Plan D
I have always said it is a good idea life to have a backup plan - Plan B - in case the primary plan doesn't work out.
In the case of my current career planning, I have expanded my search for alternatives. Plan A remains finding a tenure college or university teaching job. Results to date are modest. I received one invitation for a preliminary interview at the American Historical Association conference in DC in early January. So, I will attend and will take advantage of the trip to do several other career-advancing activities: meet informally with another university, apply for a few other late-posted jobs at the Job Register, pitch my book proposal to publishers. (Two jobs for which I have applied have the potential to disrupt the logic of our weblog naming system - one at Harvard and one at the Shanghai campus of New York University. For better or worse, both are long shots.)
Plan B. I have signed up to do substitute teaching at two local private high schools. I enjoyed teaching bright, highly motivated American high school teachers in China last summer, and I am curious to see whether I would also enjoy teaching more typical high school students. If so, and if one of the schools is hiring full-time teachers for next year, that might be an interesting option for me. Also, in the meantime, I can earn a little extra money.
Plan C. Much of my dissertation research was on education exchanges between the United States and China. I am also an enthusiastic support of the role that such exchanges play in improving U.S. relations with other countries. I recently applied for several university-based administrative jobs in that field, but I realize that I am missing important qualifications. I came up with the idea of volunteering as an intern in a university's International Programs department. The director of IP at Washburn U, where I am teaching, has agreed to let me help and to teach me all aspects of IP administration. I will start in January.
Plan D. I will give A, B, and C another year to come to fruition. My friend Rich tells me that the number one thing I can do at this point to boost my attractiveness for teaching positions is to get a book contract, and I hope to achieve that objective over the next six months. If by early 2009 none of the first three plans are working out, Terry and I will probably move back to China and both teach English.
-- Norty