This page provides a summary of policies and guidelines related to teaching assistant (TA) and general assignment teaching assistant (GA) positions in the Department of English. It is written for both instructors and graduate students. Some of the policies and guidelines are university-wide, based on University of Waterloo Policy 30, which governs the employment of graduate student teaching assistants. All instructors and graduate students involved with TA and GA positions should familiarize themselves with Policy 30. Policies and guidelines specific to the English department are also described on this page, which contains relevant links to other sections of the Teaching Portal.
Nature of the Positions
Teaching Assistant (TA) positions are assigned to graduate students at all levels of study. For a TA position, a student is assigned to a specific course which may be taught by a different instructor each term. In English, students are generally assigned to one of the department’s two large online courses: ENGL 109 (Introduction to Academic Writing) or ENGL 210F (Genres of Business Communication).
General Assignment Teaching Assistant (GA) positions are usually assigned to PhD students in their second year and beyond. For a GA position, the student is assigned to a specific instructor, and the GA’s work may involve supporting the instructor with one or more classes they are teaching during the term. Aside from supporting the instructor, a GA position is also meant to serve as a bridge between TA work and independent teaching, so it may involve more advanced teaching work.
See other sections of the Teaching Portal for more information on the different kinds of teaching positions and on how teaching positions are determined.
Hours
A TA or GA position in the English department consists of 140 hours of work over the course of an entire term. Most commonly, graduate students work with only one instructor, but GA positions are sometimes split between two instructors, with each instructor having 70 hours of work.
A TA or GA position starts on the first day of the first month of term and ends on the last day of the last month of term, so it extends before and after the actual weeks of classes. GA responsibilities for a course end on the last day of term. Any work remaining after the end of term is the sole responsibility of the instructor. TA and GA positions are assigned by the department, so students and instructors cannot make private arrangements to extend the GA position if the position's hours run out.
TAs work an average of ten hours per week over the term. Some weeks may be under ten hours and some may be over, with some spiking in hours at particular points in the course. But where possible the number of hours in a given week should be relatively close to ten, and should not exceed twenty hours. Students should know well in advance if the workload for a given week will significantly exceed ten hours.
Tasks
TA and GA positions are teaching positions, so all tasks in the positions should be teaching related. For GA positions, it may be helpful for the student and instructor to discuss what kind of work the student has the interest and expertise to do (for example, guest lectures on particular topics).
Work tasks associated with a TA position generally include marking assignments and tests, monitoring student progress, communicating with students, test or exam invigilation, and attending TA meetings. In addition to these tasks, GA positions may include the following: assisting with activities in class, guest lecturing, holding tutorials with individual students or groups of students in or out of class, leading small groups, and holding student conferences.
Class preparation, readings, meetings with the instructor, emailing students, holding office hours, and attending lectures or other classes are activities that count toward the position's total number of hours. The work associated with a specific TA or GA position will vary depending upon the needs of the course or courses. In some cases a position may consist mostly or even entirely of assignment marking. In others, other kinds of work may be required.
The student’s overall task is to do the assigned work to the best of their ability within the time allotted. In addition to their specific work tasks, GAs and TAs have specific responsibilities to their students, their instructors, and to the university and department. Review the Responsibilities page for a description of these.
The instructor’s overall ask is to provide the direction, guidance, and support (e.g., information, meetings, mark regularization) that will allow the student to do the assigned work well within the allotted time. Instructors are responsible for ensuring that the amount of assigned work falls within the allotted hours for the position and for monitoring students’ work to ensure that the projected times for completion of tasks are accurate.
Both students and instructors are responsible for keeping track of how many hours are used up in total and for informing each other in a timely manner about any issues that might affect the performance of specific tasks or the general completion of the position as it is laid out in the TA/GA Agreement.
Fostering Graduate Instructors
Within the English department, TA and GA positions are viewed not only as jobs but as mentoring opportunities. Many GAs will eventually be moving on to independent graduate instructor work, and TA and GA positions are an opportunity for graduate students to benefit from instructors’ expertise and experience. Instructors are encouraged therefore to provide constructive feedback on their graduate students’ teaching activities with the aim not only of meeting the needs of their courses, but of developing the students as instructors.
Processes for Assigning and Administering TA and GA Positions
Instructors and students play important roles in assigning and administering TA and GA positions by submitting the following forms and surveys:
- Teaching Position Survey: Three months prior to the start of term, students will receive an email asking them to fill out a survey regarding their teaching preferences. While it’s not always possible to fulfill preferences, the surveys are an important element in assigning positions. For more complete information on the assignment process, see the How teaching positions are assigned page.
- Letter of Appointment: After initial teaching rosters are put together (roughly two months prior to the start of term), students receive letters of appointment that outline the nature of their position and their basic terms of employment. Please respond to these letters promptly so the term’s teaching roster can be finalized. Once responses are received, TA and GA notifications are sent to instructors.
- TA/GA Agreement: By the beginning of the second week of classes, instructors must send a signed copy of a TA Agreement to students they are supervising, outlining teaching tasks and timelines for the course. Make sure to provide detailed information in the agreement for all tasks (e.g., estimated marking times for each assignment and number of assignments, and anticipated times when weekly hours will significantly exceed ten). The TA and GA notification email will include a blank TA/GA Agreement form and a sample filled-in form; consult the sample form to see how to fill out the agreement correctly. Students must sign and return the agreement to the instructor by email, with a CC to the TA coordinator, by the end of the second week of classes.
- TA/GA Evaluations: By the end of term, instructors must submit a TA/GA Evaluation form for each student they have supervised. Early in the next term, the TA Coordinator will send evaluation results to each student.
- TA/GA Experience Surveys: At the end of term, students are encouraged to fill out a TA/GA Experience survey in order to provide feedback on their teaching experience. These surveys are completely anonymous. They are returned to instructors so they can continue to improve their support of the TAs and GAs under their supervision.
Support
If any questions or issues arise that cannot be resolved between the instructor and the student, either can contact Bruce Dadey, the TA Coordinator, for assistance. If there is an issue that cannot be resolved at the TA Coordinator level, it may be referred to the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies.
For any issues around the administration of GA positions (contracts, pay, or assignment of students to GA positions), please contact Agata Jagielska, the Graduate Coordinator.