Originally titled "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Being a VAP," this article was generously written by an NYU Law graduate who has since moved on to a tenure track teaching position.
What is your experience VAP-ing? I have held three Visiting Assistant Professor (“VAP”) positions. Two were at top-50 (or so) schools; one was at a top-100 school. Two VAP positions were in major metropolitan areas; one was in a college town.
What materials did you include in your VAP application? For all three positions, my application consisted of a PDF copy of my cover letter, resume and references.
Some schools asked me to provide additional materials, such as my research agenda and/or my article(s). However, in my experience, most schools that were looking informally for a podium-filler VAP were generally uninterested in my scholarship; they were far more interested in determining whether I was (or would be) be a good law teacher. (On the other hand, schools that had a formal VAP program for future law professors seemed more concerned about my scholarship.)
Since teaching was the key concern, for my second and third VAP positions, all of the schools that seriously considered me for a position required that I send them my teaching evaluations – both summary data and comments sheets. And, I believe that it was critical to these employers that I had at least decent (but not necessarily fantastic) teaching evaluations.
How broadly did you apply? (First, a little background: My subject area seems to be in demand, and I have never lacked for interviews at the AALS hiring conference. Yet, my first year, due to lack of publications, I was a marginal tenure-track candidate at best. So, I decided to apply broadly and was willing to move anywhere in order to obtain a job.)
My first year, I applied to about 80 schools, mostly in the top 100 or in areas of geographic preference. Having applied broadly, I found that my application generated far more interest than I originally expected. Yet, I would have never obtained a position if I had just applied in a few cities where I preferred to live, or to a few top schools.
In my second and third years, I was a bit more selective; I applied to perhaps 50 schools and 60 schools, respectively. Both years, I found a VAP position in an area where I was excited to live. However, both years I had to move for the job!
What if I only want to VAP at a top school? Or what if I do not want to move? Well…good luck! I expect that a solid tenure track candidate might be able to restrict her search for a VAP position to a few top schools or to a particular geographic area. However, I believe that this is a bad plan even for excellent candidates. In my experience, the VAP hiring process is even more idiosyncratic, ad hoc and unpredictable than the tenure-track hiring process. (For example, the school that eventually hired me for a tenure-track position during my third VAP position had decided not to hire me as a VAP the previous year!) Few schools have formalized VAP programs; in my experience, schools tend to hire largely to fill podiums when permanent hires do not pan out or when they only discover at the last minute that a professor is leaving. As such, I strongly advise potiential VAP applicants to apply broadly, no matter how good their credentials. And if you really want a VAP position, you must be willing to move.
To whom at the law school did you send your application? In my experience, the assistant dean for academic affairs is the best person to contact. I generally found the academic dean’s email address on the law school’s website. In the few instances I could not determine which assistant dean was the academic dean, I simply sent my materials to the dean; all deans were kind enough to forward my materials to the assistant dean who handled VAP hiring. In some instances, when I already had interviewed with the faculty hiring committee at the AALS hiring conference, I simply contacted the chairperson to indicate my interested in a VAP position, and the chairperson forwarded my materials to the correct assistant dean.
As I understand it, at many schools the dean or the academic dean has the authority hire one-year VAPs without official faculty approval (although, in my case, I believe that the deans nonetheless sought the advice of at least some faculty before hiring me). However, at a few schools, the entry-level faculty hiring committee hires the VAPs.
When did I apply? The first year, I sent out my applications in the first week of February. I received my first offer near the end of that month, and I accepted an offer by the end of the first week of March. Thus, the process was over in less than a month.
The next year, things moved even faster: I began sending out letters on about February 15, received an offer right around the end of the month, and accepted by March 2. The third year, the process again started earlier: I began applying for VAP positions on January 15; I received an offer on February 22 and I accepted it on February 28.
In my first two years, the VAP hiring process seemed to key off of the March 15 deadline the AALS imposes on its member law schools for notifying professors at other law schools about visiting offers. (As I understand it, the deadline does not apply to VAPs, per se. However, law schools considering hiring a VAP will be doing so right around the deadline because they will either prefer a VAP to visitor from another school, in which case they will need to know from the VAP before the deadline so they can get back to their back-up in time; or, they will prefer a visitor from another school to a VAP, so they will have to wait until the deadline before extending a VAP offer.)
