Online TA Application
Within Sociology, all positions of teaching support service are referred to as Teaching Assistants (TAs) and are appointed as GTA1, GTA2 or Undergraduate classifications. TAs will assist with a variety of course related activities, and may include setting up and assisting in discussion groups, assisting in marking assignments and examinations, invigilation of exams, and carrying out related work. You will be expected to attend and actively participate in information and orientation sessions set up by the union and the Department of Sociology. Your time devoted for these sessions are included in your total TA hours (192 for the Winter term and 96 for the Summer term).
TA’s are expected to be available for the duration of their contract (from the first day of classes until the end of the final examination period, with the possibility of marking duties extending past the final exam period). You must discuss periods of unavailability with the SOCI Undergrad Office prior to accepting any offers. Students who accept a position but then rescind the offer at the start of the term will not be considered for future TA positions in the department.
To apply for a TA position you need to complete and submit an online application. Please note – you MUST be registered as a student during the term you are TA’ing (this applies to both Winter Session and Summer Session TA’s).
The application for Winter Session is now posted and will remain open until July 14th. (Only submit one application, do not send updated resumes after your initial application.) Please only contact the department if you would like to remove your application from consideration.
In July, a committee will meet to consider applications and identify TAs. Fourth year (and above) students are prioritized for positions, as are students with higher GPAs and strong recommendations from faculty members. But we also consider other aspects of your application and your course schedule and availability. Please DO NOT contact the department to inquire about your application. You will ONLY be contacted by this office in the event that you have been selected as a TA. If you are selected as a successful candidate for a position you will receive an email with offer details that will include the name of the course, the term of the appointment, the number of assigned hours and the wage classification. This will generally be completed by late August, with the first round of successful candidates being notified by late July, and a second round notified by mid-August. Some students will be placed on a waitlist and notified in late August. The reason for this is that some courses do not have enough students enrolled to qualify for TA support until close to the start of the academic term. Applicants are expected to monitor their email during this time period and accept or decline a position within 72 hours of the offer being made.
Students are restricted to a total of 192 hours (96 hours in Summer) of paid employment as TAs during the academic term — students must notify the office immediately if they accept more than one position with any department at the university.
If you are selected for a position and have never worked for UBC before, you will be required to submit supporting documentation: a UBC Personal Data form, copy of your valid student/work permit and a photocopy of your SIN. Please note that you cannot be hired at UBC without a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN).
If you are an international student, you MUST also have a valid student/work permit and will be required to submit a clear photocopy of this document.
A word on supporting documentation and privacy
In order to prepare TA appointments, some students may be asked for supporting documentation. Students who have never been employed by UBC will be required to submit a signed Personal Data Form along with a scanned copy of their SIN. International students will also need to submit a valid copy of their Study Permit.
If you are concerned about confidentiality of these documents, please note – these files are only accessible to the administrator of the online application, the Sociology Undergraduate Secretary and the Human Resources office. Once the application process is over, these files are removed from the server.
Please note:
Each appointment will be in accordance with the CUPE 2278 Collective Agreement (CUPE 2278). Please note, TA’s are appointed based on their classification (see SCHEDULE A – WAGES AND CLASSIFICATIONS of the CUPE 2278 Collective Agreement).
- Current pay rates according to CUPE 2278 (subject to change)