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Taking an effective promotion but having title demoted?

Eason

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I'll be switching to another department in my university next year. It's an effective promotion, slightly higher salary, but much less working hours. My current rank is "Lecturer" for the English Language Department where I teach 18 credits (18 hours a week of class). I would be switching to the Whole Person Education Dept. and be lecturing Exercise Science 4 hours a week, Coaching in the gym 4 hours a week, doing staff development training 2 hours a week, 1 hour a week of fitness clubs, and administrating winter/summer traveling camps. Due to my qualifications in this subject are just my B.S. degree and a professional certification from the NSCA, they don't want to me to keep my title of "Lecturer". They want me to be an "Instructor" or "Associate Lecturer". Do you think this is a big deal? I'm not sure how hard I should push to keep my title, or if it even matters at all. I do have other options for employment if push came to shove.
 

globetrotter

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Originally Posted by Eason
I'll be switching to another department in my university next year. It's an effective promotion, slightly higher salary, but much less working hours. My current rank is "Lecturer" for the English Language Department where I teach 18 credits (18 hours a week of class). I would be switching to the Whole Person Education Dept. and be lecturing Exercise Science 4 hours a week, Coaching in the gym 4 hours a week, doing staff development training 2 hours a week, 1 hour a week of fitness clubs, and administrating winter/summer traveling camps. Due to my qualifications in this subject are just my B.S. degree and a professional certification from the NSCA, they don't want to me to keep my title of "Lecturer". They want me to be an "Instructor" or "Associate Lecturer". Do you this is a big deal? I'm not sure how hard I should push to keep my title, or if it even matters at all. I do have other options for employment if push came to shove.

no big deal, I've gone from VP to director
 

ChicagoRon

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Presumably, if you get another degree and they promote you back to lecturer, there will be a nice raise with the promotion.

I switched companies and took a title down for basically the same work (a little less responsibility so I have some time to prove myself). A lot of people tried to pre-empt me and tell me not to worry too much about it. I was glad... whole new place with no network, I'd rather have some slightly lower expectations to meet. I'm making more money and have more growth opportunity, so who cares about a title?
 

dragon8

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Originally Posted by Eason
I'll be switching to another department in my university next year. It's an effective promotion, slightly higher salary, but much less working hours. My current rank is "Lecturer" for the English Language Department where I teach 18 credits (18 hours a week of class). I would be switching to the Whole Person Education Dept. and be lecturing Exercise Science 4 hours a week, Coaching in the gym 4 hours a week, doing staff development training 2 hours a week, 1 hour a week of fitness clubs, and administrating winter/summer traveling camps. Due to my qualifications in this subject are just my B.S. degree and a professional certification from the NSCA, they don't want to me to keep my title of "Lecturer". They want me to be an "Instructor" or "Associate Lecturer". Do you this is a big deal? I'm not sure how hard I should push to keep my title, or if it even matters at all. I do have other options for employment if push came to shove.

You're getting more $$$ and thats all that counts.

Do you have better job security in this new position?
 

Eason

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Originally Posted by dragon8
You're getting more $$$ and thats all that counts.

Do you have better job security in this new position?


Yeah, English lecturers are a dime a dozen (good ones aren't, but they don't really care about that) but they actually terminated someone's contract in my destination dept. in order to make room for my transfer. I would be the only native English speaker with a modern exercise science education teaching in the dept, I would be difficult to replace.
 

JayJay

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Don't get caught up on the title change.
 

Matt

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in Asia people put a lot more weight on the title than the perspectives you are getting from people above.

What will it mean in terms of your relationships with colleagues, management and students to have a lower title?

None of them will be aware of your salary, all of them will be aware of your title, and some of them may well treat you in line with the authority that the title holds.

In Vietnam, one of the ways of firing people (which is pretty damn hard in a communist country) is to just keep everything else the same and significantly lower their title. Used to be a Senior Account Director, now you are a Junior Account Assistant. They resign out of face pretty promptly since they can't face their colleagues with the new low title.

Can you fabricate an obtuse or unusual title that makes the relative rank of the role unclear?
 

Fuuma

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Can you be like a "bicurious racist specialist" or something. In other word is it possible to make up something like "new technical vely good intluctol"
 

Don Carlos

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Be very careful about titles, man. Lots of folks still get very hung up on them, both when doing business with you or when considering you for a role at their company. I imagine the issue is only worse in Asia, to Matt's point.

I once switched jobs for a higher salary and lower title, and it kind of set me back a few years. No other company would consider me for a promotion to the level one higher than where I'd been before I took the lower title, because they couldn't look past the lower title.

People are idiots, and you have to act from the assumption that they won't "get it" with most things.
 

Eason

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Appreciate the above three viewpoints. In my line of work, I think nobody will even notice what the official title was, only what I have on my CV. At least, nobody has ever asked me/looked it up. I could very well take the lower rank, then leave "Lecturer" on my CV.
Originally Posted by Fuuma
Can you be like a "bicurious racist specialist" or something. In other word is it possible to make up something like "new technical vely good intluctol"
This is a good idea, but what is the best title you could make up for someone who does 30% lecturing, 30% coaching, 15% corporate training, and 15% admin/facilitation?
 

ramuman

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Originally Posted by Don Carlos
Be very careful about titles, man. Lots of folks still get very hung up on them, both when doing business with you or when considering you for a role at their company. I imagine the issue is only worse in Asia, to Matt's point. I once switched jobs for a higher salary and lower title, and it kind of set me back a few years. No other company would consider me for a promotion to the level one higher than where I'd been before I took the lower title, because they couldn't look past the lower title. People are idiots, and you have to act from the assumption that they won't "get it" with most things.
+1, Especially in universities. I know here that people would fight tooth and nail for titles, and not just for assistant/associate/full professor, but assistant/associate director etc. It may not seem much to you but, but I wouldn't give up one title to take a lesser one. It'll affect everything from your perception among your peers to your resume. I don't know the relative impact of the two titles you mentioned in Asia, so I can't give you specific thoughts.
 

Lord-Barrington

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Originally Posted by Matt
in Asia people put a lot more weight on the title than the perspectives you are getting from people above.

What will it mean in terms of your relationships with colleagues, management and students to have a lower title?

None of them will be aware of your salary, all of them will be aware of your title, and some of them may well treat you in line with the authority that the title holds.

In Vietnam, one of the ways of firing people (which is pretty damn hard in a communist country) is to just keep everything else the same and significantly lower their title. Used to be a Senior Account Director, now you are a Junior Account Assistant. They resign out of face pretty promptly since they can't face their colleagues with the new low title.

Can you fabricate an obtuse or unusual title that makes the relative rank of the role unclear?


Reminds me why I never want to work in Asia.
 

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