Looking for a Job at HCSSiM?
Senior faculty typically have doctoral degrees. Participation for the 6 weeks is preferred, but 3 week commitments have worked. Senior faculty are assisted in workshops (1st three weeks) and maxis (final 3) by 2 junior faculty who are grad students or undergraduate math majors.
When people have not experienced HCSSiM, we worry about being able to adequately explain the unusual commitment required by the exploitative position. The workday is long and challenging; it is also exciting and rewarding. Staff actively participate in the 4-hour morning workshops (Monday-Saturday) and 3-hour evening problem sessions (Monday-Friday); they help prepare the daily problem sets and get to do a lot of duplicating; they proofread notes and program journal articles and write evaluations; they offer constructive criticism; they attend the afternoon Prime Time Theorems (a 51-minute math-club type talk, over half given by visitors) and give one or two; and, they create or co-create 8-hour mini-courses during the second half of the program. They also live in the dorm, join students for meals and recreational activities, provide transportation and counseling and supervision for students, and help to get the program to sleep around 11:17. There is virtually no hope of getting any research done or of maintaining an outside social life. In spite of (or perhaps, because of) the preceding, the job is exhilarating as well as exhausting; we have repeaters, and there are a lot of good math teachers out there who credit HCSSiM with teaching them to teach. Nonetheless, there is usually considerable competition for the jobs---a result of having hundreds of enthusiastic alumni at various stages of mathematical careers.
Below is a very brief application form for junior staff positions. We ask for a summary of mathematical background and teaching experiences, including any areas of particular expertise/interest. We also like to see one or two letters of reference; it's particularly useful if one can address prior experiences in or suitability for working with teens. This information is shared with the senior staff. In part, this is to spread the blame for having to say "no" to many people we would love to put in front of our students. Most years we impose an after-sophomore-year requirement and look for some experience with number theory, graph theory, and/or combinatorics. We begin our review of applications toward the end of January each year. Most faculty are HCSSiM alumni (or recommended by HCSSiM alumni they meet at REU's, Budapest Semesters, etc.), but we do like to bring "fresh" talent to the Summer Studies---and to try for gender, age, graduate/undergraduate, geographic, ... diversity.
If your teaching at HCSSiM doesn't work out this summer and your plans permit, please feel encouraged to visit and perhaps to give a Prime Time Theorem.
When people have not experienced HCSSiM, we worry about being able to adequately explain the unusual commitment required by the exploitative position. The workday is long and challenging; it is also exciting and rewarding. Staff actively participate in the 4-hour morning workshops (Monday-Saturday) and 3-hour evening problem sessions (Monday-Friday); they help prepare the daily problem sets and get to do a lot of duplicating; they proofread notes and program journal articles and write evaluations; they offer constructive criticism; they attend the afternoon Prime Time Theorems (a 51-minute math-club type talk, over half given by visitors) and give one or two; and, they create or co-create 8-hour mini-courses during the second half of the program. They also live in the dorm, join students for meals and recreational activities, provide transportation and counseling and supervision for students, and help to get the program to sleep around 11:17. There is virtually no hope of getting any research done or of maintaining an outside social life. In spite of (or perhaps, because of) the preceding, the job is exhilarating as well as exhausting; we have repeaters, and there are a lot of good math teachers out there who credit HCSSiM with teaching them to teach. Nonetheless, there is usually considerable competition for the jobs---a result of having hundreds of enthusiastic alumni at various stages of mathematical careers.
Below is a very brief application form for junior staff positions. We ask for a summary of mathematical background and teaching experiences, including any areas of particular expertise/interest. We also like to see one or two letters of reference; it's particularly useful if one can address prior experiences in or suitability for working with teens. This information is shared with the senior staff. In part, this is to spread the blame for having to say "no" to many people we would love to put in front of our students. Most years we impose an after-sophomore-year requirement and look for some experience with number theory, graph theory, and/or combinatorics. We begin our review of applications toward the end of January each year. Most faculty are HCSSiM alumni (or recommended by HCSSiM alumni they meet at REU's, Budapest Semesters, etc.), but we do like to bring "fresh" talent to the Summer Studies---and to try for gender, age, graduate/undergraduate, geographic, ... diversity.
If your teaching at HCSSiM doesn't work out this summer and your plans permit, please feel encouraged to visit and perhaps to give a Prime Time Theorem.
