Online, competency based schools & the academic job market

In our "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I am an early-career philosopher who has obtained temporary full-time positions at a liberal arts college and an R1 state school. I have an interview at an online, competency-based learning school. The ability to work online, obtain a non-temporary position, and solve a two-body problem is attractive, but I admit it is not the kind of position I had in mind for my career. Does anyone have any insight as to whether departments devalue having work experience at such an institution, should I later decide to try to make the move "back" to "traditional" schools?

This is an interesting question, and I'm not at all sure what the answer is. I guess I'd be curious to hear more about what the school is like, how akin to university teaching the opportunity is, whether it would leave any time to publish, and whether it is secure full-time employment with good opportunities for advancement (if, for example, one stayed in the position long-term). While I do wonder how search committees might see this, it could be a really good opportunity all-things-considered, and many universities seem to me to value online teaching experience these days (particularly post-COVID). Do any readers have any tips or insights here, particularly (but not only) search committee members?

Comments

[DS]

A few thoughts here:
-competency based learning is becoming more attractive to traditional schools so I don't think being involved in a competency based program is necessarily a bad thing
-as Marcus said, how similar is what you will be teaching to a traditional college course? If it is pretty similar, I don't think there is much to worry about.
-it's such a tough job market, I am not sure how much people 'look down' on certain jobs anymore. I think the greater question is your own conscience. If this is a kind of for profit degree mill, it might not be something you actually feel comfortable working for full time. I think that is probably the greater worry.

[OP]

OP here, just filling in more details. The position does not involve any control over course design or grading. Aside from additional materials you may provide that build on the required materials you do not design, the main task is to meet 1-on-1 with students who voluntarily choose to meet with you. And it is a full-time job with a set schedule (although one I set) and accrued vacation etc., since there are no semesters - students take the course at their own pace. So, while it does not strike me as a degree mill, the work involves much less control than the average academic position and has much more the feel of a "regular" 9-5 job.

[DS]

I could see not having control over course design as a problem for future positions if you are asked for sample syllabi, assignments, etc. However, you worked at previous positions, so presumably you could update that material. I could also see that element of the job as unfulfilling (not being able to change up your courses/develop new courses).

However, not having to design your own courses could leave lots of time for research, so that could be a plus.

My thought is that there are always ways to spin elements of a job into 'positive experiences/applicable experiences' when it comes time to change jobs. E.g., "I mentored x number of students one-on-one" or something like that. Or "I worked with primarily working adults" if you were to apply to a CC in the future. If you're clever, I think you can always spin the experiences in a cover letter if you find you want to change jobs after a year or two. Plus if you have time, you could still teach a traditional class on the side as an adjunct at a more traditional institution.