Academics can pursue a variety of professor jobs as a stepping stone to or in lieu of a career as a college or university professor. Teaching assistant (TA), associate professor, teaching fellow (TF), and adjunct professor are examples of these professions. These professorial positions necessitate specific academic credentials, which vary country and academic institution. Some of these positions may also lead to tenure, which provides the incumbent with a contractual level of job security and the opportunity to advance in the ranks of professor jobs.
TAs are graduate students hired colleges or universities to assist professors with course instruction. They are also known as tutors or graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). A teaching assistant (TA) will assist the professor during lectures, grade students’ work, and possibly conduct tutorials or labs on their own. Undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) are a subset of teaching assistants who have earned a bachelor’s degree and are paid course credit rather than the fixed salary that TAs receive on a contract basis. A TA is promoted to associate professor after receiving tenure or establishing a track record of academic accomplishments as determined the college or university.
A teaching fellow (TF), unlike a TA, is an academic with a master’s degree who teaches an undergraduate class on their own. However, some universities require TFs to be supervised a professor with whom they meet on a regular basis and receive feedback on how to improve their teaching abilities. TFs are paid more than TAs and are hired on a semester-by-semester basis. In the United Kingdom, an academic staff member who has demonstrated excellence in lecturing is sometimes given the title of “teaching fellow.”
An adjunct professor is a professor who is hired a college or university on a part-time, casual basis and typically holds a Ph.D. Because adjunct professors do not hold permanent professor positions, they do not receive the same benefits as other academic staff and are not responsible for the research and administrative responsibilities that full-time, permanent professors are responsible for. Professors who have contributed to the teaching of a department other than their own can be recognized as adjunct professors in that department while continuing to work as regular professors.