Negotiating the Job Market
Posted by sswrptfp on July 29, 2008
Please post comments and questions you have about entering the job market, such as how to negotiate with schools, tips on how/where to interview, considering dual careers for partners, etc. This is a great place to get some support during this exciting, yet stressful transition time.
Doctoral Student/Candidate Forum 
phd2b said
Hi,
I’m an advanced PhD student. I have a question… when you go to a job interview and are asked about your teaching philosophy, what is a good “social work’ response?
Jonathan Singer said
I have a couple of answers.
(1) If you think the question about teaching philosophy is really a veiled attempt to get at how dedicated you are to the profession, including the following might be useful (as long as you believe them): Your job in teaching is to socialize students to the profession, act as a gatekeeper, and be familiar with the CSWE EPAS (which has been updated as of 2008).
(2) The best answer is to be aware of and accurately represent your actual teaching philosophy. Many social workers in the field and some social work faculty have a well-developed sense of smell. If you are feeding them bullshit, they’ll know and they won’t hire you. If you haven’t taught, tell them what you imagine to be important, based on your experience as a student, or as a clinician in the field.
3) I went on four campus visits this past spring. I interviewed at R1, R2 and R3 schools (i.e. schools where research was the primary focus; balanced with teaching; or optional). I was never asked about my teaching philosophy. At the schools that were more teaching oriented I was asked how I would handle certain situations (e.g. a student files a complaint with the associate dean of academic affairs, or writes something on an evaluation that puts up a red flag). Sit down with a trusted and respected instructor and talk about some of these issues. What do you do when a student challenges your authority? How do you handle failing a student? Do you keep copies of graded papers? What is important to include in a teaching portfolio? How do you balance teaching duties with other duties (e.g. committee, service, research, etc.).
Hope that’s helpful.
Shannon Lane said
I had four interviews last year as well, and in a different experience, I was asked about my teaching philosophy in 3 of the 4. Our university (University of Connecticut) offers a class for graduate students that I was able to take last year, and part of that class helped us to think about our own teaching philosophies. Below is a version of my own–I offer it not necessarily as a good example, but as an example, although I do have a job this fall, so I assume it has some use!
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
I believe that teaching is particularly important in a professional discipline such as social work. Our students are expected to have the knowledge they need to begin practice at a high level during their field placements and immediately following graduation. Quality field education clearly plays a huge part in their success. In addition to field work, course material that students can relate to their practice, encourages them to explore new ideas, and can be both manageable and challenging will provide them with the information they need for successful practice. I believe it is the professor’s responsibility to provide not just the content, but also help the student to integrate that content into their practice successfully.
Teaching is the best opportunity for scholars to be sure that the knowledge that is being created in our field through research and academic discourse is being disseminated to our students, so that they are equipped with the tools they will need to go on to be leaders in our profession. If we fail, and this new knowledge is limited to a select few, we are doing our students, their clients, and our profession a disservice.
phd2b said
These comments are helpful as I think these issues through… thank you!
stephanie said
I am a doctoral candidate and am just finishing my writing. I have applied for a number of teaching positions and due to my lack of teaching experience…though, I have over 10 years of practice, I am being told that I am not I am not competitive…any advice?
lds said
Opposite to Stephanie’s email, what to do when you have research and teaching experience but lack post MSW practice experience?
Helen Hickson said
Hi – My name is Helen and I am a Social Worker and a PhD student in Australia. Congratulations on a great blog – we don’t have anything like this at my University, but it is a great idea.
Cheers
Helen
Jonathan Singer said
This is a bit of a belated response to the two questions about being on the job market with either research or post-MSW experience. I think the best thing is to make sure your target schools fit your qualifications and interests. If you are a clinician without publications or much research experience, but who has a Ph.D. because you want to teach the next generation of practitioners, going for a Research I school is probably not the best fit. If you have no post-MSW experience you should be looking at a RI school because you’ll be rewarded for scholarship rather than teaching; CSWE guidelines make it very difficult for people without 2-years post-MSW experience to teach practice courses. This makes candidates with 2-years post-masters experience more marketable because they can teach practice AND non-practice courses.