Graduate Teaching Assistant Responsibilities

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A graduate teaching assistant (also known as TA) is a person who assists the professor or teacher with classes. Graduate teaching assistants must be enrolled in a graduate school program. Although theoretically a TA is supposed to assist the professor, many TAs are the only instructors for one or more courses during the semester.

Graduate Teaching Assistant Responsibilities

1. Assist the faculty or staff members with their classes
2. Help the staff with student conferences
3. Prepare the examination papers and invigilate during the exam
4. Inform the instructors of any errors or problems in the assignments
5. Get the materials needed for the classes
6. Grade the exam papers, projects and assignments of the students
7. Teach the lower-level courses
8. Prepare the teaching materials like visual aids, websites, supplementary notes, etc.
9. Maintaining the equipment, setting up labs, classroom experiment, etc.
10. Distributing the course materials to the students
11. Some professors also allow the TA to lead discussions in the classroom
12. Keep office hours and schedule meetings with the concerned students
13. Attend lectures taken by the professor they are assisting
14. Assist the library staff in maintaining the collection
15. Request the supervisor to conduct regular teaching observations and get their feedback
16. Discuss the students' grades with the professors and maintain a record
17. Return the assignments to the students by the given deadlines
18. Assisting the professors with their field work or research

Essential Skills and Abilities

• Good oral communication is one of the most important skills for a TA. You should be able to explain a topic clearly and concisely
• Knowledge of English language is also important. You should be clear about the rules of grammar, composition, spelling and pronunciation of words, etc.
• A TA should be able to instruct well. You should be able to teach a person how to do something
• You also need to have strong oral comprehension. The work of a TA is very interactive. You need to talk to different people throughout the day. Not only should your point be understood by the other person, you should also get what he is trying to say. Being a good listener is equally important as being a good speaker
• Strong written comprehension is also an important skill required for this job
• Knowledge of instructing an individual and groups along with the methods of designing a curriculum is essential
• Only teaching students is not enough. You have to know whether your teaching methods are effective and the students understand what you teach To do this you have to know how to measure the training effects
• Knowledge of statistics, calculus, arithmetic, geometry, algebra and their application is a must for any TA
• Independence is an essential ability. Even though you may have a supervisor, you have to devise your own method of working
• Clerical knowledge is important for a TA. Organizing files and records, stenography, transcription, word processing and other related administrative procedures, etc., are some things every TA should know
• Knowledge of the basic computer applications such as MS Office, Excel, etc., is a bonus

Educational Background

• The first step for becoming a graduate teaching assistant is being accepted in a university and then applying for financial aid
• A bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement along with completing a semester of graduate study. However, some positions may require a Master's degree
• In order to be considered for a TA's position, the first and foremost requirement you need to fulfill is a good academic record. You should have high grades and good scores
• Most of the universities select the candidates on the basis of their academic records and scholarship potential
• Generally, universities require the graduate teaching assistant to have a GPA (Grade Point Average) of at least 3.0

Salary Details

• Graduate assistants may be hired on a contract basis (generally for a semester or year) and are payed a fixed salary or stipend
• Many universities categorize TAs as student workers instead of members of the staff
• The stipend paid is usually negotiable and if you have a high grade point average, you will have more advantage when negotiating your package
• If you have prior experience with teaching or studying the subject matter, your stipend can be increased
• A graduate teaching assistant can earn an average of $1,000 to $4,000 per month. Keep in mind, however, that this income is taxable
• Teaching assistants do not get paid leaves or benefits. You may choose to opt for the health insurance program offered to all students, but this assistance to health benefits will be included in your stipend package

Career Prospects

• The field of teaching assistants does not offer any remarkable opportunities for growth. It can, however, be an important stepping-stone to your ultimate goal
• The lifespan of a graduate teaching assistant's job is till graduation
• Your works ends when you graduate
• In some cases, however, you may be offered a post an adjunct faculty member or a post-doctoral member of the staff after you graduate
• If you are looking for a career in education, working as a graduate teaching assistant will provide you an invaluable work experience

Thus, if you are aiming for a career in the education field, you should seriously consider becoming a graduate teaching assistant. Understand the graduate teaching assistant responsibilities and requirements beforehand, so you have had enough time to meet all the necessary criteria.