- Teaching Assistants must be registered graduate students in good academic standing. A teaching assistant (TA) assists in the instruction of an upper or lower division course at the University under the supervision of a faculty member. Duties of a TA vary by class depending on the needs of the instructor. Some tasks completed by a TA may include:
- Attend or present lectures
- Instruction of sections/labs
- Grade homework, papers, or exams
- Hold office hours
- Class preparation tasks
- Access Canvas and help with setting up and managing the course site
- Supervisor meetings with the instructor
- Perform individual and/or group tutoring
- Proctor quizzes or midterms. TAs may assist with the in-person final exams, but cannot proctor alone. Instructors are required to be present for in-person final exams.
- Respond to student questions via email
- Print or make copies – TAs have access to multiple printers and copiers 24/7 with their Rady prox card
- Reserve parking for in-class guest speakers – through Instructional Support
- Take attendance and track class participation
- Readers must be registered undergraduate or graduate students in good academic standing. A Reader assists a course instructor by grading homework, papers, or exams and may also hold office hours to answer students' questions about such assignments.
- Tutors must be registered undergraduate or graduate students in good academic standing. A Tutor can perform all the same duties as a TA, except presenting lectures and proctoring group exams without the instructor present.
Students must be in good academic standing and meet the eligibility criteria defined by GEPA. Students enrolled in fewer than 12 units, can work a maximum of 25% (10 hours/ week).
Graduate students must be enrolled in graduate-level courses; undergraduate courses do not count towards full-time graduate standing. Graduate students cannot be employed more than 50% (20 hours/week) during the academic year. As enrollment in academic credits is an eligibility requirement, graduate students must actually be enrolled in classes in order to qualify for a TA position. Incoming students may not apply to be a TA until they are officially registered in classes.
Undergraduate Students must be in Junior or Senior standing with an overall GPA of at least 3.0.
Information about eligibility for international students can be found online. International students may only be employed through their work authorization date, which typically coincides with your program end date. Students should check their authorization to work before applying. Students on a J-1 visa need to meet with the International Services and Engagement Office (ISEO) prior to working. International students whose first language is not English must also confirm English language proficiency to serve as a TA through one of three methods laid out online here.
Students interested in a TA position will need to apply each quarter when the TA hiring campaign opens. Rady students will be notified via email when the campaign opens. Applicants should pay attention to application deadlines and these important notes:
- Applying online is the only way to apply for and receive a TA position.
- Do not mass email faculty and/or Rady staff for a TA position. If you do, it will result in you not receiving a TA position.
- All required HR Trainings must be current in UC Learning prior to applying for returning TAs. If a training is set to expire in the upcoming quarter please complete it before submitting your application.
We manage a high volume of inquiries and applications and appreciate applicants’ patience through the TA hiring process. If you are selected for a position, you will receive automated emails from the campus ASES system informing you of your employment offer. Given the large number of applications, ONLY those selected for a job will be contacted. There are substantially more applicants than we have classes to hire for.
Please read before submitting an application:
- Our TA hiring team has observed an increase in mass emails from students expressing interest in TA positions. These emails have been sent to a variety of university faculty and staff, including individuals who are not faculty and do not oversee any TA assignments. This creates unnecessary clutter in their inboxes, is an unwise use of a student’s time, and is unprofessional. Students who are interested in securing a TA position should simply apply online. If you send mass emails to university faculty and/or staff regarding TA positions, this will have a negative impact on your ability to secure a TA position for future quarters.
- Please note, you may approach a faculty member that you already have a pre-existing relationship with. This intentional outreach about a TA position is allowed. But mass emails about TA positions to faculty with whom you do not have a relationship with is discouraged and may result in not receiving a TA assignment.
- Be sure to review the eligibility section above and the GEPA website to confirm eligibility before submitting an application.
- Prior to being offered a TA position, International Students must determine if they need to schedule an English Language Certification Examination (ELCE). Readers are not required to take the ELCE.
- Rady prioritizes the hiring of Rady state-supported graduate students (PhD and Full-Time MBA).
- Not all classes listed in the application will be assigned a TA (as it is dependent on a range of factors, including enrollment). Students are encouraged to mark their preferred classes from the list that is available on the application. Classes notated with an R will conduct remote instruction.
- To be eligible for employment as an ASE, you must be available to work and be physically present on campus from the first day of the quarter through the grade submissions deadline. This date is typically the following Tuesday after the quarter end date.
- Students can only work up to 50% (20 hours/week) across all university positions. If you accept a TA position, you will need to end your other position or reduce your hours to remain at or below 50%.
- Students cannot TA for a class that they are enrolled in or a class that is an unfulfilled requirement for their program. If you plan to take the class in the future do not list the course as a preference in your application.
