We live in Maine, The only PHD English program is over an hour away in NH from us. My husband is currently a 6th grade teacher, mainly in English. He has a Masters in Education (not English). His ultimate dream in life is to become a college English Professor. We know those jobs are few and far between. We understand the workload that a PHD has. We aren’t thinking of this as a financial gain in any way, although making a bit more than an elementary school teacher would be nice.
my question is:
He’s been writing and pursuing English lit research, etc, etc for as long as I have known him. It is the one thing he is doing ALL the time. Writing books, writing essays, reading, etc. He is burnt out from the younger kids and wants to get into higher education. I have been (mainly) already supporting us with my FT job since teachers get paid garbage. We always thought a PHD would be unattainable financially but then looking into fully-funded programs it seems doable.
Can one pursue an in-person PHD program that’s a 2+ hour commute each day and maintain some sort of life (we have twin 9-year olds)..or by agreeing to this will he just constantly be down in NH and we never see him again. How do you balance the in-person vs. home workload?
Comments
I would not do this. The early years of a Ph.D. tend to way more heavily towards in person work and he may need to teach to be funded. Plus, it’s important to network and attend department events.
Getting a Ph.D. in almost anything is a bad idea. Higher ed is hurting and the NE is going to be hit hard by the demographic cliff.
Unless you’re open to moving from Maine eventually, otherwise the likelihood of your husband eventually obtaining a professorship in English within easy commute of your current home that is stable and pays more than being a public school teacher is incredibly low. The work-life balance will also be brutal with a two hour commute and two kids and you working as well.
maybe consider an online programme, or one without courseload?
A 2 hour commute while doing an in person PhD is not viable, let alone having kids at home you need to do stuff with.
With how ultra-competitive humanities are, and it’s only getting worse, he would need to go to the best university to be competitive, which is likely not that one nearby university. If he wants to stay in education after doing his PhD, the most likely outcome will be teaching high school, not college. Even if he were able to teach college, it would almost certainly be a non-tenure track role that would lack job security and come with lower pay.
As someone who did a PhD with a wife and kids in tow, it’s an extremely tough journey. With such uncertainty about the eventual outcome, it’s almost certainly not worth it.
A perhaps simpler path would be for him to publish his writing. For things like creative writing, monographs are what matter. If he could publish some works, he could likely get a lecturer position at a nearby university.
A PhD would almost certainly be a horrible plan for him. The job market is contracting a lot right now, and it wasn’t great beforehand. We’re looking at a major drop in college enrollment coming up, plus Dept of Education instability.
It will be expensive. Graduate work is only funded if you commit to teaching or a different trainee position for the college. He would probably have to give up his teaching position. Maybe his school will pay for him to take classes? Honestly, looking at my salary and school teachers with a similar time in role, they’re usually getting more pay.
The best way to think about grad school is that it’s an additional full time job, especially with that commute. How much time does he have with the kids now?
Finally, academia generally requires movement. Are you prepared to move to rural Nebraska, Texas, Florida? My first time on the market, I applied to ~120 jobs, got 3 interviews, and took a contract (non tenure track) job 4 states away. The second time, I applied to ~70 jobs, got 2 interviews, and took a tenure track job in rural Appalachia.
There are ways to make this work, don’t get me wrong. I often write about how to succeed in this precarious field on these threads. But those folks are usually younger, with fewer responsibilities, and more flexibility.
I have a more positive suggestion, though. If he’s burned out on middle school, he should look into dual enrollment programs. He may be able to teach “college in the high school” classes with an education masters. Or, he may be eligible to teach those if he takes a few graduate-level English classes rather than a full PhD. We only require 18 hours, and some of his Ed courses might count.
I have seen people completing their PhDs whilst managing a family, but it took an enormous coordinated effort alongside their partners and support structures.
My case: Fully funded PhD within a 30 min train ride ripped my skin off. My boyfriend cried of happiness when I passed my oral exam. I really feel like I’m now claiming back my work-life balance. I cannot fathom doing it while raising two kids.
The typical PhD is a person with no kids working 45-50 hours a week… though many are young and not as motivated or focused. Your husband has to be really good or put in the hours to compete with other people to get pubs or book offers in a timely manner. The main issue is the 2 hour commute, which will be needed for coursework, TAing, and meetings with his advisor.
I’m taking a non degree online class in graphic memoir. The workload is so large that I got a severe cold and got so far behind that I had to drop. And I don’t commute.