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Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines.
  • Prepare or proctor examinations.
  • Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction.

Skills that matter

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Instructing
  • Speaking
  • Learning Strategies
  • Writing

How to get there

Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher

Also called

  • Graduate Assistant
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
  • Research Assistant (RA)
  • Teaching Assistant (TA)
  • Graduate Fellow
  • Graduate Research Assistant

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