Teaching Assistants

• HR & Equity Forms
• TA Forms (To be completed and submitted with signed letter of offer to the English TA Office)
  • TD1 Personal Tax Credits Return
  • TD1ON Ontario Personal Tax Credits Return
• Incoming PhD and MA in Creative Writing Students Request for Information Form (February 19, 2025)

  • 2025-2026 Request for Information Form for Incoming Students

    2025-2026 Request for Information Form for Incoming Students
  • 2025-26 Request for Information Form for Incoming Students

UTM

1. Collect TA shuttle tickets from Sabrin Mohamed, Assistant to the Chair (edassist.utm@utoronto.ca; MN 5284), or Megan Janssen, Undergraduate Advisor (edadvisor.utm@utoronto.ca; MN 5250). TAs can collect 10 (ten) tickets at a time. They sign for each set they pick up.

           Here is the form for option 1: TTC Token/UTM Shuttle Reimbursement Form

2. TAs can get reimbursed at the end of the term for the equivalent value of the shuttle ticket (2ways/day=$14). TAs who choose to pay for their shuttle tickets themselves, or who decide to drive, or who take public transportation can keep a record of their travel to campus and have it signed by their supervisor at the end of the term. TAs return the signed forms to Sabrin Mohamed.

• Here are the forms for option 2:
  • TTC Token/UTM Shuttle Reimbursement Form

  • UTM-ED-Expense Reimbursement Form

    UTM-ED-Expense Reimbursement Form
     (only columns A-C need to be filled out; everything else can be left blank)

UTSC

• UTSC CUPE 3902 Unit 1 TTC Shuttle Reimbursement Form -2024-25

• UTSC Expense Claim- CUPE Unit 1 TTC Form

  UTSC Expense Claim- CUPE Unit 1 TTC Form

You can go to the Department of English website and its page dedicated to Teaching Assistants here. There, you will find the ‘Handbook for Teaching Assistants’, which answers some basic questions about TAships, and you can consult the ‘Teaching Assistantships List of Important Dates’.

You can contact the TA coordinator, Fabienne Michelet, here: eng.ta@utoronto.ca

Fabienne Michelet, the TA coordinator, here: eng.ta@utoronto.ca

Tanuja Persaud, the Graduate Administrator & Counsellor, here: tanuja.persaud@utoronto.ca

Julia Sturge, the Program Assistant, here: eng.assist@utoronto.ca

Kelly Hayward, the Department Manager, here: kelly.hayward@utoronto.ca

Fabienne Michelet, the TA coordinator, here: eng.ta@utoronto.ca

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 Department website (under ‘About Us’ – ‘Employment opportunities’). 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.

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

Summer session: TA positions to be filled are announced by March 15th; TAship offers are made no later than April 15th.

There are also emergency positions advertised throughout the year.

The Department of English implements the following when making appointments: ‘In considering applicants who possess the minimum threshold qualifications required for a posted 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 administration in courses taught on all 3 campuses (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 1st) 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 for the TA positions that will be advertised on June 30th.

Students will have about 3 weeks to apply, and the outcome of their application will be communicated to them via email by August 7th.

Fall/Winter session: TA positions to be filled are announced by June 30th; TAship offers are made no later than August 7th. 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 and any time conflict with their coursework.

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 5 more subsequent appointments (that is, 6 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 #2 through #6) 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.

April: an email will remind students holding subsequent appointments to indicate their preferences. ‘Anticipated course offerings’ for the upcoming Fall/Winter session will be announced here to help TAs indicate their preferences.

May 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 5th or their 6th 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 15th 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 15th.

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 6th Fall/Winter appointment, PhD students who have an entitlement with the Department of English have the right to additional appointments of at least seventy (70) hours per academic year.

The process is the same as described in the "I Have A Subsequent Appointment With The Department of English and I Am Holding My 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th TAship' section.

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