Frequently Asked Questions

• What is FacultySource?

  FacultySource is an instructor recruitment website that matches qualified instructors to positions in colleges, universities, and training organizations. A qualified instructor is someone who has appropriate work experience, education, and teacher training. (And, teacher training is easy. We can help!)

• Who can use FacultySource to find a teaching position?

  Any professional in any industry who is looking for a teaching position for teaching in the traditional classroom or in an online delivery format can use FacultySource to help find the perfect course to teach.

• Do teachers have to come up with their own lesson plans and textbooks for their courses?

  Sometimes. Most institutions will provide their instructors with at least a syllabus that guides you in what you should be teaching as well as a pre-selected textbook for the course. Many institutions provide well-developed lesson plans and even presentation materials, ideas for activities and assignments, and standardized exams. In addition, most textbook publishers provide a wealth of supplemental resources that go along with the textbook.

• What does it mean for my profile to be in the database?

  When your profile is complete and you have completed the required trainings, we will activate your profile so it can be seen by searching institutions. If an institution is interested in you as a potential candidate based on your profile, it can pay to “unlock” your resume and obtain your contact information.

• What are the qualifications to teach?

  There are four requirements for becoming a qualified instructor candidate in the FacultySource system.

  1. You must have an adequate number of years of work experience in the area of the course(s) you teach. This number depends on the individual school’s requirements and the mandates of the accreditation body the school is part of.
  2. You must have the appropriate college education and level of education for the field of the course you teach.
  3. You must be trained to teach adults or have previous teaching experience.
  4. You must complete FacultySource’s short course on retention sensitivity, Student Retention: Seeing Your Students Through.

  (Remember: Learning to teach is realistic for most people. We offer training that is inexpensive, effective, and efficient.)

• Why does my profile need to be reviewed?

  We review all profiles to make sure that you have not accidentally included any personal or contact information that could compromise your privacy. We also evaluate your profile for past teaching and professional experience so that we can appropriately assign necessary training and suggest additional training.

• Why would I want to teach college?

  There are several reasons that a professional might want to teach a college or training course:

  • Give back to your industry.
  • Make extra money.
  • Keep current in your field of expertise.
  • Share your experience, knowledge, and skills with workers of the future.
  • Expand your communication and teaching skills.
  • Diversify your resume.
  • Collaborate with other professionals.
  • Learn new technologies.
  • Meet students.
  • Qualify for educator discounts.
  • Enjoy a challenging, motivating, and fun job!
  • Teach part-time.
  • Teach online, which is flexible and accommodates almost any work or travel schedule.

• I have never taught before, but would like to learn. Is there still a place for me?

  Yes. A qualified instructor candidate must have teaching experience OR have been trained to teach. You can get this training through FacultySource. We have excellent web-based teaching modules designed to effectively prepare you for success in a classroom, whether it be in an online classroom or in a traditional face-to-face classroom.

• I have never taught online, but would like to learn. What can I do?

  FacultySource offers online training for online teaching. This training module is designed to introduce you to the basic knowledge and skills required to be a successful online teacher. Each teacher training module costs $49.99. You may be asked to participate in additional school-specific training if hired for an online course.

• How do you determine what trainings I am assigned?

  Student Retention: Seeing Your Students Through is the required training for all FacultySource candidates. Other trainings are determined by nature of your past teaching and professional experience. For example, if you have never taught before, you are required to take an introductory teaching course that gives you the basics of teaching. If you have previous teaching experience, our FacultySource education experts will suggest, based your experience, what type of additional training would benefit you the most. This may include training on adult learning theories or active learning strategies. If you never have taught online and want to, you are required to take a training for online instructors.

• What am I committing to by signing up and filling out a profile with FacultySource?

  Nothing. Signing up and filling out a profile simply allows you to receive offers if a college or training organization determines from your profile that your knowledge, skills, and work experience make you a good candidate for one of their positions. You may choose to interview with an institution, choose not to interview, or choose not to accept a position if offered to you. FacultySource simply provides you with potential teaching opportunities.

• What is the student retention training and why do I have to take it?

  Free to all FacultySource participants, our student retention training is a brief one-hour training module that provides potential instructors with an understanding of what student retention is and why retention is so important to both the student and to the college or training organization. Our college and training organization clients value instructors who care deeply about their students and who have the awareness and skills needed to help them reach their academic, training, and career goals.

• What kinds of teaching jobs might a college or training organization offer me?

  Our college and training organization clients need instructors for all kinds of purposes. They often need adjunct faculty who teach just one specific course during a year or the same course each term. They might also need a full-time instructor to teach several courses and advise students. Many institutions have day classes, evening classes, and weekend classes. A course may last for a couple of days or weeks with class sessions every day or night or a course may be offered in a traditional academic term where the class sessions are offered once or twice each week. Regardless of your specific situation, there is a potential teaching opportunity that may work for you.

• Do I have to be trained to teach or have teaching experience?

  Yes. FacultySource does require that you have had some type of teaching experience or teacher training before you can become a qualified instructor candidate. However, we can offer you excellent teacher training modules that are convenient and conducted completely online in a self-paced format. These modules give you basic adult learning theory, pedagogy, and teaching tips designed to prepare you for being a successful instructor. Each teacher training module costs $39.99. Compare this to the average college course of $500 - $1200.

• Do I have to teach a course, if asked?

  No. You do not have to interview or accept an offer if you do not choose to. By signing up with FacultySource, you are simply opening yourself up to opportunities.

• How much do instructors make?

  We all can guess that no one gets rich by teaching. However, it can be a solid supplement to an income or a great, well-paying job. College instructor salaries vary greatly depending upon the specific course being taught and the specific institution. The typical range for a college course is about $1200-$4000 per college class. Training organizations typically pay about $1000-$5000 per course depending upon the content, length of training, and qualifications of the instructor.  A full-time faculty position pays anywhere from $30K to $100K per year depending upon the institution and area.

• Can I keep my profile in the database, but choose to not let searching institutions see it?

  Yes. If, for whatever reason (you find a job, are currently employed, etc.) you don't want your profile to be available, we can keep your resume in the database and you can choose to make it “inactive” so that it will not be available to searching institutions.