- All Rady graduate students may apply to other departments on campus. However, students enrolled in Rady self-supporting programs (Flex MBA, Full-Time MSBA, Flex, MSBA, MPAc, and MFin) who choose to TA for another department should be aware of any courses that department may require in order to TA. It is the student’s responsibility to find out if that department requires their TAs to take a course as the student will be billed at the per credit cost of their program to enroll in that course. Rady will not fund the cost of taking that required TA course.
- Holding a position in the previous quarter does not guarantee a placement in the upcoming quarter.
- TAs are expected to be available in-person for the duration of their appointment. If the instructor allows remote work, it must be completed within the United States. Remote work outside of the U.S. is not permitted.
- The Rady TA Hiring Team includes Rady Graduate and Undergraduate contacts. Inquiries regarding Rady graduate course TA positions can be directed to rsm-ta@ucsd.edu. Inquiries regarding Rady undergraduate course TA positions can be directed to Chelsea Balderston at cbalderston@ucsd.edu. You can expect a response within 72 business hours (a response may take longer during peak periods). We do not respond to inquiries requesting a status update on applications. If selected you will be contacted.
- Apply before the posted deadline. Professors will review applications as soon as they are notified of their TA allocation shortly after the application deadline. Instructors are not notified if a new application is submitted listing their class as a preference so your application may be missed if not submitted for the initial review.
- Apply to more than one department. ASE positions are not guaranteed so we recommend that you submit an application to multiple departments through the Open Positions website.
- When instructors review applications, their lists are organized by applicant preferences. We highly advise choosing your top five class preferences from those you're qualified for.
- Evaluations matter. If offered a position, take your responsibilities seriously and encourage all of your students and your instructor to complete the TA evaluation at the end of the quarter. These evaluations are taken into consideration when instructors are selecting TAs.
Click the link provided in the offer letter to access the Appointment Letter and download the description of duties. If you have any questions regarding the job requirements, reach out to the
course's instructor. You will have the option to accept or decline the position in the offer. We cannot make any updates to the payroll system until offers are accepted, so it is important to accept in a timely manner to prevent paycheck delays. If you hold another position at UCSD, remember that the total allocation of hours across all university jobs cannot exceed 50% or 20 hours per week. If necessary, request to adjust your TA allocation prior to accepting or reduce the hours in your other position before the official start of your TA role.
- Reach out to the instructor to begin planning for the upcoming term. It is important to have a clear understanding of the instructor’s expectations including how to allocate your hours, preferred method of communication (emails, Canvas, texts), contact hours (since IAs do not have set work hours), response time, division of duties, etc.
- Understand your next steps:
- If you currently hold a TA position with the Rady School of Management, then there is nothing more needed unless someone from our team reaches out to you directly.
- If you currently hold a UCSD position outside of the Rady School of Management, our team may reach out to assist in coordinating communication with your current department to transition your role to Rady.
- If you previously worked with UCSD and/or Rady, but have recently taken a break in service, you may need to complete forms again that were collected during your initial employment as part of the rehire process (see next step below). We will contact you with access to the Rady TA Information Canvas page to begin the process.
- If you have never worked at UCSD in the past, we will need to complete new hire paperwork (see next step below). We will contact you with access to the Rady TA Information Canvas page to begin the process.
- Complete all required paperwork (new hires and rehires only):
- Step 1: As a proactive measure please locate any of the following documents that will be needed throughout this process:
- A valid Passport or Driver’s License (Passport is best)
- A valid Social Security card. (If you do not have a Social Security card our team can assist with this after you begin the paperwork process)
- Your EAD card (if applicable)
- A valid copy of I-94 (if applicable)
- An updated copy of I-20 (if applicable)
- Most Common for Domestic Students: U.S. Passport (just this one document is needed)
- Most Common for International Students: Foreign Passport, I-94, and I-20. (need all 3 documents)
- Step 2: Look for an invitation to our Rady TA Information Canvas page and review materials sent in our welcome email titled “New Rady TA Paperwork – Action Needed.” If this is not received within 72 business hours of accepting an offer please email rsm-ta@ucsd.edu for an update. As soon as you have access to the Canvas page complete the following (please note the following links will only work AFTER a student is hired and added to the TA Canvas page):
- Complete the corresponding “Work Authorization Documents” assignment and upload your documents. This step assists us with preparing your paperwork.
- Navigate to the Modules section and review each module to better understand the process. New Rady TAs are also required to watch a TA Orientation training video.
- International Students will need to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN)
- Step 3: Set up a meeting to complete your paperwork. We will contact you after your work authorization documents have been uploaded to schedule this appointment. You will need to bring the physical copies of your work authorization forms to this appointment. Prior to the meeting the following should be completed:
- A separate offer letter will be sent through the Onboarding system which streamlines all the new hire paperwork. Once accepted you can begin completing the required hiring forms through DocuSign (about eight documents total).
