Three Keys to Finding Online Work

UW-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Career Center

Finding E-Learning Jobs

Online teaching was the perfect part-time job for me. E-learning and online teaching replaced coaching and after school clubs as a way to supplement my income. I loved it! I was working with great teachers from around the world and learning new things everyday. I also realized I was opening a door to a new career. Eventually, after 25 years in a traditional classroom, I decided to take early retirement, and pursue my passion for online teaching and learning full time.

Now I make my living online and enjoy a freedom and flexibility that once seemed like an impossible dream. I am the program advisor for the E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Working online is everything I'd hoped for, and more. It didn't happen overnight, but it did happen. I made the change one step at a time. It took me awhile to figure out how to find work.

I've found that the key to an online career is a power triangle of essential elements:

• Subject Matter Expertise
• 21st Century Networking
• E-learning and Teaching Experience

Power Triangle 
for E-Learning Success

Subject Matter Expertise

Your expertise is rooted with your life, academic, and work experiences. If you are a teacher, your expertise is established by the courses you've taught and the degrees you hold. If you are a military, corporate or medical trainer your expertise is established by your subject specialization and the variety of training positions you've held.

An Graduate Certificate in E-Learning and Online Teacher documents a new area of subject matter expertise!

Building Your Network

Roughly 80% of your e-learning work will come from networking face to face and online.

Decision makers want to hire people they know. When they can't find someone they know personally they reach out to an extended network of trusted advisors. Many jobs go unadvertised or are created when a person with the right skills is discovered.

Building your networks will open the door to a new future.

5 Ways to Build Your Professional Network

1. Start where you work right now.

• Let your professional circle know you are pursuing an e-learning certificate or a degree online.
• Many participants in UW-Stout's E-Learning and Online Teaching program are offered new e-learning jobs where they are currently working..

2. Find Professional organizations and conferences.

• Go to conferences and get to know others who share your professional interests.
• Attend both face to face and online conferences (Webinars).
• Have business cards printed and hand them out!
• Design and pursue your own professional development path.  This Educause Planner will help you plan your future! 

3. Become an online student.

• Successful online students become successful online teachers.
• Get to know your classmates.
• Some of your strongest professional bonds will be with colleagues you meet in your online classes.

4. Be active in professional networks.

• Join an online network dedicated to your specific professional interests.
• Join job search oriented social networks.

5. Build your professional credibility with a website or e-portfolio*.

• A professional presence on the Internet is important.
• Build a classroom website.
• Write a blog about an area of interest.
• Create a wiki for collaborative projects
• Show what you know with an e-portfolio.

*Those enrolled in the E-Learning and Online Teaching Certificate Program will build these components and moreduring their training.

E-Learning and Online Teaching Experience

The University of Wisconsin-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program provides experience as both an online student and an online teacher.

You have a developed a skill set as a classroom teacher or trainer. However, teaching or training experience does not fully prepare you for the unique challenges of e-learning and online teaching.

• Jumping into online teaching job without training can be a painful and frustrating experience.
• You need experience as an onlne teacher and specialized training in facilitation techniques to develop the craft of effective online instruction.

As an online student:

• You will experience the best practices of online learning.
• You will learn how to develop a community of learners through intense collaboration and discussion.
• You will build strong professional bonds with your colleagues.
• You will work with highly trained master teachers who are dedicated to helping you grow and learn.

As an online teacher in training:

• You create curriculum and assessments using Web 2.0 tools.
• You facilitate small group discussions.
• You practice the teaching skills in a supportive environment rich in timely feedback.
• Each of the five classes is a model of the best practices of teaching and learning online.

The Certificate Practicum: Real World Experience

• If you've never taught an online class, you'll teach with a mentor teacher in one of our online professional development classes.
• If you are currently teaching or training online, we craft a program that offers you the course design or teaching skill feedback you most need.
• Customized internships with K-12 Virtual Schools are also possible.

Build a future as a teacher and learner in the 21st Century! Join us and open the door to a new career!

