K12 Teacher or College Adjunct? Two Very Different Ways to Teach

If you're thinking about teaching, becoming a full time K12 teacher isn't your only option.

For professionals who already have expertise in a field, teaching as an adjunct at a community college can offer another way into the classroom, sometimes without leaving your current career.

These are broad comparisons. Actual responsibilities, qualifications and working conditions vary by school, college, state and subject.

The path into the classroom is different

Public K12 teachers generally need a bachelor's degree and state certification or licensure. States also offer alternative certification routes that can make it possible for career changers to enter teaching without completing a traditional undergraduate education program.

Adjunct qualifications work differently.

For example, Dallas College generally requires instructors teaching academic transfer courses to have a master's degree and at least 18 graduate credit hours in the subject they will teach. Workforce and technical programs may consider a combination of education and relevant professional experience.

That distinction matters if you're coming from corporate or industry work. Your existing expertise may open doors to certain college teaching roles.

The work itself is different

K12 teaching extends well beyond delivering lessons.

Teachers may plan instructio, manage classrooms, communicate with families, supervise students, attend meetings and support students' broader academic and developmental needs.

Adjunct teaching tends to be more concentrated around the course: preparing and teaching the material, assessing learning and supporting students enrolled in the class.

There's also a fundamental difference in who is sitting in front of you.

In K12, you're teaching children or teenagers who are required to attend school. At a community college, you're generally teaching adults who chose to enroll.

That can create two very different classroom experiences.

People are actually weighing this decision

I came across a recent discussion in the Teachers community on Reddit that was almost exactly this dilemma.

The poster was working a corporate job and finishing a bachelor's degree in health science. They were interested in teaching but unsure whether to eventually try K12 teaching or remain in corporate work, complete a master's degree and pursue adjunct teaching.

At one point, they asked:

“So maybe being an adjunct with a corp role is better?”

The discussion surfaced many of the same tradeoffs.

People described K12 teaching as offering a clearer full time career path and benefits, while involving responsibilities far beyond instruction. Adjunct teaching offered the possibility of teaching while maintaining another career, but commenters cautioned that course availability and income can be inconsistent.

One commenter had even made the transition from adjunct teaching into high school teaching.

These are individual experiences, not representative data. But the discussion raises a useful question:

Do you want teaching to become your career, or do you want teaching to become part of your career?

Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

You don't have to decide yet

If you're considering either path, start by investigating what's actually available to you.

Look at teacher certification requirements in your state. Then look at community colleges near you and find the faculty qualifications for subjects you could realistically teach.

Talk to people doing the work. Observe a classroom if you can. Substitute. Volunteer. Ask an adjunct what teaching one course actually requires.

You may discover that you're drawn strongly toward one path.

Or you may discover that you simply want a way to teach.

Either answer gives you useful information.

Not sure which path sounds more like you?

Take the 2 minute K12 vs. adjunct teaching quiz.

Six questions can help you think through the role you want teaching to play in your life. It won't choose a career for you. It will give you a place to start exploring.

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