As a Ph.D. candidate, I study immigrant and refugee communities and issues of poverty and immigration enforcement. My family is Vietnamese, so I'm really interested in examining how welfare programs, policing, and immigration enforcement systems impact our community. As a teaching assistant, I run discussion sections, where I help students understand class material, answer any questions, and prepare for assignments. I also hold office hours and spend a lot of time grading.
CAREER
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$36,250
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+3.4% (slower than the average)
Most Common Level of Education
Bachelor's degree
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary Do
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.
Other Job Titles Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary May Have
Graduate Assistant, Graduate Fellow, Graduate Research Assistant, Graduate Student, Graduate Student Instructor (GSI), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), Teaching Fellow
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Teach undergraduate-level courses.
- Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
- Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.
- Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites.
- Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
Most common level of education among people in
this career: High school diploma or equivalent (25%)
High school diploma or equivalent
Some college, no degree
Bachelor's degree
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
College Students
I recommend attending a community college first and then working as a political practitioner either before, during, or after earning a four-year bachelor's degree before attending graduate school.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
