Teaching assistantships (TA positions) and graduate-student instructorships (GPTI positions) are the primary source of financial support for Linguistics PhD students. These assignments are also important preparation for academic careers.
TA and GPTI assignments, although rewarding, can be stressors, as they require graduate students to balance teaching, coursework and research responsibilities. To assist graduate students in their teaching and professional development, the University offers the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL). The CTL offers a variety of services to all graduate teachers and TAs, including:
- Certificates in Teaching and Professional Development
- The CTL Fall Teaching Intensive
- Additional support, resources and programs for international student teachers
- Resources, support, and a venue for teaching-related research
In addition, the CTL designates and trains a Lead Graduate Teacher to serve in each academic department on campus.
If you are an international student serving as a TA for the first time, you may face challenges adjusting to new expectations about the amount of assistance students receive, how student work is evaluated, how students interact with you and how they behave in the classroom. Although the Lead Graduate Teacher offers help with these issues, we also strongly recommend that new international TAs attend international TA training workshops offered through the CTL.