Teaching Assistantships (TA) FAQs

To learn more about Teaching Assistantships in English, you can consult the Department of English's Handbook for Teaching Assistants, review the Teaching Assistantships List of Important Dates, and contact the Department of English's TA coordinator, Fabienne Michelet.

Please contact Fabienne Michelet, TA coordinator.

Please contact Tanuja Persaud, Graduate Administrator and Counsellor and Fabienne Michelet, TA coordinator.

Please contact Kelly Hayward, Department Manager and Fabienne Michelet, TA coordinator.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of us; we’re happy to help!

Notices announcing positions to be filled are available via the English TAships website (under "Employment"). There, you will find information about available TA positions (including the submission deadline) and a link to the department TAship system where you will be able to submit your application online. You will need to log in with your UTORid and password. Clicking on the "Application" link will allow you to complete the application form.

If you do not yet have a UTORid (which is to be activated on campus at Robarts library), you can use the JOINId that you received approximately 3-5 days after you submitted your onlineapplication for admission in an acknowledgement email from U of T. Once you have activated your JOINid, you can use it to log onto the TAship system and start applying to positions. View frequently asked questions about JOINids.

TAship postings are also distributed on the Graduate English Listserv and on the Central HR & Equity Job postings website.

Fall/Winter session: TA positions to be filled are announced by June 30; TAship offers are made no later than August 7.

Summer session: TA positions to be filled are announced by March 15; TAship offers are made no later than April 22. There are also emergency positions advertised throughout the year.

The Department of English implements the following when making appointments: "Inconsidering applicants who possess the minimum threshold qualifications required for aposted position, hiring criteria shall be: academic qualifications, the need to acquire experience, previous experience, and, for continuing students, previous satisfactory employment under the provisions of the Collective Agreement." As stipulated by the Collective Agreement, students who have lapsed are ineligible for a TAship appointment.

Primary appointments are made for the Fall/Winter Session (September–April), for Full (Y) courses and/or Half (F or S) courses.

There are also a few positions available for the Summer Session (May–August), for Full (Y) courses and/or Half (F or S) courses.

Yes. TAs may be assigned to lead tutorials and help with marking and course administrationin courses taught on all three campuses (Downtown Toronto/St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough). Although graduate students’ preference as to the campus location of their TA appointment will be taken into account, both the initial TA appointment and subsequent appointment obligations may be met through position(s) on any one of the three campuses (UTM, UTSC, or St. George) in courses in the same discipline as the initial appointment. Over the course of a PhD program, TAs can anticipate working on more than one campus.

Students should be ready to travel to the campus where the course in which they work as TAs is offered (for invigilation, office hours, lecture attendance, tutorials, etc.) as often as required.

Teaching Assistants must be available from the first day of classes through to the last day for completion of marking of final examinations.

Yes, almost all PhD and MA Creative Writing students must work some hours as TAs as part of their funding package. The number of hours varies according to other sources of funding but is usually in the range of 160–180 hours.

Some students may decide not to take on any TA work. If you are thinking of not working as a TA in your first year, you must talk to Tanuja Persaud, the Graduate Administrator, to make sure that you are fully informed of how this decision may impact your funding package.

Yes. The "Request for Information" Form (to be returned by May 1) is for information only; it is not an application form. Incoming students who wish to work as TA during the upcoming Fall/Winter session must apply to the TA positions that will be advertised on June 30.

Students will have about three weeks to apply, and the outcome of their application will be communicated to them via email by August 7.

Fall/Winter session: TA positions to be filled are announced by June 30; TAship offers are made no later than August 7. There are also emergency positions advertised throughout the year.

Incoming students are strongly encouraged to apply to as many positions as possible. They are invited to use the "Comments" section of the application form to indicate to which of these positions they would prefer to be assigned.

Marking vs. tutorials: incoming students, because of the heavy coursework that they have to complete, are strongly encouraged to consider TAships that do not involve tutorials.

Where possible, students are assigned positions reflecting their preferences. When this is not possible, TAs will be assigned to courses in fields in which they are or should be qualified to assist.

After they have held their first TA appointment (usually in the first year of their PhD), PhD students are entitled to five more subsequent appointments (that is, six appointments in total).These appointments are usually held during the Fall/Winter session. Students holding a subsequent appointment are "guaranteed" to be offered a certain number of hours. Based on their preferences, one (or more) TA position is earmarked for them. TAs are informed of these earmarks by early July.

Teaching Assistants seeking renewal for their first five subsequent appointments (i.e.,Fall/Winter appointments two through six) must confirm their intention to take up their next subsequent appointment and must fill out a Course Preference form to indicate their preferred subject areas, courses, and campus location. This is done through the online TAship system.

End of March: an email will remind students holding subsequent appointments to indicate their preferences. "Anticipated course offerings" for the upcoming Fall/Winter session will be announced on the English TAships website to help TAs indicate their preferences. May 1 is the annual deadline for indicating course preferences for students holding subsequent appointments for Fall/Winter-session courses.

Due consideration is given to TAs’ preferences as to the nature and location of their TAship appointments. Where possible, students are assigned positions reflecting their preferences. When this is not possible, TAs are assigned to courses in fields in which they are or should be qualified to assist. TAs starting either their fifth or sixth subsequent appointment have a one-time-only right to continue as a TA in the course in which they were employed in the previous year.

Students who want additional TA hours are invited to apply for the TA positions advertised at the end of June; for the various emergency postings advertised throughout the year; and for Summer-session TAships.

Yes, students holding subsequent appointments may indicate their preference to work fewer hours than what they are entitled to. The hours that they choose not to work are forfeited and cannot be carried forward to the following academic year.

TAs may indicate their wish to defer their next subsequent appointment when filling out their Course Preference Form in April. They may also request a deferral of their subsequent appointment at any time until August 15 by contacting the TA coordinator and informing her of their decision.

Once during their employment, TAs have the right to defer a subsequent appointment (i.e., to delay an appointment to a non-consecutive academic session). Deadline: August 15.

TAs thinking of declining their subsequent appointment and/or of working fewer hours than their entitlement must consult Tanuja Persaud (Graduate Administrator), to make sure that they are fully informed of how these decisions may impact their funding package.

After their sixth Fall/Winter appointment, PhD students who have an entitlement with the Department of English have the right to additional appointments of at least 70 hours per academic year.

The process is the same as above.

Students are eligible to apply for TAships that have a starting date before their convocation date:

November graduation: students graduating in November are eligible for:

• F- and Y-term TAships (starting in September).

March graduation: students graduating in March are eligible for:

• F- and Y-term TAships (starting in September).
• S-term TAships (starting in January).

June graduation: students graduating in June are eligible for:

• F- and Y-term Summer-session TAships (starting in May).