However, my third year the VAP hiring process did not appear to coincide with the visitor hiring process. From what I can tell, now that more and more schools hire VAPs, the VAP hiring process has taken on a life of its own and become more formalized, and is no longer an afterthought to the regular visitor hiring process. As such, to the extent that schools wish to hire VAPs on a regular basis (or initiate a VAP “program”), I expect that in the future the process will begin in January, if not earlier (like the process for many fellowship applications).
What was the interview like? Was there a job talk? Prior to my first VAP position, I had no teaching experience whatsoever. However, I was not asked to do a job talk. Rather, I did a lengthy interview – either in person (for in-town schools) or over the telephone (with out-of-town schools) – with each prospective employer. For each school that interviewed me, either the dean and/or academic dean participated in the interview, along with one or more faculty members from the hiring committee or my subject area.
For my second VAP position, I interviewed in person, but gave no job talk. But I understand that my teaching evaluations were reviewed carefully.
For my third VAP position, there was no interview and no job talk. However, by this time I had several references in academia, plus one and a half years of teaching evaluations.
In my experience, the only school that flew me back to campus for a traditional AALS “callback” interview (i.e., dinner the night before, day-long slate of interviews with the faculty, and a job talk) was considering me for a “look-see” VAP position, as opposed to a traditional “podium-filler” position. As such, in my experience, it is rare for schools to invite VAP candidates to campus for full-day interviews.
What was your total compensation? All three VAP positions paid far better than a fellowship – approximately the same as a first-year assistant professor makes at many schools. And, although the compensation had different components at each school, the bottom line was fairly similar at all three schools. (This meant that my real income was lower at the two jobs in major metropolitan areas, due to far higher cost of living.) Based on my experience, I advise prospective VAPs to expect to be paid in the ballpark of $100,000 (as of 2009).
Of course, that will depend based on geography, course load, experience and whether or not you are moving to the area. (In my experience, salary is not negotiable, but other items may be added to the package.)
What were the components of your compensation package? For my first VAP position, I was paid a salary, a summer stipend, and an employer contribution to my retirement account – plus a substantial a travel/conference allowance. For the second VAP position, I was paid a smaller salary – “fellowship money.” However, I was provided with excellent free housing, and an unofficial travel budget, so it probably came within 10% of the first position. For the third VAP position, I was paid almost exactly the same salary as the first position, plus a modest travel budget and substantial moving expenses – so the total compensation was about the same as the first job.
Were benefits provided? In each VAP position, I received all of the benefits that a full professor typically receives – health, dental, flexible spending, life and disability insurance, etc. In two of the positions, I was permitted to participate in the retirement savings program.
Importantly, however, the starting date and the ending date for my benefits from one VAP position to the next did not always match up (because apparently each school pays on a different calendar year) – and so, on more than one occasion I had to negotiate a later end date or an earlier start date, or both, to make sure that I had uninterrupted health insurance coverage.
Did you have an office? What administrative and research support did you receive? In all three VAP positions, I received essentially the administrative support as a full-time or regular visiting faculty member. I had an office, a computer, an administrative assistant, fantastic research support from the library, access to all of the facilities of the law school, and the ability to hire a research assistant.
However, over the summer, each school had a different approach. One school provided me with an office for the entire summer before my VAP position started and for nearly two months after my position ended in May. Another school provided me with an office for most of the summer before my VAP position started and about one month after my position ended in May. Both of those options were fine with me. (For VAPs, it is critical to have an office in the summer. Unlike regular visiting professors, VAPs do not have offices to “go back to” because they do not have a “home” institution.) The third school did not provide me with an office until August, shortly before I started teaching. Although this did not affect my teaching at all, it did make summer writing somewhat more difficult. To avoid this problem, VAP applicants should candidly discuss summer office space needs with potential employers before accepting an offer.
How were you treated by the full-time faculty and administration? In each VAP position, I was treated like a full-fledged faculty member. My faculty colleagues were respectful, collegial, and engaging. I was invited to participate in faculty presentations, colloquiums, lunches, dinners – and all social and intellectual events at the law school.
