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Chapter 18 Starting the Job You have received and accepted an offer. Whether it’s at a place where you hope to stay or will be only for a year or two, advance preparation can help you make the most of the coming year. If you haven’t already done so, complete your dissertation or current research. It’s very important to have it behind you so that you can devote your energy to your new research and teaching responsibilities. Set deadlines for yourself and finish before the position begins. Moving to Your New Job The most important move you make to your new job is psychological. You are no longer a graduate student whose progress toward a degree is directed by your advisor; you’re no longer a postdoc whose research is directed by your mentor. You are now a scholar, about to assume a job which is both demanding and unstructured. You’ll have to teach your classes on a schedule, but you will have to devise your own schedule for accomplishing your research and any other professional goals. You will get little feedback unless you ask for it, and your progress will be formally evaluated at infrequent intervals. Therefore, you must serve as your own advisor from now on. In most cases, you also leave the city where you did graduate or postdoctoral work. Plan to move to your new institution one and a half to two months before your new appointment starts. For most, this means you should start looking for a place to live in April or May. After you accept the job, contact the college or university housing office for information on faculty housing. If you are moving a family and need to consider a partner’s job or school or day care for children, have the housing office recommend a realtor or relocation company that can help meet these needs. Get the names of a couple of recently hired people in your department and ask them for housing suggestions. Also ask for help with your partner’s job 220 After You Take the Job hunt. Most institutions can provide some assistance here. Try to get moved in and settled in July. Get to know your way around the campus and the town or city. Become familiar with public transportation and driving so you can determine the most efficient way for you to get to your office, your lab, or your classes. Getting Ready to Teach While it’s summer and things are more relaxed, get to know the staff and learn how the department works. Get your new e-mail account and Web site and find out where to get technical support on campus. Learn now how to get things photocopied; when to place materials on reserve; which departmental meetings you should attend and when they are held. See what your teaching schedule is and start to think about setting up office hours. What are office procedures and deadlines? How are books ordered from the bookstore? Visit and become familiar with the library and computer center. Before classes start and life becomes hectic, get a sense of the timetables. If the institution offers an orientation for new faculty, take advantage of it. It’s a good opportunity to meet other new faculty. The most important thing you can do to assure success in your new job is to establish good working relationships with your new colleagues. Try to get to know them, both senior and junior faculty. Set up some lunch or coffee dates and get advice. Ask them what they wished they had known when they started. Learn as much as you can about both formal structures such as classes and informal structures such as how information is passed on through the department. Discuss students’ abilities and expected workloads so you can plan your classes accordingly. If it’s likely that you will be teaching large classes, find out how many students must be in a course before it is assigned a teaching assistant. Every department and school has its own history and its own way of doing things. Listen carefully to everything you are told, but be careful to form your own opinions. If you feel you are hearing only one side of a story, take care to learn the other. While you are still new, try to establish a comfortable basis for communication with everyone in the department. Some of the people who will...

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