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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2025-26)

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Reader query on moving jobs

In the comments section of our new job-market discussion thread, Anonymous SLAC-er writes:

I have a job market question that may or may not belong here. If not, please feel free to ignore. The reason I say it may not belong is that I was just granted tenure this year. I am very happy about this, of course, and recognize that in many ways I have won the academic lottery. However, for a variety of reasons I do not want to spend my entire career at my current institution. My question is about applying for jobs now that I am an "Associate." Should I bother to apply for a position advertised at the Assistant level or not? If I do apply to such positions, should I make clear in my letter that I am hoping to be considered at the Associate level? More broadly, is there any hope to move after one has tenure if one is not also a "name" in the field?

As I've known more than a few tenured people on the market looking to move, I think these are great questions–ones that a fair number of readers may be interested in answers to! In reply, I Am Moved wrote:

You can move. I would not bother applying for assistant prof positions UNLESS you want to redo the march to tenure. Most places won't bargain on this. They may have only been approved for a entry level position. You had better have something to offer, if you think you can move. Do you have special administrative abilities (can Chair a dept with success) or some notable research accomplishment. Otherwise you will not likely look like such a great catch. A WORD OF WARNING: applying for jobs sometimes produces discontent in your current job. That is, as you apply you imagine moving, and then see more and more reasons why you want to move!

Interesting. I guess I would have thought given how few Associate jobs seem to be advertised, that unless you are a really great catch (or alternatively, willing to move abroad), the chances of securing another Associate job are slim to none. Is this wrong? I'm also curious about I Am Moved's suggestion that administrative abilities like success Chairing a department might help in moving. 

In any case, it might be good to hear more from people who have moved. Were you able to move from one tenured Associate job to another? Or, did you have to apply for Assistant jobs where you would have to go up for tenure again? And, if you moved successfully, what did your CV look like? 

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4 responses to “Reader query on moving jobs”

  1. O.

    I would imagine the answer is quite different depending on what kind of job one has and what kind one is looking for. It seems to me that moving at Associate is common enough among high-ranked R1 folks. I’m curious to what extent it’s a possibility for, say, 4/4-load state school profs or community college profs. I wonder if anyone in those categories has any perspective on this?

    Reply
  2. Anonymous SLACer

    Thanks for featuring my question. I think part of my confusion stems from the fact that I see Associate people move all the time, as O. mentions. How are these moves happening? Are these people applying for jobs through the regular process, or does one have to wait to be recruited?
    My CV is respectable. It would be good enough for tenure at an average R1 (though it is extraordinary at my SLAC), and I’ve been very active in administrative work as well (though I haven’t chaired, to answer I Am Moved’s question). I don’t feel desperate to move to an R1, but I do want to move, at least to a better SLAC. I’m just trying to figure out at this point if that’s reasonable, and if so, how I might best pursue it. If the best answer is to publish even more and become a “name,” then it’s good to know that.

    Reply
  3. Amanda

    I know many associates who move are invited. The school decides they are going to hire someone at the same time they decide who to ask. But who are the people who you know that have moved, Anonymous SLACer? Are they people who are research stars? From what I have seen, it is pretty rare for a teaching school to ever hire at the associate level. This is why a fair number of people have been willing to go up for tenure again (they are teaching school professors, and they cannot move otherwise.)
    I am curious, though, if my perception is off. Do teaching schools ever hire at the associate level? Anonymous SLACer if you want to move to an R1 at an associate level then most likely you will have to do so by making a name for yourself. The competition seems too stiff these days otherwise. If you want to move to a better liberal arts school then it would be helpful to hear from people whether hires are ever made at the associate level, and if so how often.

    Reply
  4. Moved

    About chairing and moving … if you look at ads for Associate or Professor rank jobs in the USA, you will notice that often they are asking for a chair. If they are hiring a chair they want to know that you have successful chaired a department. So chairing can open doors that are not open to others. But … some of the departments that are looking for an external chair are having problems. The “normal thing” to do is find a chair from among the faculty. So sometimes an external chair search signals problems. This, though, can still be a great opportunity for the right person. But it can also be a disaster. Know yourself before walking into this. I worked in a department that had just hired an external chair. It was a very hate-filled place. And I interviewed for such a job.

    Reply

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