Indeed, every one faces several challenges as a new faculty, some of which are:

--Getting acceptability from the students

--Getting to  know the nuances of the course the faculty is teaching 

--Building relations with peers, and inculcating a knowledgeable-peer image

--Learning to adapt to the culture of the place working

--Building the desired persona/image one wants to project to the students

--Learning  to gather a good number of examples/jokes to illustrate the issues in the course

--Learning to repress the desire to interrupt   when the other person is speaking

--Making  the course  learning by the students as simple as possible

--Learning how not to be influenced by biases and first impression about the students

--Knowing enough about collateral areas to the main course

Dear Sundar, one of the main challenges is to understand and practice the university's regulations, and this might need at least the first 5 years to come over cases here and their.

Indeed, every one faces several challenges as a new faculty, some of which are:

--Getting acceptability from the students

--Getting to  know the nuances of the course the faculty is teaching 

--Building relations with peers, and inculcating a knowledgeable-peer image

--Learning to adapt to the culture of the place working

--Building the desired persona/image one wants to project to the students

--Learning  to gather a good number of examples/jokes to illustrate the issues in the course

--Learning to repress the desire to interrupt   when the other person is speaking

--Making  the course  learning by the students as simple as possible

--Learning how not to be influenced by biases and first impression about the students

--Knowing enough about collateral areas to the main course

Not only for teaching but for anyone who changes organization...

For a Fresher -

• Keep quite to learn through observation
• Acquaint and make friends
• Carryout out the work allocated

Experienced -

• Observe and identify People and Practises
• Dont rub anyone on the wrong side
• Pick the priority area and start the work.
• Involve less in gossip.
• When anyone is in trouble related to work, help them out if it.

Dear @Sundarapandian, the matter of adjusting himself to the new colleagues is the most challenging issue.

Dear Abedallah - you are fully correct, but in my case it was not difficult as I continued in the same department, where I graduated from. So, it was relatively very easy.

Dear Debi & Krishnan - as always, it is great hearing from you. Thank you for making excellent advice on this question. Hope faculty get benefited by reading all answers in this thread.

Dear Ra'ed - Many good Universities give a "Faculty Handbook", which lays out all rules and regulations along with info of miscellaneous phone numbers / whom to contact etc.

Dear Debi - "Learning to repress the desire to interrupt when the other person is speaking".

Excellent advice! At home also - we may practice this, when we speak to our family members!

Best wishes

Sundar

If you have been around academic environments for any length of time, you know the scenario. You study for years past the undergraduate degree because you love your discipline. You aren’t quite thinking about a job just yet, as that decision is years away. Instead, you love the thought of being a university professor and you focus on the wonder of the books you are reading. You finish your coursework, you labor over comprehensive exams, and you sweat blood and tears (mostly blood) over the dissertation. You graduate with a Ph.D. (or other terminal degree). You go on the job market. You are one of the lucky ones to find a job. You accept the job. You move (yourself and possibly your family) across country to start this job.

Then what?

Graduate schools prepare us for most of the above-mentioned struggles (the coursework, the exams, sometimes even the dissertation). Maybe, if you are fortunate, you are in a program that provided you with some mock-interview experience. But grad programs don’t often guide newly-minted Ph.D.s about what to do after one has accepted a position and moved to a new location. How do we get acclimated to the new cultural environment (geographically)? How do we adjust to the changes the new university culture brings us? How do we make friends? Or, do we have time to make friends because publishing and teaching and service (and all the other crap very important job responsibilities that accompanies a tenure-track position) is overwhelming? How do we fit into a community outside the institution? Or, will the university be our own community until we have tenure?

You have the degree and the job, but you wonder about your life. When will you have one of those again?

We (those of with great educations who actually remember what being new was like) often don’t do a good job of training / guiding graduate students and new faculty in their new positions. Many times, these new faculty are left alone to figure out their new academic careers, new environments, and new ways of conducting themselves. They may or may not do a healthy job of adjusting. And sometimes they struggle. The lore is great; many seasoned faculty talk about their first year on the job as a new faculty member and that it was difficult to adjust to various expectations, how it was hard to find a hair dresser or doctor, how lonely it was to be somewhere new without family and friends. Some of us, unfortunately, have the “training” to not let them see us sweat (or let other faculty know of our struggles).

I recently heard a story of a new faculty member* who had several difficult experiences his/her first semester at a university. The person’s pet died, the apartment caught fire, and the car broke down. Along with this, she/he was teaching a full load of classes (some new courses), involved in university service, and was expected to produce scholarship. The new faculty member didn’t feel comfortable sharing difficulties—professional or personal–with her/his new peers, so no one knew anything about the difficulties the faculty member faced. This person experienced significant depression, and ultimately left the institution. (*More exists to this story, but let this suffice for our example.)

As a new faculty member myself, I’ve experienced a sense of being overwhelmed and lonely. I have terrific colleagues who have been very good about helping me acclimate to this new culture and find my way around. They have been kind enough to include me in events and excursions. As kind and as wonderful as they have been, they are not my family and they are not the friends I left at home. I’m working in a new institution with new ways and old histories that I don’t understand. I’m teaching different types of students. I’m teaching different courses. In short, the first semester has been hard. It’s hard, and I thought I was prepared (years of experience teaching and working in different universities).

