Perks for academics?

September 17, 2020 9:00 PM

Are there special discounts or offers that I should know about as a prof?

I taught a course at a Canadian university this summer and for reasons I'm basically considered employed there until the end of 2020. I did this remotely, so don't have an office there or anything. When digging around the university site I found things like cell phone plans (don't need it) and Apple products.

It got me wondering if there were other things I could take advantage of right while I have this status? I have found things like cheaper New Yorker subscriptions, but that's USA only, but that is the type of thing I am looking for.

posted by miles1972 to Work & Money (9 answers total)

It depends where you work! My Canadian institute has free Microsoft office 365 accounts, and pro Zoom accounts. This is tied to my faculty ID, and would expire if I left my job.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 9:11 PM on September 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

The New York Times gives a discount for anyone in education.
posted by NotLost at 9:24 PM on September 17, 2020

It's worth taking a look at the school's software offerings. (Many - for example, Mathematica - require annual renewals. Some don't.) You can get free copies of many textbooks by simply asking the publisher for them. The Washington Post has a discounted subscription. (I'm not sure if it works in Canada.) Slack offers big discounts if you have use for a non-free account. Zipcar has discounts for many schools, including some in Canada.
posted by eotvos at 10:16 PM on September 17, 2020

If you have an academic email address, a lot of online 'student' discounts will work for you (if you feel cool with that).

Edit: If you were planning on buying any computer gear, manufacturers like Lenovo & Microsoft often have academic discounts available.
posted by kickingtheground at 11:33 PM on September 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

In the US, an education email address will get you 50% off amazon Prime, and some newspaper subscriptions.
posted by theora55 at 5:27 AM on September 18, 2020

I get 10% off at Madewell for my prof status.
posted by quiet coyote at 8:08 AM on September 18, 2020

So maybe a bit tangential, but at the end of successful dissertation defenses I always advise newly minted PhDs to go online and add the salutation “Dr.” to every business account that allows it. It’s especially useful for airline mileage programs and rental car loyalty programs. You’ll see that you get treated differently when you need personal attention or an exception to be made. This assumes you have the PhD, of course, faculty or not. Inside baseball. So far no one has asked me for medical advice, which is good since I’m an anthropologist!
posted by spitbull at 12:16 PM on September 18, 2020

Possibly access online journals that the university is subscribed to from off-campus. At our local university anyone can read them, but has to be physically in the library if they aren't currently associated with the university.
posted by SandiBeech at 9:30 AM on September 19, 2020

The University's library most likely provides you free access to a ton of ebooks, films, journals, etc. - if they use SSO like the bulk of North American schools, you probably still have an active account.

In addition to Apple products, you may qualify for Apple's "Pro Apps for Education" bundle, which gives you a bunch of pretty excellent software including Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro for just $200.

You specify that this is a Canadian university; are you also in Canada? Because that information will have an impact on the usefulness of some answers to this question.
posted by aspersioncast at 10:38 AM on September 19, 2020