Applying for a TT job after being out of academia (but active publishing)?

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

I'm in a somewhat unusual position and would be very grateful for advice.

First, some background: I haven't applied for academic jobs in a few years as family commitments mean I'm not able to move even if I was offered a job. Instead, I've been a stay at home parent, doing freelance gigs on the side. However, I've continued to keep up with philosophy as a hobby and publish papers, albeit rather slowly. I currently have 12 publications (though many of those are joint papers), plus one joint paper in revise and resubmit status.

I wasn't planning to apply to philosophy jobs any more, but I came across a job posting for a tenure track position in a liberal arts college in my city and the AOS and AOC match my areas perfectly. I would love to apply, but I worry the time I've spent away from academia would instantly disqualify me. So, would applying for this position be a waste of everyone's time? And if not, should I address my unusual situation in the cover letter? Thanks!

These are good questions, and my honest answer is: I'm not sure--I suspect it probably depends entirely on the nature of the people on the search committee. If the OP really is a perfect fit for the job and they've continued publishing, then who knows: maybe the committee will seriously consider them, particularly if they can explain their situation well in a cover letter. Anecdotally, at least, my sense is that giving these kinds of details in a cover letter can help a lot.

Another thing to consider, as many people have noted in previous discussions, is that search committees at teaching-focused institutions can have interests in hiring people they think are likely to stay at the institution, as some departments at such institutions may have trouble retaining people. So perhaps the fact that the OP cannot move elsewhere might even be seen as a mark in their favor. The biggest challenge for the OP, I think, is that if they haven't taught in a while, they may need to convince the committee that they can step into the classroom and teach effectively in a full-time job. But I guess a lot depends there on the OP's past experience as an instructor, which wasn't disclosed in their comment.

Anyway, these are my quick thoughts. What are yours?

Comments

[aah]

If you fit the qualifications specified, genuinely want the job, and believe you would do well at the job, it is definitely not a waste of time for you to apply.

[Michel]

I don't think it's a waste of time at all, even if you don't invoke the childcare explanation (I've no idea whether you should, but you certainly could!). I wouldn't hold time away from academia against anyone in this market.

To my mind, it helps that there's been activity on your CV. That suggests you're ready ready to hit the ground running. And I think it's good it's on the research side, since I think it's harder to reboot a research agenda than a teaching practice.

[a message from Civilization]

Where I live and work, maternity and paternity leaves are explicitly taken into account, as these are legal entitlements. So in terms of academic age - if you got your PhD in 2020, but were on leave for one year, your research output would be measured against someone who got their PhD in 2021 and did not have a leave.

[Chris]

While still active in terms of publishing, I was technically 'out' of the profession for about a year, and had even given up applying after realizing I probably shouldn't be using my grad school's letterhead any longer, since my affiliation ended with the conferral of the PhD, but the last app I filled out before I gave up led to a phone interview months later and that phone interview turned into a campus interview that turned into a TT-job. I hadn't taught philosophy in three years when I gave my teaching demo. I treated it like a last chance and was at peace with it not working out and paradoxically I think it helped me perform better and not be so nervous. I felt like the campus visit was my final day as an academic and tried to enjoy it as much as possible, not expecting to ever do anything like that again. You'll never get a job you don't apply for, and it's not over until it's over, that's my two cents.

[ex philosopher]

I'm the person who posted the original question and just wanted to say thank you to Marcus and all the commentators for your thoughtful responses!

[Marcus Arvan]

@ex philosopher: you're very welcome--glad you've found the discussion to be helpful!