Teaching & Research Assistants
We hire graduate students for paid employment as teaching and research assistants.
Research Assistants (RAs)
Faculty members with external research grants often hire graduate students as RAs. Details of these appointments (salary, hours, etc.) are worked out between the student and the faculty member.
Contact faculty members to find out about possible openings.
Teaching Assistants (TAs)
We have TA positions each year for academic assistants and lab instructors. TAs are covered by a collective agreement between CUPE Local 4163 Component 1 and UVic.
We post a list of openings about 3 months before the start of each term. Application deadlines typically fall 4 weeks before the start of classes.
Fall TA offers are sent out in the last half of August or early September. Spring TA offers are sent out before the winter break in December although some might be sent out in early January.
A small number of positions are available for summer session. These are posted in early February with offers going out in late April.
Frequently asked questions
Under the supervision of the course instructor, you may be asked to:
- Hold weekly office hours to help students with problems
- Prepare exams and assignments
- Grade assignments
- Help supervise mid-terms and final exams
- Record grades
- Help the instructor with other course-related tasks, such as preparation of course materials
Lab instructors also run computer or non-computer labs or tutorials, depending on the course. If you apply for a position as a lab instructor, you should be comfortable teaching in front of small groups of students (20-35).
TAs at UVic are unionized, and we follow the appointment guidelines in the CUPE 4163 Agreement (Article 13.02). To be eligible, students must be registered full-time and be on campus for the term of the TA appointment.
Selection decisions include:
- Qualifications and ability of the candidate (s) based on academic merit and related experience
- The career and/or pedagogical value that the position will provide the student
- The student's preferences (as listed on the application form)
- Other sources of graduate student financial support being received
All TAs must have a solid background in the related subject (unless specified otherwise). A good command of spoken and written English is essential.
Priority in hiring goes first to graduate students registered in the Department of Economics, following our appointment priority policy.
Appointment priority policy
Employment will first be offered to graduate students in the Department of Economics, including any graduate students with outstanding TA funding offers included in an offer of admission.
Priority level 1: Masters Year 1 and Ph.D. Year 1. Ph.D. Years 2 and 3 (where previously appointed to a bargaining unit position)
Priority level 2: Where previously appointed to a bargaining unit position, Masters Year 2 and Ph.D. Year 4 or 5
Priority level 3: Other graduate students (in other years, not previously appointed, or from other departments)
Priority level 4: Undergraduates
Priority level 5: Others/non-students
140 hours per term is typically the maximum number of hours that will be assigned to TAs who fall under Priority Level 1 of the Appointment Priority Policy. Students in a lower priority level may receive less than 140 hours. The actual number of hours worked per week varies by course and term.
There are very few TA hours available in the summer term so TAs can expect to receive significantly smaller offers than the fall and spring terms. TAs should consider this in their financial plans.
TA applications can be found by looking at the Current Postings section of our website. Please email completed TA applications to ctoews@uvic.ca
Current postings
Summer 2025 TA Postings are now closed.
Resources
Economics 2024/25 Lead Teaching Assistant : Erick Diaz