University Policies Guiding TAs

Many graduate students work as Teaching Assistants as a way to get valuable classroom teaching experience. A TA’s duties may include teaching, holding office hours, preparing course materials, and grading under the tutelage and supervision of regular faculty members who are responsible for curriculum and instruction in the University. TAs are academic student employees hired directly by departments, thus if you are seeking employment as a TA, first check that you are eligible to be a TA (see the first link below), then contact the department in which you wish to teach directly. To be notified about potential TA openings across campus, please join Graduate Division’s TA Marketplace listserv.

We have provided a few links below to respond to some of the more frequently asked questions regarding employment as a TA:

• Information regarding eligibility, terms of employment, qualifications, and duration of employment for TAs, can be found in Graduate Division’s resource for Working at UCLA. You can also review the Academic Apprentice Personnel Manual.
• A summary of benefits, requirements for maintaining benefits, and the acknowledgment statement for students receiving academic apprentice appointments at UCLA can be found in the Fee Remission Benefits & Statement of Understanding.
• Information on addressing workload, benefits, grievance and arbitration, and discipline and dismissal can be found in the UAW Union Contract.
• Salary information is published in the Academic Apprentice Salary Scale.
• Information regarding leave for TAs can be found in Article 17 of the UAW Union Contract. In the case of an approved leave, TAs can ask their department to compensate a substitute TA. However, please note that substitute TA work is compensable only if the regularly assigned TA is on an approved leave of absence pursuant to Article 17 of the UAW Bargaining Agreement. TA work for personal reasons (e.g. conferences, exams, etc.) is NOT compensable. Substitute TA work for pay requires approval from both the faculty supervisor a cc to the department’s hiring contact for processing if approved.

Interest-free loans are available for qualified TAs as a way to receive checks early. Apply through the Advanced Loan Authorization Form for TAs.

You may be eligible for other financial assistance in addition to your teaching assistantship. Consult the Financial Aid Office (A-129J Murphy Hall)

Graduate students at UCLA are required to attend/complete quite a lot of training from the University and from their home departments. When you become an employee of the University, whether as a TA, GSR, or other employment, additional training may also be required. The information provided on this page applies only to TAships. 

Title IX/Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Prevention Training

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community in which students, faculty, administrative, and academic staff can work together in an atmosphere free of all forms of harassment, exploitation, or intimidation, including those of a sexual nature. Specifically, every member of the UCLA community should be aware that the University is strongly opposed to sexual harassment and that such behavior is prohibited both by law and by University policy. It is the intention of the University to take what ever action needed to prevent, correct and, if necessary, discipline behavior which violates this policy. The Title IX/Sexual Harassment Prevention Office is located at 2241 Murphy Hall.

All graduate students, new and continuing, are required to to take Title IX compliance training, as outlined on the Graduate Division website. Not completing this training in time could impact your ability to register for classes. Your hiring department may also require an additional TA-specific Title IX training that will cover your reporting responsibility as an employee. This training is different from the training you receive as a graduate student. Please check with the department in which you are employed regarding these requirements.

The Test of Oral Proficiency (TOP)

Students who plan to work as a teaching assistant (TA) at UCLA and are non-US citizens must pass the TOP before working as a TA in any department at UCLA. All non-citizens are considered international students. This includes permanent residents. However, international students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. university are exempt from taking the TOP. Register to take the TOP Exam.

TA Training Program 

The CAT TA Training Program assists TAs at UCLA to improve their teaching and advance their professional development. The TATP offers a campus-wide TA Conference in the Fall and workshops throughout the year. Some departments require the completion of specifc TATP workshops. Please check with your department for details.

Departmental TA Training Seminar

Many UCLA departments require their TAs to complete a training seminar (usually numbered 495) to prepare for their role as a TA. In most departments, these seminars are organized, developed, and taught jointly by a faculty member and an experienced gradaute student holding the title of a TA Consultant (TAC). Check with your department, or the department in which you wish to be a TA, to learn more about the training requirements.

Academic dishonesty, includes, but is not limited to, cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, multiple submissions or facilitating academic misconduct. If you suspect a student is cheating or has plagiarized, first initiate a conversation with the instructor of record for your course. Instructors who encounter cases of cheating or plagiarism are advised to contact the Office of the Dean of Students (310-825-3871). The Dean can provide you with advice specific to the individual incident.

Additional information regarding UCLA’s policies on reporting academic dishonesty violations can be found on the Office of the Dean of Student’s website here: Reporting a case of Academic Dishonesty.