UW-Stout's five-course E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate focuses on the strategies and techniques of teaching online. The courses model best practices in e-learning with interactive discussions and hands-on experiences creating and using blogs, wikis, podcasts, and Moodle in K-12 education. The courses will benefit educators and trainers interested in designing online and blended courses or using Web-based components to enhance face-to-face instruction.

Courses are offered each semester (three times each year). All courses earn three graduate credits.

Read More about Finding E-Learning Jobs! 

Here are more articles about strategies for finding online work, and the kinds of preparation and paperwork you should be working on: 

1. Where and How to Find E-Learning Jobs
2. Finding E-Learning Jobs
3. Finding Online Teaching Jobs: Are you a Online Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, K-12 Virtual Teacher? 
4. E-Portfolios for Career Development: It's not just resumes anymore!
5. Make Money Teaching Online 
6. Successful Techniques and Proven Strategies for Finding Online Teaching Work
7. Build an Online Career (Interactive Graphic)
8. E-Learning Job Listings

E-Learning Jobs: Job Listings.

Here is a link to a curated list of jobs I maintain as a service for the graduate students in the UW-Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program.  I update this list (almost) daily. 

Click here for:

E-Learning Job Listings

I've also written a series of articles about how to find e-learning jobs.  These articles will give you a good start as you plan your online career!

E-Learning Job Articles

Build an Online Career (Interactive graphic)
E-Learning Jobs Listings
Where and How to Find E-Learning Jobs
Finding E-Learning Jobs
Finding Online Teaching Jobs: Are you a Online Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, K-12 Virtual Teacher? 
E-Portfolios for Career Development: It's not just resumes anymore!
Make Money Teaching Online 
Successful Techniques and Proven Strategies for Finding Online Teaching Work

Finding Online Teaching Jobs: Are you a Online Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, K-12 Virtual Teacher?

Getting Started Teaching Online

I recommend Brian Robison's How to Teach Online website. Brian has done a wonderful job of explaining how an adjunct instructor, online professor, or virtual schoolteacher can compete effectively for the many online teaching opportunities available across the country and around the world.

Sign up for Brian's E-Learning Tips newsletter.  He's very clever, has great insights, and is good writer. Brian has created a series of  highly informative articles, many backed up by a training video, that will walk you through the process of finding and keeping online teaching jobs.

You'll learn  how to juggle multiple jobs with different online campuses. He'll help you understand time management and the necessity of getting organized before you are swamped with responsibilities. your time as you dig in to find enough online work to make a reasonable living. He talks sense about writing resumes and CVs,  sending applications, and professionalizing your email.  He also has rock solid advice on how to keep re-applying for e-jobs in a way that will keep an HR manager interested.  Consider his advice when you're told a school is not hiring.



They are NOT hiring! - Online Teaching Jobs from Brian Robison on Vimeo.

To develop a full time job as an Adjunct Instructor you must pro-actively work to grow your employment base beyond a single institution.  It's not wise to have all of your eggs in one basket. Most adjuncts create a full-time online job by teaching courses for a number of schools.

Most of this is just good common sense that Brian will explain to you in upbeat clear prose. It  helps to get advice from an online pro who thinks deeply about the job search realities of being an online adjunct instructor. He'll show you how to search for jobs and cope with the confusing and sometimes frustrating pursuit of online employment.

As I explained in my article, Finding E-Learning Jobs, you must develop your subject matter expertise, grow your professional network, and polish your online teaching skills. Once you're prepared to teach online you'll need determination and a solid plan to find the right jobs.

As you plan your online career, be sure you go to Brian's website: http://www.howtoteachonline.com.

• Think about how to organize yourself to become a successful online teacher. 
• Sign up for his newsletter
• Watch his videos
• Take action!

Listen to Brian. He's a sharp guy and he's talking sense!


Read More about Finding E-Learning Jobs! 