How hard is it for a new faculty member without similar experience and preparation? Particularly, how hard is it when we don’t want to talk (or hear) about how hard it is?

How about you? Institutions: what does your campus to help new faculty adjust to their new roles? New faculty: what have you done to get yourself prepared for the intense changes in your life? How have you begun to acclimate to your new surroundings?

Could some of your stories be defined/described as a 'culture shock'?

First you have to "learn" the new environment: Colloquies, students, habits, traditions, etc.  Then you have to be cooperative, pleasant, and work hard.

@ Marcel, agree, but people before joining are aware through various media about the culture. Certainly there would be a variation in degree of "what is learnt?" to "what is experienced?"... Culture shocks are also great jolt loads

Dear Mehdi Hedayatpoor - Thank you for recounting personal experiences on this topic. We hope that you have settled now! Best wishes, Sundar

Dear @Sundarapandian, you are lucky to have a position at the same university you are graduated from; you should be distinguished in Research and Developments.

We humans are one of the species of nature that adapts  well in a new environment either social or natural. A learnt person therefore has more skills and strategies to navigate professionally and adapt to a new academic environment. But the one that may not be controlled and dangerous for continuous existence is the unreasonable dislike from some faculty members, particularly from senior and people of the administrative units. Doing the assigned works the best way is one of the shields and defense a new faculty has in such times of unprovoked animosity in order to continue there. The second point is that not all universities are research universities and therefore, they do not expect some one to work in that direction and recognize research for promotion or continuous employment. The human world is not as easy as we think it is, it is different world of complexity, unreasonableness and cruelty in some cases. 

Dear Dejenie,

therefore we require 'evolution', for instance to evolve towards a more empatic world

Dear Sundar, I agree that we should allow others to make their points comprehensively before we interrupt. Of course, it  is not easy; and should be practiced at home as well. But i wanted to tell you I was teaching in a foreign locale. In the first two years some students wrote that he interrupts when students make their point. Indeed, I learnt not to interrupt at all come what may. In the next three years, not even one student gave the same comment. This shows that we can learn due to pressure as well. 

The challenges of being a new faculty member may be overcome through orientation and socialization. Most universities have a performance development training course for new faculty staff .

Dear Abedallah M Rababah - yes, thanks - I was lucky to work at the same place, and my senior professors encouraged me after I became an assistant professor. It is still a learning process for me, and I take a lot of time to prepare for my lectures in class & also for invited lectures. Research keeps me very busy also. Best wishes, Sundar

It is very essential for the teacher in a university to be prepared before going to her/his lecture.

New faculty members are exposed to responsibilities, challenges, and rewards of both teaching and an academic career simultaneously. Teaching is today comparable to any other career options, the idea of becoming a faculty member is economically feasible.

Dear friends - in the introduction of this thread (kindly read it again before reading this answer), I mentioned about a student - Ms. Sutanit Puttapanom - who happens to be my first student - I taught her Matrix Algebra (SSM 309) in Fall Semester 1998. After sending this query, I thought of saying "hello" to Sutanit and sent her an e-mail. I got a reply from her today - Sept. 5th - which is the Teachers' Day in India!! It is a rare coincidence indeed.

I am sharing below Sutanit's reply as it is very relevant to this thread - the challenges of being a new faculty member!

"Thank you so much Dr. Sundar for remembering me, I am really glad to receive your e-mail. How long have you moved back to India? I have gone back to Thailand since 2008. Talking about my career, it is not easy when you have to take care two little boys while you are doing your research and teaching. My research interest is including optimization too, therefore, I am still using whatever I have learnt from you. Thank you so much for being such a good teacher to me." (Dr. Sutanit Puttapanom, Thailand)

Dear Kamal - I fully agree with you about the "orientation workshops".

We all have a natural ability of teaching, but realizing our potential is a key to success - both teaching and research. Time management is also a key! 

For me, my doctoral guide, (Late) Dr. Byrnes was a model instructor & researcher.

Best wishes

Sundar

In some universities, there is a center for faculty staff performance development. The mission of the center is to build excellence across the university by enhancing the staff member abilities and skills for the purpose of enriching the continual growth of the university.

I think re-calibration as per new culture and relation building with fellow members is very important...

Hello

If I were you I will go for it

Because as you said you are able to reaserch

Life is not easy

Ingrid

I think transition to faculty member is bit tough. Specially in different culture...

Initially, you may not feel comfortable in the faculty members because you do not know their nature and the way of dealings with others. If you are shy then you may feel more uncomfortable. In this situation, it's better to remain silent and try to understand the system. Find a faculty member that can help you to overcome from the situation.

Paul: One challenge for a new faculty member is to learn the processes and procedures of how things are done in the new department. Examples include the format of the syllabus. Another example is the evaluation process. Yet another example is the student advising process.

Another challenge is learning about your new colleagues. Meeting and talking with your new co-workers. Making new friends. Asking for help when needed.

A third challenge is learning what resources and support are available from the university. For example, my university has a Counseling & Testing Center. Students with a learning disability can take exams at the Testing Center. Also, make-up exams can be taken at the Testing Center. The library is another important resource.