by joy tirade, MFA, 2017, UNC-Chapel Hill www.joytirade.com @joytirade
<aside> <img src="/icons/arrow-right_lightgray.svg" alt="/icons/arrow-right_lightgray.svg" width="40px" /> Most jobs require two to five years of college teaching experience, yet many MFA graduates need more experience. This checklist is meant to help folks survive this conundrum. This guide will help you focus on what you need to survive and thrive while trying to gain enough job skills and experience required for full-time work in the arts.
</aside>
<aside> 🤩 The opinions expressed here are my own, based on my personal experience, and are not affiliated with any institution. Please write to me with any feedback or additions at joy (dot) tirade (at) google (dot) com.
</aside>
<aside> ⚡ Also, check back frequently as I continue to edit and grow this list.
</aside>
<aside> ⚡ Note: Year one starts before you graduate (or lose access to your program’s resources).
</aside>
[ ] Email your alum association to set up a permanent departmental email address ([email protected]); this service should be free. You need this address to apply for jobs from a professional academic email address.
[ ] Before you lose access to places to install your work, take a lot of installation shots of your work and save these somewhere safe. If you don’t know how to photograph your artwork, try to get help from a fellow in your program. Or see this link below from Sacchi Art:
Video Link: How to Photograph Your Art
[ ] Request some letterhead from your department. You will use this for tenure-track job applications. If your department doesn’t share, shake your head and quietly judge them for not supporting their graduates. In this case, go to Google and grab their logo to create your version of their official letterhead in Photoshop. You don’t need their permission because you already paid them for your professional degree, and you will only use this logo for cover letters for job applications.
[ ] Apply for CAA (College Art Association) or SPE (Society for Photographic Education) Membership. Dues are cheaper for graduate students and non-tenure faculty. You can have this membership for one year before you need to renew. Be strategic about when you apply. Job applications “open” in the fall, around September and October. So using in August at the end of your program year would benefit you most. There are free sites, but CAA also has calls for art for larger institutions, which you will need to use for applications. This is discussed in another place on the checklist.
[ ] Read The Professor Is In Blog for hints and tips.