional and very supportive in their dealings. Weekends off, no set "office hours."
    I have seen some full adjuncts in other discussion sites say that Ashford has not given them subsequent classes after one or two. This makes me wonder about the performance and qualifications of the teacher, not the credibility of the school.
    It is why they use the contract method. Do well, be professional, get another class. Do poorly, and one doesn't.
     
  7. AdamJLaw

    AdamJLaw New Member

    They finally got back to me. I passed the writing sample and turned in my transcripts. I have been scheduled for training in September. It is three weeks long. You're right. The pay is as good as or better than UOP.

    Thanks
     
  8. mbaonline

    mbaonline New Member

    Great, good job. Good luck.
     
  9. bplyler

    bplyler New Member

    I just finished their training and am in the process of completing my new hire paperwork. IWhen I submitted my writing sample, it took them longer than 15 days to respond so I just emailed and asked for a status. The response was something to the effect that things were backed up, but they did eventually get back with me. Depending on the classes, the pay is $1000 for a 5 week course. I personally am grateful for the opportunity to supplement my income.
     
  10. apageor2

    apageor2 Member

    I am a little late in responding on this but I did want to chime in with a quick thought regarding the remark of teaching online and salary.

    #1) I do not know of one college within the states that will hire outside of the United States so please get your facts straight before making that assumption.

    #2) As for the salary, a college is not going to pay a person one particular fee unless they are contracted to do so. Furthermore, in many cases a college will base a person's salary on the experience, skill, and education which they have. For example, it is rare for a faculty member to receive $100K unless they have the experience, skill level, and education to back up what they are teaching. In other words, a PhD degree with the career background to support it.

    I have been in business for over 20 years in a mixture of entrepreneur and executive C-level so I have seen it and worked multiple levels. At this time, I am obtaining my PhD in Business Administration focusing in Information Services. Eventually I will look at the adjunct teaching world for online because I would like to continue my research into publishing.
     
  11. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    There are plenty of universities and colleges that have foreign faculty members. In some of the hard to find subjects it quite common. In fact when I was an undergraduate student, about 5 years ago I had three foreign born faculty members. One was from South Africa and taught Marketing analysis. The other two were from India and taught computer subjects.

    As for the pay scale for online adjuncts, it really depends where you work, in some instances a doctorate does not necessarily guarantee a salary that is higher than a person with a masters degree and some universities have set scales for their master level faculty and their doctorate level faculty, regardless of their skills or how many years experience they have. Where I work we have had some doctorate level faculty members who were upset that they only received $500 more per course for having a doctorate degree.
     
  12. Princeofska

    Princeofska New Member

    Maybe they meant online instructors from outside the USA, but I feel like one of the majors - either DeVry or Phoenix now allows their instructors to come from Canada.

    Because if the poster was talking about any universities... Um, my university that I am getting my PhD (B&M not online) just hired to faculty in our department that were not from the United States. It happens all the time in every discipline. Some people in this country get pretty peeved because some schools prefer foreign nationals to Americans, when there are way too many Americans with PhDs available in most academic disciplines.
     
  13. cherrelli

    cherrelli New Member

    Do you have an email address of a faculty member at Ashford University? I'd like to email them about getting a job as an online adjunct teaching assistant.
     
  14. Bakz

    Bakz New Member

    Don't be too concerned. Educators, I have learned over the years are quite straight-up. Rest assured, they just haven't reviewed your sample. By that, I mean by everyone that needs to see it. It is probably being passed around through the department, PR and academic offices. They do have urgent situations that take precedent.

    I was invited to an adjunct teaching interview once, which required a demonstration. The thing was, I hadn't applied for the position, they actually contacted me through a student. I showed on time and prepared. Something occurred and they couldn't hold the interview. I was kind of mad, because I had to drive about forty miles. Later, they asked me back, I aced the demo and they offered me the position. I've been teaching with them for over ten years now. It is a good part time job for a retiree.

    Hope it works out for you. It certainly will not hurt to keep following up. In the mean time, keep looking. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
     
  15. teacher2000

    teacher2000 New Member

    HI, I am waiting to hear from Ashford also. I applied in April. I submitted my writing sample at the end of April. I got an email saying to continue the next process I would need to send in a copy of my transcripts, that was at the end of May. I emailed them a week or so ago to find out the status. They told me that had the transcript and they would be getting back with me. I have applied at several locations. The wait really kills me but I know it will pay off in the end!
     
  16. AdamJLaw

    AdamJLaw New Member

    assistant

    It takes a while. I've been working there since October and I get the feeling that they are currently understaffed. They are still hiring and I'm sure they'll get to you soon.
     
  17. teacher2000

    teacher2000 New Member

    I got an email today from Ashford inviting me to participate in the interview session. How does that work?
     
  18. kbchow

    kbchow New Member

    Congrats on the job! Maybe this will get me flamed, but I think the term "full adjunct" is absurd to the point of hilarity. Brave new world....
     
  19. AdamJLaw

    AdamJLaw New Member

    Training

    If I remember correctly you start the first week by learning the policies and setup of the course, as well as what is expected in grading. The following weeks you spend grading papers and providing feedback. Some papers are horrid and the person writing it couldn't but two words together. Remember not to overwhelm the student with comments. Two to three per paragraph will do. Also, remember to comment on something positive as well. They also have a discussion board up and going. You've got 24 hours to respond to their posts. Check the board every day during training and respond quickly when they post a question. The answer to the question will be in the materials they presented that week. The training isn't hard. You've just got to sit down and read everything and check out the discussion board everyday. Good luck. Let me know if you have other questions.
     
  20. Libbylabel

    Libbylabel New Member

    Hi, I'm new to the board. I applied with Ashford in June. I have completed the writing sample and transcript review. I was told to watch my email for interview times and training times. Naturally, I'm watching like a hawk. I currently teach developmental reading and writing at a local community college. I really want to teach online. Anyway, can someone tell me a little about the interview and training process? The email I received sounded like they occurred simultaneously. Also, is the training paid? Thanks for any help and suggestions.
     

Share This Page