Here are more articles about strategies for finding online work, and the kinds of preparation and paperwork you should be working on: 

1. Where and How to Find E-Learning Jobs
2. Finding E-Learning Jobs
3. Finding Online Teaching Jobs: Are you a Online Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, K-12 Virtual Teacher? 
4. E-Portfolios for Career Development: It's not just resumes anymore!
5. Make Money Teaching Online 
6. Successful Techniques and Proven Strategies for Finding Online Teaching Work

Adjunct Professor: Kay Lehmann's Dream Job:

Dr. Kay Lehman & Lisa Chamberlin co-teach UW-Stout's EDUC 761 Creating Collaborative Communities in E-Learning.  

Kay and I first met when we were going to school together (online) earning our masters degrees in online teaching and learning. She has been a vital part of my personal learning network ever since. In many ways an adjunct professor is like a rōnin samurai. We have to keep our skills sharp to survive in a challenging landscape.


Since so many readers of this blog are seeking to advance their online teaching careers I want to share a blog post Kay did recently on the realities and strategies of working online. Kay is wise and highly skilled.  

In all fairness... I do have a dream job!

"...It works because I've made it work. I've curated a full time job by piecing together courses from several institutions, freelance-style, within an educational industry that has yet to figure out what its going to be when it grows up and become technologically self-aware."

http://transparentignorance.blogspot.com/2010/12/in-all-fairness-i-do-have-dream-job.html

Kay gives you an unvarnished inside look at the world of an adjunct professor. Great advice and a realistic look at our profession. ~Dennis

Make Money Teaching Online!

The best time to look for work is when you already have a job. This is when you make your plans.  Planning to leave the face to face classroom for virtual work takes preparation as well.

Finding a job is so much more than shooting resumes out via email.  Certainly the a good resume is part of the picture, but it's just one tool of many you need to sharpen as you work toward a career change. 

Be prepared!

I went back to school and got a certificate in online teaching and learning as well as a Masters Degree in Education with an emphasis on distance learning. I could see the future coming and I loved the work. I taught part time for Connected University and held on to my classroom job.  I chased grants and learned to both design and teach online. I believed hard work, dedication, and setting goals would change my world.  Eventually I took the leap to full time online employment. Despite my preparations,  it took me several years to learn the ropes.

I wish I knew then, what I know now.

I recall attending a conference just after I left the 'security' of the classroom and a traditional job.  I was at the conference to learn and to network, but I really didn't know what I was doing.  An educational sales rep took pity on me and briefly schooled me. 

• Get a business card.
• Establish a web presence.
• Network with decision makers.
• Join and participate in professional groups.

I did all that and more. Over the first few years of my career, working with dial up modems from a small mountain town, I learned project my work and experience across the country using the Internet.

The first year as a consultant and online teacher involved a lot of trial and error.  I remember sending out hundreds of reasonably crafted and targeted emails with resume.  The silence was deafening.  The offers were few, far between, and underpaid.  It was very discouraging. But that's what it took for me to realize I needed to reach out to the people I knew and truly network. My Eureka Moment came when I reconnected with some great teachers I'd met via ISTE.  After that door open to more opportunities than I could have imagined.

To prepare for an academic online teaching career I recommend reading Make Money Teaching Online.



The book helps you get organized and set goals. When I read this book I didn't learn anything new. I did see  much of what I'd learned by trial and error and hard knocks laid out chapter by chapter.  If you are just getting started, or if you are stalled and wondering how to grow your academic career, read the book.  It's filled with solid advice.  Follow the advice and you'll be better prepared when opportunity comes your way.

Read More about Finding E-Learning Jobs! 

Here are more articles about strategies for finding online work, and the kinds of preparation and paperwork you should be working on: 

1. Where and How to Find E-Learning Jobs
2. Finding E-Learning Jobs
3. Finding Online Teaching Jobs: Are you a Online Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, K-12 Virtual Teacher? 
4. E-Portfolios for Career Development: It's not just resumes anymore!
5. Make Money Teaching Online 
6. Successful Techniques and Proven Strategies for Finding Online Teaching Work

Successful Techniques and Proven Strategies for Finding Online Teaching Work.

