If not instructor, then what?

[anon]

I had a professor (who is also a reference and member of my diss. committee) read my application materials. She disapproved of me listing "instructor" as one of my "professional positions." I solo-taught courses the past two summers. I forget the exact title of the position in the letter from the university, but what else would I call myself but instructor? It wasn't a teaching assistantship. Any thoughts?

[misunderstanding]

Without more information, I assume that she had an issue with placement of the information, not the title. I would put that under the teaching experience portion of your CV. Most graduate students don't have a professional positions portion of their CV yet. That comes after your first job and you don't want anyone to think that a temporary instructor gig was that first job.

[anon]

I put that section on my CV so that I could list the instructor thing and a kind of unique research assistantship that I held while I was in grad school. But I can see how it could be weird.

[misunderstanding]

When I was in grad school, I had research experience and teaching experience sections (below publications, grants and awards, etc.). I'd put them there.

[waste]

I think you just need to clarify whether you were a teaching assistant, a graduate instructor, a visiting instructor, lecturer, etc. For some schools, this seems to just be a title that goes along with how someone is paid, but for other schools it is connected to degree status. I think the important thing is that you make clear that you were an independent instructor or the instructor on record. I've seen a lot of people include a bullet point list of their duties underneath to make clear that they prepped the class, taught, did the grading blah blah blah and also list the amount of sections and students per class. I don't think that it's always necessary to include all of that information. It depends on whether or not you are asked to include a teaching statement or "evidence of teaching excellence." As far as placement, you should switch up the order of your CV if it's a teaching position or a research position and emphasize accordingly. just my 2 cents.

[abder]

Sept 3, 2011 7:43:53 GMT -5 anon said:

... She disapproved of me listing "instructor" as one of my "professional positions.?

My take on it is that a temporary teaching job is not a "professional position," which implies that the position is a permanent one within an organization or college.

I have taught courses at my current university for the last two years, but I would not put them under "professional positions." They are under "Teaching Experience" listed as "Instructor" above my TAships. (I would do this even if I taught at the local community college.)

[guest]

You could use headings and subheadings: Heading = Experience. Subheading 1 = Research. Subheading 2 = Teaching. Subheading 3 = Professional.