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For many graduate students, a teaching assistantship is the only way they can pay for their Masters or Doctoral studies. The question I have heard hundreds of times at my institution is: "are any teaching assistantships available?" Many times though, there are things that students can do in order to improve their chances of getting a teaching assistantship.
First, you should decide whether your preference is on being a teaching assistant or a research assistant. If you love teaching then your choice is clear, likewise, if you prefer to do research. Next is to make the relevant department head and all the professors in the area you would like to teach in aware that you exist. I don't mean by just submitting your cv into the big "pool". You have to go personally and introduce yourself to professors in the area and let them know that you are seeking a position.
Professors and Department Chairs are more likely to call up a graduate student they have seen and talked to than to pick a resume from a big pile. Don't be afraid to go back during the quarter or semester in advance of the next semester. If you are making the rounds at the beginning of the semester, it is already too late as the courses have most likely been assigned.
Does anyone have more tips?
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Obtaining a TA'ship for doctoral student is not an issue. At most universities doctoral students are granted assistantships as part of their package. Its becoming extremely hard for masters students to obtain these assistanships. Professors are alway looking for help, so I would recommend that students volunteer their surfaces with the hope that it eventually transitions into a paid position.
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As someone applying for a doctoral program, I am curious to know how TA/Ra's are evaluated. I was hoping we were going to be left to our own devices! I suspect not
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At my university we evaluate TA/RA's at the end of each semester. Criteria would include items such as expected outputs, specific assignments, due dates, hours to be worked, etc.
It is important for the student to understand the criteria upon which s/he is being evaluated. Advisors should establish performance criteria prior to the beginning of each semester and make clear to the student the expectations for satisfactory performance.
Here are the sample questions from the evaluation form
1. Briefly describe the research/teaching project(s) s/he worked on as part of the assistantship (1‐2 sentences):
2. Briefly describe the specific contribution to this project/teaching that you expected from the student (1‐2 sentences):
3. Please evaluate his/her performance as an RA/TA:
___ Exceeded Expectations
___ Met Expectations
___ Unsatisfactory (Briefly state the major reasons for this evaluation)
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At my university we have a similar measure, but we do it once a year. Nowadays TAships quite hard to comeby and thus very competitive. Its so important for the student to put their best foot forward in fulfilling their duties. My advise to the students to ask your professor how you will be evaluated. Professors should give clear instuctions to TA's on what their specific duties are. Failure to do these two things can lead to many problems.
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Your questions appears to me as if you are looking for a TAship without enrolling into any academic program. Then the answer is NO, you can not obtain TA anywhere as the sole purpose of TA is to support as you rightly mentioned in your first para. Once you are a student of any campus, and where they offer TA then you too would be eligible for it. Someone wrote that faculties prefer their own senior students than a pile of new resume. This is not the case. TA is generally offered in the first 2-3 semester of any new grad student to make them aware of the system also indirectly refresh their own concepts in the subject and also to finalize their own research guides. Once these things are achieved (which usually takes 2-3 sems). A student is absorbed into the full time research. And in that situation, a faculty finds it very difficult to relieve their productive student for the teaching purpose. AM jallen001 wrote:For many graduate students, a teaching assistantship is the only way they can pay for their Masters or Doctoral studies. The question I have heard hundreds of times at my institution is: "are any teaching assistantships available?" Many times though, there are things that students can do in order to improve their chances of getting a teaching assistantship.
First, you should decide whether your preference is on being a teaching assistant or a research assistant. If you love teaching then your choice is clear, likewise, if you prefer to do research. Next is to make the relevant department head and all the professors in the area you would like to teach in aware that you exist. I don't mean by just submitting your cv into the big "pool". You have to go personally and introduce yourself to professors in the area and let them know that you are seeking a position.
Professors and Department Chairs are more likely to call up a graduate student they have seen and talked to than to pick a resume from a big pile. Don't be afraid to go back during the quarter or semester in advance of the next semester. If you are making the rounds at the beginning of the semester, it is already too late as the courses have most likely been assigned.
Does anyone have more tips?
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