One would think that low pay, an endless barrage of papers to check, and immense pressure to produce original research would all be enough to dissuade anyone from college level teaching. For one reason or another, though, institutions of higher learning such as the Ateneo continue to attract individuals who—although of different scholarly persuasions—all share the desire to engage in the practice of education.
However, in the Loyola Schools, there is a stringent application process in place that all new potential teachers have to go through. If things work out ideally, the most brilliant men and women from the original pool of applicants will be invited to teach in the school.
Dennis Temporal, who now teaches with the Philosophy Department, is a recent addition to the school faculty. Also pursuing his doctorate in the university, he says that teaching has already been his life. “Since my graduation in 1993 [from the Ateneo], I have taught in high schools, handled seminars, and even taught in the college level,” he says.
Along with other new teachers, Temporal had to undergo a lot of procedures before getting to sign a contract with the university.
Application 101
Before any potential teacher gets to submit an application to the Loyola Schools, an opening in a department would have to be announced first. Applicants who pursue this opening then go through interviews and class demonstrations. If the applicant in question passes these requirements, an offer to work with the university is made to him or her. If the applicant accepts, he or she submits the necessary papers, after which the University President officially approves the application. The applicant becomes an official faculty member of the university at this point.
There are also ranks for regular faculty members, beginning with ‘instructor’ as the least veteran, followed by ‘assistant professor,’ ‘associate professor”, and finally, ‘professor.’ Ateneo’s instructors are required to hold master’s degrees.
Performance
Once someone becomes a member of the Ateneo faculty, he or she is required to produce formal research, to eventually obtain a doctorate, and to maintain a high standard of teaching practice, if he or she wishes to get promoted or to stay on board the faculty. Towards this goal, every year, the professors undergo performance evaluations, conducted by their peers and their respective department chairpersons. Students also participate in performance measures via the faculty evaluations which they are asked to accomplish in their AISIS accounts.
Issues
Doing well in their chosen vocation is not the only concern Ateneo’s teachers attend to. Just like everyone else, they have their basic and essential needs to mind, especially when the teacher in question has a family to support.
This is usually the main concern that prevents those who truly wish to teach from doing so as their primary job. Temporal says that a professor’s salary depends on credentials, but also discloses that the figure ranges from P25,000 to P30,000 for entry level positions. The salary then increases depending on the teacher’s workload and rate of progress.
Clear idea
The clichéd image of a kind, worry-free professor—in spectacles and a tweed suit, coming to class just to engage in playful banter with his students—is definitely not the most realistic representation of the job, at least in the context of the Ateneo. Ateneo professors are, in fact, expected to come to class every session with a clear idea of how they will be instrumental in forwarding the school’s lofty goals. Of course, they are also expected to face the challenges of delinquent students and vengeful evaluations, to deal with the pressure of conducting studies and research, to take care of the economic concerns that come along with every job, and so many other things that make the vocation of teaching certainly unique.
Clearly, it’s not an easy job.
Sir/Madam:
I am currently taking up Master in Public Affairs at U.P. Los Baños and salaries of Faculty in different primary Universities in the Philippines are the subject of my term paper.
Please help me accomplish this endeavor by providing data of faculty salaries in Ateneo.
Your favorable response on this matter would be very much appreciated.
Very truly yours