What Does it Take to Be a Graduate Teaching Assistant?
Job Description: Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing teaching or teaching-related duties, such as teaching lower level courses, developing teaching materials, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers. Graduate teaching assistants must be enrolled in a graduate school program. Graduate assistants who primarily perform non-teaching duties, such as research, should be reported in the occupational category related to the work performed.
Life As a Graduate Teaching Assistant: What Do They Do?
- Assist faculty members or staff with student conferences.
- Arrange for supervisors to conduct teaching observations and provide feedback about teaching performance.
- Schedule and maintain regular office hours to meet with students.
- Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites.
- Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.
- Attend lectures given by the supervising instructor.
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Qualities of a Graduate Teaching Assistant
Below is a list of the skills most Graduate Teaching Assistants say are important on the job.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Other Graduate Teaching Assistant Job Titles
- Graduate Research Assistant
- Teacher Assistant
- Faculty Research Assistant
- Teaching Fellow
- Graduate Fellow
Graduate Teaching Assistant Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 168,300 jobs for Graduate Teaching Assistant in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 7.7% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 12,900 new jobs for Graduate Teaching Assistant by 2026. The BLS estimates 14,400 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Graduate Teaching Assistant are Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Illinois, or North Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Graduate Teaching Assistants Make A Lot Of Money?
The salary for Graduate Teaching Assistants ranges between about $18,320 and $59,290 a year.
Graduate Teaching Assistants who work in Massachusetts, Washington, or Minnesota, make the highest salaries.
How much do Graduate Teaching Assistants make in different U.S. states?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $23,740 |
| Arkansas | $20,590 |
| California | $36,350 |
| Colorado | $39,190 |
| District of Columbia | $38,220 |
| Florida | $29,110 |
| Georgia | $26,460 |
| Idaho | $29,730 |
| Illinois | $43,670 |
| Indiana | $40,140 |
| Iowa | $31,370 |
| Kansas | $36,390 |
| Louisiana | $31,220 |
| Maine | $23,970 |
| Maryland | $46,840 |
| Massachusetts | $55,020 |
| Michigan | $36,820 |
| Minnesota | $52,650 |
| Mississippi | $39,390 |
| Missouri | $31,170 |
| Montana | $18,850 |
| New Jersey | $36,390 |
| New Mexico | $27,040 |
| New York | $38,520 |
| Ohio | $47,400 |
| Oklahoma | $26,590 |
| Oregon | $36,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,960 |
| South Carolina | $37,880 |
| Tennessee | $23,330 |
| Texas | $34,930 |
| Utah | $51,750 |
| Washington | $53,180 |
| West Virginia | $21,670 |
| Wisconsin | $36,190 |
What Tools do Graduate Teaching Assistants Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Graduate Teaching Assistants:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Structured query language SQL
- SAS
- Google Docs
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Learning management system LMS
- Blackboard Learn
- Course management system software
- Sakai CLE
- Desire2Learn
- iParadigms Turnitin
Becoming a Graduate Teaching Assistant
What education or degrees do I need to become a Graduate Teaching Assistant?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Graduate Teaching Assistant?
Where Graduate Teaching Assistants Are Employed
The table below shows the approximate number of Graduate Teaching Assistants employed by various industries.
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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