Employment

Graduate students may apply through the Department for paid employment as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Research Assistant (RA). PhD students who have successfully completed comprehensive exams may also be considered for sessional lecturer appointments. Students with paid employment as TAs, RAs, or sessional lecturers may also be recommended by the Department to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for an Academic Income Supplement (AIS).

TAs and RAs are not necessarily governed by the same processes. Individual faculty members with external research grants may employ graduate students as research assistants (RAs). The details of these appointments (salary, hours, etc.) are worked out between the individual graduate student and the faculty member. TAs and sessional lecturers are covered by collective agreements between CUPE Local 4163 and UVic.

Teaching assistants

TA Positions

The list of expected TA positions is posted approximately 12 weeks before the start of each term, with an application deadline approximately 4 weeks before the start of term. Most of the TA positions are confirmed before the start of classes; however, some assignments are made as late as the second week of classes.

What do TAs in Economics do?
Under the supervision of the course instructor, you may be asked to perform some or all of the following: hold weekly office hours to assist students with problems; prepare exams and assignments; grade assignments; assist with supervision of mid-terms and final exams; record grades; and assist the course instructor with other course-related tasks, such as preparation of course materials. Lab instructors also run computer or non-computer labs or tutorials, depending on the course. If you apply for a position as a lab instructor, you should be comfortable teaching in front of small groups of students (20-30).

How are TAs selected?
TAs at UVic are unionized, and the department follows the appointment guidelines in the CUPE 4163 Agreement (Article 13.02). To be eligible, students must be registered full-time and be on campus for the term of the TA appointment.

Selection decisions include:

the qualifications and ability of the candidate(s) based on academic merit and related experience
the career and/or pedagogical value that the experience in a particular position will provide the student
the student’s preferences (as listed on the application form)
other sources of graduate student financial support being received

Priority in hiring goes first to graduate students registered in the Department of Economics, following the department’s Appointment Priority Policy.

All TAs must have a solid background in the related subject (unless specified otherwise), and a good command of spoken and written English is essential.

The University of Victoria is an equity employer and encourages applications from women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, people of all sexual orientations and genders, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of the university.

What is the rate of pay?
$23.27 per hour (effective September 2009)

How many hours do TAs work?
152 hours per term is normally the maximum number of hours that will be assigned to each TA. The actual number of hours worked per week varies by course.

What TA Positions are available?
Check the list of positions available for the next term before you complete your TA application and remember to send in your application by the posted deadline. Any applications received after this date will lose their priority ranking and may not be assigned a position.

How do I apply for a TA job?
Application forms can be picked up during office hours from the Economics Office, BEC 360, or fill out the TA Application Form and return it to:

Administrative Officer
Department of Economics (BEC 360)
University of Victoria
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria BC, V8W 2Y2

If this will be your first TA appointment, please also complete the Request for Personal Info form and return it to the Economics Office. We recommend that you either bring this form in person or mail it to us, rather than send it by e-mail, because it contains confidential information used for payroll forms.

I'm a new Economics grad student and my admission offer included a TA position; why do I have to send you an application?
Sending us an application form confirms that you do want a TA job. It also gives you the chance to list your course preferences so we can consider them when assignments are made.

Information for TAs

TA Forms

Research assistants

RA Postings

Faculty members with research funds may advertise in this space for assistants, or an email may be sent to the graduate students' listserv. Students interested in research assistant positions with a particular faculty member or in a particular field of economics are advised to contact the faculty member directly.

Sessional lecturers

PhD students interested in being considered for teaching positions in the Department of Economics can check the posting of available sessional lecturer positions. Normally students will be required to have advanced to candidacy (successfully completed comprehensive exams) to be considered, although exceptions are sometimes made based on previous teaching experience. Positions for sessional lecturers are posted by May for Winter session and by January for Summer session.

AIS

Academic Income Supplement

Students who are employed in paid positions as described above may receive a subsidy (AIS) from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This is under the jurisdiction of the academic unit's Graduate Adviser, who applies for supplements after all appointments are confirmed. Working as a TA or RA does not necessarily guarantee a student will receive an AIS. Follow up questions concerning the AIS should be directed to the Graduate Secretary or Graduate Advisor.