As one of my final posts about Kosovo, I thought that some readers might be interested in a snapshot of what life is like for law professors in Europe’s newest state.   

If you taught a first year course at the main public university in the capital of Pristina you would enjoy classes of nearly 1000 (yes, one thousand) students (until the proposed three new law schools/campuses are accepting students).  But, don’t worry, attendance is not mandatory so you wouldn’t see many of these students until the final exam.  Of course, you would have to grade all those exams (sorry, there are not automated options like the scantron).  But, don’t worry, if you are a full professor or an associate professor, you have assistants (the entry level professor rank) who will do all your grading for you. 

For those of us who are more junior in the academic world, you could look forward to teaching only when the senior professor you are working under decides to let you (or decides not to come to class).  Due to crowding and lack of space, you wouldn’t have an office.  The lack of office space means you don’t need to worry about holding office hours to meet with students.  And, when you aren’t “assisting” your more senior professors you will be either working at other law schools, or doing another job on the side because your can’t really support yourself on your academic salary. 

When you plan your classes, you won’t have to worry about choosing between multiple books on your subject.  You will be lucky if you have one textbook in the language you are teaching in.  Some legal textbooks in Albanian that are used in Kosovo not only predate the 2008 independence (and all of the post-independence legislative changes), they predate the dissolution of Yugoslavia.  You also probably won’t have to worry about having any teacher’s manuals, role plays, or “sample” exams to review in putting together your classes and exams.  You will get to invent it all yourself. 

If, like me, you prefer climate controlled classrooms, you will have to adjust.  There is no air-conditioning in the classrooms for the brutally hot summers.  But, it will be heated in the bitterly cold winter (just hope that all the windows are in good repair and close). 

And, if you want to do research at the law school library, your resources may be limited—as the library depends on donations to build its collection.  

The good news is that you will have students that are as smart and as eager as any you enjoy wherever you teach in the United States, Canada, Australia, or other parts of Europe.  You will probably find yourself deeply inspired by their personal ambitions and hopes for the future of their country. 

I know this trip has made me very grateful for my teaching and research conditions.  And, I am very grateful for reliable and readily available air-conditioning.