There was one small difference among the schools, however: At two schools, I was treated like a new, junior permanent faculty member. At these two schools, senior faculty members mentored and advised me as if I were a permanent hire. Further, junior faculty sought me out and encouraged me to present my papers at brown bag lunches. On the other hand, at the third school, I was treated like a senior visiting faculty member. As such, while the faculty was responsive whenever I reached out to them, neither junior nor senior faculty reached out to me with mentoring or advising opportunities. I do not think this was intended to be a slight; rather, I believe it occurred because the school lacked experience with VAPs and did not envision the job as a “program” for new professors. (And I am sure that if I had asked for a mentor, I would have received one.) Based on my experience, I advise VAP applicants to have a frank discussion with potential employers about the importance of mentoring before accepting an offer.
How many credits/courses did you teach? I had a light teaching load my first two years and an average teaching load my third year. (As I understand it, the typical teaching load for a law professor is 11-12 credits, and three to four courses, per year.)
In my first year, I taught 10 credits – one four-credit course the first semester and two three-credit courses the second semester. This was a lot more work than it sounds, because each of those classes was a brand new prep – starting from scratch! However, it was critical that I did not teach two classes in the fall, as I was teaching for the first time. What’s more, I was on the market for the first time, which is a full-time job in itself.
My second year, I taught the same three classes – but only nine credits. As such, although I worked hard to improve my teaching, my teaching load was substantially less. However, I taught two courses the fall semester, so I spent a substantial amount of time that fall focused on teaching as opposed to preparing for my AALS interviews.
My third year, I taught two of the same classes as my first two years – and I taught one of those classes twice. It was 11 credits total. But I only had one class in the fall, which left me time to focus on the AALS hiring process.
Based on my experience, I would strongly suggest that VAP applicants ask their potential employers to teach only one course the first semester that they teach; no more than 10 credits total; and absolutely, positively only one course the semester that they go on the market.
How hard did you work? In all three VAP positions, I worked hard. Not quite as hard as I worked at a BigLaw firm – but I put in many, many long hours learning how to teach (the first year) and improving my teaching (the second and third years). (I’ve been told that teaching becomes a bit easier the third time around, and it certainly was – but not so easy that I could coast! Each time I taught a class, I tried to improve upon the last time I taught it.)
As a result, I found that during my first VAP position, I did not have much time for scholarship during the school year (which is why a summer stipend helps). In my second VAP position, I had more time for scholarship – but I had to push myself. (So, clearly one reason to prefer a fellowship over a VAP position is the amount of time spent teaching.) In any event, I advise that prospective VAPs plan to be diligent about setting aside time for scholarship, no matter how much time it takes to learn to teach.
By the way, in addition to teaching, in two VAP positions I was asked to perform “service” – e.g., advising students on their papers or coaching a moot court team. I ended up advising several students with their papers those two years; I enjoyed this and it did not take too much time. However, I simply did not have time to coach a moot court team. Instead, I attended practice sessions and commented on their arguments.
Do you have any additional advice for prospective VAPs? Absolutely! First, unless you are 100% ready to go on the market before you VAP (i.e., have enough publications to obtain an offer); by far the best plan is to find a two-year VAP position. (Such positions, while rare, do exist.) That way, you do not have to go on the market during your first semester teaching – that is, when you are learning the ropes of a demanding new job. Plus, you can write like crazy during the summer after your first VAP year. (And again, if you are only able to obtain a one-year VAP position, it is critical to teach only one course in the fall.)
Second, if you are considering the possibility of taking multiple VAP jobs in a row (i.e., until you obtain a tenure track job, like I did), understand that moving cross-country each summer is unbelievably tiring and time-consuming (especially if you have a family). Moving to VAP once is fun, moving to VAP twice is not a terrible idea – but moving to VAP three times is idiotic. (Trust me!) Picking up your life and moving to a new city each summer will sap your will to write, and each August you will marvel at how little you accomplished.
So, unless you are very disciplined about writing, VAP-ing more than once is probably not the best way to obtain a tenure-track job. IMHO, it’s better to quit your high-paying firm job, live off of your savings for six months – and spend that time writing furiously!
However, that being said, I had a fantastic time in each of my VAP jobs. I’m glad I did it!
