So what about spouses?

[Married]

So I belong to that unfortunate pack of academics married to academics in the same or very similar field(!), and was just wondering if more experienced people out there could help with a couple of marital-related questions:

- Is it better to wait until you have an offer to say that, as a matter of fact, your spouse is also a brilliant academic in need of a job?

- How do you negotiate an institutional affiliation for your spouse? Is this something they have to offer you, or is it something you ask for?

- Are some institutions (i.e. R1s, public) more prone to offer these deals than others (i.e. Top 5, private, (S)LACS )?

[tteeehhheee]

On the first question, there are basically two lines of thought on it:
- One is that you should keep stuff like this, as well as anything else that might be seen in a less than positive light by the department, for after you have an offer. A place who is uncertain that they would be able to accommodate you might be less likely to make you an offer out of a fear of rejection, while after they've made an offer they will have a stronger incentive to try to work with you.
- Another is that you should be upfront about it during interviews, so as to give them time to try to put something like this together with the dean.

Which one is the right one? Impossible to tell. Though if an spousal hire is an absolute must for you you might follow the second point of view and announce it during interviews.

And yes, it is something you ask for.

[depends]

Yes, choosing between the two strategies should depend on deciding whether spousal assistance is negotiable for you.

If you wouldn't accept the job without spousal help, be forthcoming at the interview. If it's a deal-breaker, departments want to know. It will take some time to sort out, particularly if your need is for assistance with a real job at some point, and you have considerably more power to raise it now than you ever will later.

On the other hand, if you would be willing to take the job even if you can't get spousal assistance, then don't say anything.

[hmm]

You need to ask for it.

In terms of the third question, my experience is that public R1s are the most open to spousal hires. Departments are too small in SLACs to absorb spousal hires. Elite privates are very reluctant to offer a tenure-track positions to spouses who might not make the cut on their own.

[workyworky]

Any sense on whether schools (R1s, SLACs, etc.) are more receptive to spousal staff (that is, non-academic) hires?

If I end up at a school is a less-urban area, a staff hire for my spouse might be necessary, at least temporarily--the prospective position is one that most universities have, but they typically only have one or two people who do the job. I don't plan to drop this bomb until after an offer has been made (and only if my lovey's other work prospects are bleak).

[Guest]

This is a great topic for discussion. The thought that R1s may be more apt to accommodate a spousal hire is helpful. However, aren't there also other schools that have very serious policies on this, and in fact use them to attract faculty they might not otherwise get? Like, those in rural locations for example? Anyone have any connections with specific universities with such policies or with spousal hires being relatively commonplace?

[disagree]

Speaking from the perspective of someone who (successfully) dealt with this issue, I disagree with the above posters that it depends if it's a dealbreaker. I believe that telling search committees and chairs about this before you have an offer may have lead to one not getting the offer. It's tough for places to accommodate these requests, and if departments are torn between you and someone else, there's a good chance the department will go with that someone else because it will be less headache for them. Of course, even if you don't tell a department about your spouse, it's possible they will find out through other means.

[original poster here]

Oct 19, 2011 10:08:05 GMT -5 @disagree said:

Speaking from the perspective of someone who (successfully) dealt with this issue

^If I may ask: how did you deal successfully with it?

Thanks a lot for the replies, just one thing to clarify. I'm not expecting that the department will offer my spouse another tenure track; I was thinking more in terms of some sort of adjunct or VAP position. That is, something that makes it possible to have two (or one and a half) incomes (did I mention that we also have a kid?).

From your responses it seems that the best thing is not to mention them until the very very end...or not to mention them at all

[buffalo]

I think that Buffalo is one with some sort of established policy on this. It's a way the lure in candidates...

[conjugalbliss]

I have dealt with this on more than a few occasions and I can attest that it is a very delicate issue and one for which there is no clear answer as the first responder noted. I have used both strategies and both have yielded mixed results. In general in this job climate I would err on the side of caution. Which strategy you choose and when mostly depends on 3 factors.

1) how much it is a deal-breaker to you. If the school is in the middle of nowhere and they are literally the only game in town then the need will be higher and that suggests bringing it up earlier than later.

2) Different universities have differing policies and views of this. Also different departments have more or less sway over the dean to make these things happen. If the department you are hoping to get into is low on the totem pole it is less likely to accommodate spouse issues than if it is at the top (within the university pecking order and not necessarily in the disciplinary pecking order).

3) How risk averse you are and what are your prospects like. If you are having multiple campus visits at R1 departments then you might feel more open about it.

OP and others in this situation I wish you luck.