You can also check out Part I (teaching advantages) and Part II (research advantages), if you would like.
I'm going to continue my discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of doing a Visiting Ass. position before securing a tenure-track position. As a reminder, my goal was to ultimately end up in a tenure-track position at a small, primarily undergraduate, liberal arts institution.
Here are the advantages to a Visiting Ass. position that fall into the Service category:
Service
What's a committee? At least at primarily undergraduate institutions, first-year faculty rarely have to serve on committees. In fact, at TempCollege, no first-years-- TT or Visiting Ass.-- were put on committees. No monthly (or weekly...shudder) two-hour meetings sitting around a conference table contemplating how little my opinion matters? Score!
You can pick your contribution. Since you aren't required to do any service (since, you know, you aren't on the tenure track), you can control what you do or do not give time towards. I filled in as a faculty advisor for one of the pre-professional organizations. Some of my Visiting Ass. friends got involved in their field's national association.
Hmm... yeah. I can't really think of any more service advantages. Not having to do it is a pretty big one. Service stuff can be really rewarding, but it, as I am sure many of you can attest to, is a huge time suck. Huge!
Okay, now for the advantages to doing a Visiting Ass. position that fall into the LIfe category (so, yeah; pretty much all the left over crap)
Life
It's just a year. While this is perhaps beyond obvious due to the title of the position, I'm not sure it can be overemphasized. Living very far away from your significant other? (Check.) It's just a year. Living in a state or even time zone that you previously had not explored? (Check. Check.)
Along those lines...
You can be adventurous in location. Why not live somewhere completely impractical? (I'll leave that one up to interpretation.). Remember: it's just a year!
You can figure it all out. When I went on the job market, I had no idea what I was capable of. I applied to low tier PUIs and instructor positions; after only a few months at my Visiting Ass. I knew that I wouldn't be happy just as an instructor or at a school with zero research. My underestimation of myself was pretty surprising, in retrospect, because throughout my Ph.D. I was always very aware that I was good at research and teaching, so I wonder why I undershot job opportunities? If I had accepted one of my other offers rather than the VIsiting Ass., would I be as happy as I am now?
