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Ever since Socrates taught philosophy to the young
men of Athens for free, the public has generally thought that
the best teacher was an underpaid teacher. While this
assumption is still alive and well, recent changes in
education have created some new opportunities for making
additional income. Best of all, these opportunities may be
realistic options for a visually impaired teacher.
To begin with, you might leverage your professional
knowledge and experience by teaching a part-time course at
a nearby community college or university. In recent years,
these institutions, whether public or private, have
experienced strong financial pressures forcing a great many
of them to staff classes with less expensive part-time adjunct
faculty rather than employ full-time teachers. The bad news
for the profession is, of course, that this means lower
salaries and fewer fringe benefits; however, the silver lining
is that it simultaneously opens up significantly more positions
for part-timers.
Teaching a class at a four-year university may pay
between $1,000 and $6,000, depending on the institution
and the part of the country. Not surprisingly, private
institutions are at the higher end of this range. A minimum of
a master’s degree is almost certainly required, although
instructors with MAs are frequently employed to teach part-
time classes which would otherwise require a PhD.
Teaching an additional course will, of course, mean
additional work. How burdensome this will be depends on
whether this is a wholly new preparation or not. Experts say
that it is not uncommon for someone teaching a class for the
first time to require 10 hours a week for a three hour course.
Online courses can be even more work since web
classrooms are open around the clock.
To locate possible employment opportunities, you may
want to visit
Adjunct Professor Online
and
Higher Education Jobs
as well as websites of local schools. Many
jobs, like those for noncredit or extension classes or
continuing education, may not be posted online. Remember
that a great many institutions now offer afternoon, evening,
and week-end courses on everything from flower arranging
to local history. Even senior citizen centers and high-end
retirement communities have jumped on the education
bandwagon. Knowledge and ability to interest a
nonprofessional audience is more important than degrees
and certification for these audiences. For continuing
education and extension classes, you may want to contact
the relevant department chair with a resume. A duplicate
should also be sent to the institution’s human resources
department.
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