Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from “Teaching for Criminal Justice Professionals: The Insiders Step-by-Step Guide to Landing a Job at a College or University” by Kelly Enos. The book is a carefully tailored guide for anyone currently working in the realm of criminal justice who’s looking for a job at a college or university. Rich with personal examples, up-to-date references, and vital resources, Enos’s conversational handbook is upbeat and enlightening. Order your copy here.
Chapter 2: Why Should You Teach Part-time Classes in Administration of Justice?
Teaching a college class is fun. Students are taking the class because they have a deep interest in the criminal justice system, are hungry for information, and want to learn from people who have worked in the system. They want to look up to their instructors as role models. Most criminal justice instructors at the community college level have a full-time day job in some area of criminal justice and teach part-time. It can supplement a regular job. It is possible, for instance, to work as a prosecutor or defense attorney during the day and teach a course at night or to work as a police officer during an early morning shift and teach a class after work.
Many classes are now taught online, which allows an instructor to engage with students at any time of the day or night. Teaching online can also be done from anywhere in the country. Some instructors live out of state from where they teach and never set foot on the campus. All you need is access to the internet.
Criminal justice programs offer a wide range of courses depending on the college or university, giving you many course options to teach. Below are just a few of them:
- Introduction to Administration of Justice
- Concepts of Criminal Law
- Criminal Evidence
- Criminal Investigation
- Report Writing
- Domestic Violence
- Introduction to Corrections
- Juvenile Procedures
- Probation and Parole
- Forensics
- Ethics in Criminal Justice
- Criminological Theory
According to the Association for Career and Technical Education, there are many other reasons to teach college courses including:
- Making a difference in your community. Administration of justice instructors are in a unique position to teach and develop the next generation of criminal justice practitioners and impact the lives of countless individuals and families.
- All of us got into the criminal justice system to make a difference in our communities. Share that same passion by teaching others about the career you love.
- Prepare students for the real world. Students have a great deal of respect for instructors who have been there, done that, and don’t just teach in theoretical terms or themes. Criminal justice instructors know how the real world works and share that with their students.
- Criminal justice instructors are in the position to motivate and engage students to be their best. Often, just sharing our personal stories with them and how we started our careers can be motivating for students.
- Part-time instructors typically have a work or teaching schedule that allows them time off during the holidays and over the summer, making time for family.
- Earn good pay and benefits. Some community colleges and universities offer benefit packages to part-time instructors, including medical, dental, and retirement benefits. Part-time instructors can make anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 per semester depending on the number of classes they teach. The hourly range is from $60 to $96 per hour.
- Job security. There is a wide variety of positions available throughout the country, including at community colleges, public and private universities, and technical skills centers. Many colleges and public universities have labor contract agreements giving part-time instructors certain rights to assignments.
- Enjoy variety. Criminal justice programs include a wide range of classes, including criminal evidence, criminal investigation, forensics, policing, probation, corrections and criminal law.
- Be a life-long learner. Instructors have access to professional development opportunities to improve their teaching skills in their subject areas. In some cases, part-time instructors can also move into leadership roles at the institution.
Other benefits include flexible hours and classes that are offered on different days and times, many of which are online.
Peace officers who also work as instructors have limited exposure to civil liability. Many officers work off-duty jobs in security or personal protection that may expose them to civil liability. As a result, some departments require officers to get permission to work off-duty jobs if they entail potentially making arrests or using force. Teaching at a community college or university eliminates those risks.
About the author
Kelly William Enos is the former acting dean of academic affairs at Los Angeles Mission College and currently the vice chair of the administration of justice program. He is a 10-year veteran of law enforcement, serving as a police officer with the Culver City Police Department and later as a deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He earned a Master’s Degree from California State University at Los Angeles and worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department and trainer for the State of California Adult Protective Services, State of Michigan Commission on Peace Officer Standards, and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan. He is an F.B.I. certified trainer and recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Lecturer award at California State University, Los Angeles in the College of Health and Human Services, where he served on the faculty for 16 years.