Teaching Assistantships

How it works

Many graduate students in the department work as teaching assistants (TAs). A TA is expected to work, on average, 12 hours a week during the term. TA duties depend on the class, but they might include:

Giving lab sessions where students work on an activity and you provide help and guidance
Developing questions for assignments and exams
Marking assignments and exams
Helping the instructor out during in-class activities

TAs at UBC are part of a union called CUPE 2278. You can find the most up-to-date union agreement, as well as pay rates and other useful resources in their website.

TA training

The department of statistics strives to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with a supportive and rich learning environment. Part of this effort is our mentoring program for teaching assistants employed in the department. The program is an integral and mandatory part of every teaching assistant assignment. All of the activities in the program are led by fellow graduate teaching assistants, but a faculty member provides oversight and guidance when required.

Outside of the department of statistics, UBC also offers a wide range of TA training programs, such as the CTLT TA training programs. Check out the CTLT main site for more interesting events.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

EDI seminars and workshops are also provided by the Equity and Inclusion Office. A specific EDI workshop for new TAs is given every year as part of the TA training program, but more seminars and events are also offered for the statistics department. We encourage you to check out the website of the Equity and Inclusion Office, where events and workshops outside the department are also frequently offered.

Last updated: October 20, 2021