[NTT at an Ivy] Stay or Leave? Looking for Honest Advice

I’ve been teaching at an Ivy League university for several years as a full-time NTT (non-tenure-track) lecturer.

Last fall, I had a meeting with my department about my contract. After that meeting, everything started to make sense—and I’ve honestly lost a lot of interest in staying in academia.

Timeline:

1. Fall: Meeting with department → strong sense I wouldn’t be promoted (felt like a soft push to leave)

2. ~3 months later: I emailed that I planned to leave after the spring semester

3. After that: Department suddenly encouraged me to stay and offered a promotion review (NTT → Senior Lecturer)

What I learned (confirmed by multiple faculty):

• Even with promotion to Senior Lecturer, there is no salary increase, only a title change

• Staying long-term in an NTT role (even with renewals) may hurt prospects for transitioning to a TT position

• Once you’re on the NTT track, it’s nearly impossible to move into a TT role

This last point was especially striking—it explains why so many Senior Lecturers here have been in the same role for 10–15+ years.

Why I’m struggling to decide:

>> I’ve lost trust in the department. I don’t feel supported, and the environment hasn’t felt inclusive.

>> Student engagement is consistently low, which has been draining my energy and motivation. (Not only my classes but other faculty having same issues)

>> The salary is relatively low given the workload (5 courses per year, each 3–6 hours).

>> Over the past 7 months, I’ve been experiencing physical health issues that I believe are related to stress.

If I leave, I’m considering stepping away from academia for about a year to rebuild my research and portfolio, with the goal of applying for TT Assistant Professor positions afterward or not.