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Wage Corner
by Anne MacLachlan
Amplifying the remarks made in the Welcome,
this new column will draw on the wide experience of our members
to provide information about the academic workplace, its problems,
and how to deal with them.
This inaugural piece begins at the beginning:
a new job and the salary you deserve.
Whatever the type of position, if it is at a public college or university
pay scales are available on the Web. (UC´s academic title salaries are found at
www.ucop.edu/acadadv/acadpers/.) Salary ranges for non-ladder
faculty and other positions are usually given in advertisements.
It is critical that before a position is accepted,
you know how much you are worth and what you can expect from the
institution about to hire you. Average academic salaries for 1400
colleges and universities are found for all ranks in the
American Association of University Professors´
Annual Salary Survey.
Before going to the campus interview you should know the average salary
for your level and approximate salaries for your particular discipline.
Several professional associations now track members´
salary range and distribution. Equally important:
Do not respond when the dean, chair or provost discusses possible
salary with you at the interview. Listen to what is being said and
understand that this is part of the mating dance.
Most institutions expect you to bargain when they make the offer which usually,
but not always follows the interview.
Whether made on the spot (not an approved approach) or in a later phone call,
your response ought to be that you are honored, delighted, etc.
but you would like to digest the good news and call back in a day.
When you call back you should then ask precisely what is being offered to you,
write it down, and respond, particularly if the voice at the other end says,
"We are thinking of offering you $55,000 for a nine-month appointment."
You will know from having done your homework that this is fairly decent
(they usually really do want you to accept), but as a matter of principle
you should respond that you had been thinking more in the upper $50s.
This is a non-confrontational way of asking for more and the most likely outcome
is you will be given a little more. The voice at the end will probably respond by
that it must be discussed this with a higher up, but not always.
Whatever you agree upon, however, should be plainly written in the offer letter.
Offers that are clearly way below the listed salary in the AAUP Survey
should be regarded with great suspicion. However, if a fairly reasonable
salary rate is not particularly flexible you can agree on extra salary
for the summer, student assistance, generous start-up costs, moving costs,
and several other things that universities regularly offer new hires.
Keep in mind, though, that every salary increase is a percentage building
on your original salary. The higher the salary, the greater the increases.
Next time: negotiating a contract to suit your needs.
-wage@wage.org-