Be Prepared, Professional and Persistent!

Find the Jobs:
 
Searching for online work requires a plan, perseverance, and organization. An adjunct instructor is both a teacher and a business person. Ongoing search for work is part of the profession. This article will help you pursue your goals in a methodical and effective manner.

As an adjunct, you'll have great flexibility as well as the responsibility for maximizing your own efficiency. It's likely you'll have multiple jobs with different deadlines. This is a good thing. Rather than have all of your work with one client, seek to diversify into many jobs. It's important to work with many clients because you are increasing your opportunities for new classes. Another advantage of not having all your eggs in one basket is you protect yourself against the effects of loosing a job.


Many online jobs come from your network of friends and professional colleagues. I've written extensively on the importance of networking. You should also be aware of what's available in your current place of employment. However, you also need to pursue a more direct and generalized job search.

Find online instructors and look at their homepages. Watch for links to their places of employment. Another approach is to use the following websites to find schools that are offering online programs. From there click through to the school's homesite and begin investigating the programs and courses that they offer.

Find Online Schools that may be hiring:

• www.adjunctnation.com
• www.chronicle.com
• www.educationcenteronline.com
• www.elearners.com
• www.geteducated.com
• www.program-online-degree.com
• www.worldwidelearn.com

Websites and blogs that list online work:


Online Adjunct Jobs

E-Learning and Online Teaching Jobs

Apply for work:

Craft an introductory email.  Be sure to provide information about your qualifications. Be sure to list the courses you are qualified to teach in your introductory e-mail.

Mention specific courses offered by the school you are applying to. Be sure to include the school's course numbers.  Make it seem that you are focused just on their school, even if you are applying to multiple employers.

Find your way to the Universities contact page. Follow the HR application procedures specified on each website, but take it a step further.  Include a cover letter detailing your qualifications and the specific classes your are qualified to teach. Include your Curriculum Vitae.  The problem with the standard 'HR' route is lack of visibility with the decision makers.  Your application could end up in a database or at the bottom of an unprocessed pile of forms.

Double your chances bye going directly to the department level. You will need to research the academic hierarchy of the departments that offer the classes you wish to teach. Find the email addresses so you can write the department chairpersons and school deans.

Send an email with a formal introduction to the decision makers.  Address them at Doctor (just assume they have a terminal degree).

Be sure subject line of your email is concise and indicates you are job hunting.  Consider:  Seeking Online Position, Adjunct E-learning Professional, Referral, Online Teaching Position.

Bcc yourself on all applications.  Keep these copies organized. It may take months to get a response, so be sue you have the history of correspondence organized.  Some compile a spreadsheet, other organized by file folders or tags.  Develop a method and maintain it!

Bcc the dean of the department when you write the department chair.  (Double cover your bases, it can't hurt.

Respond quickly and professionally:

• Keep electronic copies of all your transcripts.  This is especially important for your most recent degree.
• Keep on hand, the addresses you'll need to request official transcripts.
• Have an updated and expanded curriculum vitae.  This is more than a one page business style resume.  Academic CV's should be complete and extensive.
• A generic cover letter you can tune to the employer's interests.
• A reference list.  Be sure to have at least three professional references. Also be sure to inform your references in advance with note that they may be contacted.
• A list of the specific courses you want to teach at the university you are corresponding with.
• An online portfolio or teaching website you maintain regularly.
• A statement of your teaching philosophy. Write two tight paragraphs about how and why you teach.

Read More about Finding E-Learning Jobs! 
Here are more articles about strategies for finding online work, and the kinds of preparation and paperwork you should be working on: 

1. Where and How to Find E-Learning Jobs
2. Finding E-Learning Jobs
3. Finding Online Teaching Jobs: Are you a Online Teaching, Adjunct Instructor, K-12 Virtual Teacher? 
4. E-Portfolios for Career Development: It's not just resumes anymore!
5. Make Money Teaching Online 
6. Successful Techniques and Proven Strategies for Finding Online Teaching Work