(Week-)Old News: That was strangely EASY...

I haven't been updating you regarding my job situation, but I'll try to mitigate that now (even though I should be grading or preparing to teach my classes or cooking dinner... Sigh).

As quickly as I can (we need to have dinner!)...

First, the current situation, in case you don't remember it: after two years being an adjunct at University #1 (where my husband is an Assist. Prof.), I applied for a full-time teaching position (non TT) at University #2. However, I continued teaching a class at U#1.

Meanwhile, I applied for a TT position at U#2, but nothing came of it and I began to actually fear for my job. I calmed down considerably when was assured that I would still have a part-time position at U#2 in the Fall, but after I this happened I thought that maybe I could use it to my advantage. That's precisely what happened!

When I talked to my chair about this surprising (but meaningless academic-wise) development she suggested that I talk to our department's coordinator and I did that. My argument was that U#2 could also get involved in "tele-teaching" and that could help me secure a full-time position for next year.

The coordinator was interested and asked for more information, so I talked to the person in charge of the project at U#1. That was when things got really interesting! This guy (who is a tech administrator guy, not in an academic position) suggested that maybe he could use the project's funds for me to work full time at U#1! WOW. I said that for the moment I was interested in continuing at U#2 while still teaching a class or two for U#1 (I make a bit more money that way).

Knowing that there was a possibility that I could also have full-time employment at U#1 was very reassuring and I emailed my coordinator at U#2 and made sure to mention that this possibility of employment had been mentioned. A few days later (two weeks ago, on a Friday) U#2 coordinator called U#1 tech guy and then immediately sent an email to the department chair,  the project coordinator at U#2, copying me and other people, arguing that my position should be made full-time.

He did say something else, though... he wrote that I had been offered a full-time job at U#1 and refused it because I wanted to work at U#2 instead... hmmm.... That was stretching the truth quite a lot! I had most certainly not been offered a job, but he said that, not me!

That same night the department chair emailed me and asked me to see her on Monday (last week). When I went to talk to her the conversation went as if I had never before asked her about my prospects for next year -- very strange! -- or as if we had never talked about my employment at all. She quickly asked me if I wanted to continue full-time and said that I would. That was it.

Yeah, it was that easy. And I felt slightly bad for having "maneuvered" the whole situation in my own favor. I'm still pretty surprised about that.

What did this whole process teach me?

1) That my position at U#2 is becoming more secure, but it is also 100% dead-end (more on that in another post, soon coming).

2) That there are concrete possibilities of going back to U#1 and that I would feel OK about that. However... I think I'd prefer to wait until there was something better (TT would be ideal, but maybe something else could work too).

So... things are still wide open and I like it that way. OK, dinner now (a VERY late dinner, I  must say).