This is a great question – thanks for posing it David! We HAVE had problems since returning from COVID, but I’m not sure why.
I know the new hiring rules, where you have to list jobs and encourage everyone to apply might be partly to blame. I understand the equity issues, but previous to that law, we made a list of all the students
we hoped to have, and then invited them one by one until someone accepted. It was always the first or second name on the list. In the new system, one year, two people applied, took other jobs instead, and then we were allowed to go to our old system, since
the job HAD been listed, as required by law. We then easily found someone excellent to take the job – she simply hadn’t applied, said she had been super busy with her senior thesis and other things.
We also used to hire earlier – offering the position in Block 4, so they could think about it over the break. I think the idea of not having to spend the spring applying for jobs was attractive to many. But
the budgeting seems to happen later, so we don’t get approval until after the winter holidays. By then, they may have spent the break considering more of their options.
The pay is meager and they surely have many other and better options. No one has said this to me – they usually take other jobs because they seem like better paths to what they want to do.
Related to that, I suspect that as there are fewer jobs in higher ed, as in competition for spots in PhD programs and the jobs afterwards more intense, the idea of sticking around to make a decision about
going that route is less attractive too.
Some have said they are ready to get out of the Springs. Maybe people just want to go home, the place that felt safest (for many) during COVID?
All guesses on my part, but yes, this has been a problem, and really only post-COVID.
I’m interested to hear what other think!
Best,
Gail
Hi friends,
I’m writing to ask for information on whether your departments and programs have faced challenges hiring paraprofs recently. This is motivated by the fact that we have had few or no applicants for our computer
science paraprof position in recent years, and our students have indicated that the salary we offer is not attractive. So my questions are:
- Have you had satisfactory applicant pools for your paraprof positions in the past few years?
- If you have struggled to get applicants, do you know why? Is the salary noncompetitive or are there other factors?
- Given our salary constraints, have you found other ways to make the position attractive?
- Any other thoughts?
Thanks very much,
David
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