- You will receive an email from iTracker to complete section one of the I-9 form.
- Step 4: Request a letter to get a SSN (if needed)
- Step 5: Rady IT creates an employee email account for you to access UC Path (new-hires only)
- Step 6: You will be notified to login to UC Path to enroll in direct deposit. Be sure to update your address information as well in UC Path. The initial direct deposit set-up may take up to two weeks to become effective and the payroll processing deadline for monthly salaried employees takes place mid month. If direct deposit is not set up by the payroll deadline, then a paper check is mailed to the address on file in UC Path.
- Complete all university-required training:
- The following HR trainings should be completed no later than the end of week one:
- FERPA - Confidentiality of Student Records and Privacy Rights
- UC Cyber Security Awareness Fundamentals
- UC Ethical Values and Conduct
- UC Abusive Conduct in the Workplace
- UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Prevention
- Compliance and Conflict of Interest for Researchers (for Graduate Student Researcher positions)
- UAW/New ASE Orientation: An email will be sent out with ASE/UAW orientation dates as they are made available by the Division of Graduate Education & Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA).
- Readers and Tutors will need to complete timesheets online via Ecotime.
All Readers and Tutors must complete and submit timesheets every other week via Ecotime (online time reporting) to receive payment. Pay cannot be completed if a timesheet is not turned in late so please make note of the deadlines (biweekly deadlines and paydates linked below). Students cannot exceed the hours described in their appointment letter without prior approval from both the Instructor of Record and the Graduate Student Affairs office.
Teaching Assistants and Graduate Student Researchers on a monthly payroll schedule must complete and submit timesheets every month via Ecotime (online time reporting) to receive payment. A ‘Completed’ timesheet is required for each pay period even if no time was taken off. You do not need to wait until the end of your pay period to enter time off, leaves, or complete your timesheet. Only hours not worked need to be reported for salaried monthly employees. This Quick Start Guide includes step-by-step instructions for salary positions (those not reporting specific hours worked) on how to enter exceptions. If no exceptions need to be reported simply click the complete button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Students cannot exceed the hours described in their appointment letter without prior approval from both the Instructor of Record and the Graduate Student Affairs office.
2023-2024 ASE Pay Rates (before taxes)
2024-2025 ASE Pay Rates (before taxes)
Payroll Deadlines and Paydates Calendar
Full details about fee remissions can be found on the GEPA website.
Fee Payment Information for Associates and Teaching Assistants
Graduate students who are appointed at a minimum of 25% for the entire quarter, are eligible for payment of graduate student health insurance (GSHIP) and partial fee remission that covers Tuition, the Student Services fee and effective Fall 2023, 100% of campus-based fees. Nonresident Supplemental Tuition is not covered. Fee payments are issued to those students whose fees are not paid by another fund source. For more information visit the GEPA fee remission web page. Fee remissions are not paid during the summer quarter.
Typically students will see fee remissions added to their student account within seven business days from the date they accepted their offer.
Fee Payment Information for Readers and Tutors
Undergraduate Students employed as Readers and Tutors are not eligible for tuition remission. Graduate students appointed as Readers or Tutors at a minimum of 25% for the entire quarter are eligible to receive partial fee remission that covers graduate student health insurance (GSHIP), Tuition, the Student Services fee and effective Fall 2023, 100% of campus-based fees. Nonresident Supplemental Tuition is not covered. The fee payments are issued to those students whose fees are not paid by another fund source.
Effective fall quarter 2011, GSHIP, Tuition and Student Services fee payments are issued at the beginning of the quarter based upon the assumption that the student will work the minimum hours required for fee remission (110 hours). Fee remission will not be paid at the start of the quarter if a student has a registration or financial “hold” placed on the account because the student is in arrears from a previous quarter.
NOTE: If the student does not work the required number of hours by the end of the quarter, the fee payments will be rescinded and the amount must be repaid by the student. For more information visit the fee remission page on the GEPA website.
The Rady School uses its own separate instance of Canvas for Rady in-person graduate classes to effectively support our graduate courses. Undergraduate and graduate hybrid courses utilize UCSD Canvas. There are separate websites for UCSD Canvas and Rady Canvas as follows:
Room Reservations for Office Hours
Information about reserving rooms can be found here.
Setting up Direct Deposit
Instructions for enrolling in direct deposit can be found online. When arranging for direct deposit, ensure your address is accurate in UC Path. Direct deposit may take up to two weeks to process. If there is a delay in setting it up, the first paycheck is mailed to the address on file. It is crucial to have the correct address to ensure timely delivery.
Resources:
Additional Benefits
Evaluations
- Encourage all of your students and your instructor to complete the TA evaluation at the end of the quarter. The deadline is by 8:00AM on the Saturday of Week 10. These evaluations are taken into consideration when instructors are selecting TAs.