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Guiding undergraduate and postgraduate students through the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and their many variations.

Teaching 

Entry level

Omar started a PhD in Earth Sciences at University College London in December 2014, and from the beginning, was encouraged to take teaching assistant positions in the Department of Earth Sciences. Before moving to London, he majored in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico. After doing a minor in Invertebrate Palaeobiology, Omar got a postgraduate grant from the National Council of Science and Technology, Mexico, to pursue a PhD abroad. 

The teaching assistant positions helped him not only acquire teaching skills but helped him  adapt to a new culture and enhance his communication skills in a foreign language. Omar always had at least one class as a Teaching Assistant in Palaeoclimatology, Geology and Sedimentology, modules that are core for Palaeobiologists.

“This experience helped me to stay up-to-date and learn new ways to teach complex concepts to students. After finishing my PhD, I had enough teaching experience that I was able to move on to a teaching position for A levels. In an unexpected turn of events, being a Teaching Assistant and later a teacher has helped me in the process of grant writing and science communication.”


Omar Rafael Regalado Fernandez

Graduate Teaching Assistant positions provide part-time work largely for PhD students that helps them develop higher education teaching skills while helping fund their studies. Being a Graduate Teaching Assistant means working in a team of Lecturers to support the learning of undergraduate or other students.

## Overview

Key skills:
- Currently undertaking a [ Higher Degree ^ Postgraduate Degree ] ([ PhD ^ PhD ]/[ DPhil ^ DPhil ]/[ MD ^ MD ])
- Permission from your [ supervisor ^ PhD Supervisor ] 
- Subject knowledge and familiarity with course material 
- Well-developed communication skills, both written and oral
- Able to organise workload and manage competing demands on your time
- Self-motivated; able to work independently and under pressure

**Typical job titles:** Graduate Teaching Assistant, Postgraduate Teaching Assistant, Demonstrator 

Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) positions provide part-time work largely for PhD students that helps them develop [ higher education ^ Higher Education ] teaching skills while helping fund their studies. They are often paid by the hour (and sometimes known as ‘hourly-paid’ positions). 

Being a GTA means working in a team of Lecturers to support the learning of [ undergraduate ^ Undergraduate ] or other students. This role will develop the abilities that are vital for those aspiring to become a university or higher education [Lecturer](https://yourstemcareerpath.royalsociety.org/career-profiles/lecturer), or similar role in a university teaching or combined teaching and research career. 


Overview

## Salary

The number of paid GTA hours per week can vary but generally go up to 20 hours at most. It is common for universities to specify that a current [ PhD ^ PhD ] student should only undertake GTA/teaching duties on average for less than 6 hours a week, to protect time available for their research project.

Some universities employ GTAs on hourly rates, while others (where the GTA post is linked to a specific research project) may pay a fixed monthly amount.  

More rarely, ‘GTA scholarships’ are offered where, in return for extra training and professional development, [ postgraduate ^ Postgraduate ] researchers receive a [ stipend ^ Stipend ] and tuition fees but no additional payment for their teaching-related duties

In 2021/22, hourly rates for teaching, tutoring and demonstrating were approximately £14-£18 per hour. Assistant demonstrators and [ exam invigilators ^ Exam Invigilator ] were paid at £12-£13 per hour.


Salary

## Career Stage

This is an early career role, mostly undertaken by [ postgraduate ^ Postgraduate ] research students (such as those doing a [ PhD ^ PhD ]) alongside their studies.

Sometimes, it is possible to find a GTA post which is aimed at those who have completed an [ undergraduate ^ Undergraduate ] degree but who are not undertaking postgraduate research. these positions likely require other sought-after industrial or professional experience. 


Career stage

## Role and responsibilities 

The level of responsibility given to GTAs varies from institution to institution and subject to subject. In any case, GTAs are assigned a supervisor and normally will undertake some initial training.

Tasks that GTAs may undertake, under the supervision of [ academic ^ Academic ] teaching staff, will mainly be to help students strengthen their knowledge and broaden or deepen their subject understanding. This role is a way of getting hands-on experience in teaching, guiding and mentoring students and potentially assessing students’ work. The duties involved in this role will likely include:
- Supporting, or leading, [ seminars ^ Seminars ] and [ tutorials ^ Tutorials ]
- Undertaking [ laboratory ^ Laboratory ] demonstrations and support activities during students’ practical sessions
- Helping to supervise or administer [ undergraduate ^ Undergraduate ] or [ Master’s ^ Master's ] student research projects – providing technical and other guidance
- Mentoring students by providing guidance and technical support on course materials and study skills, and referring them to appropriate resources for wellbeing support. 
- Marking students’ work based on published assessment criteria;
- Providing feedback to students, including feedback on progress, and working with other academic staff
- [ Exam invigilation ^ Exam Invigilation ]
- Providing guidance to students on the preparation of assignments
- Assisting academic staff with development or update of learning materials
- Replying to student queries in-person or by email. 


Role and responsibilities 

## Location

Universities throughout the UK employ GTAs to assist their teaching and [ lecturing ^ Lecturing ] staff. GTA opportunities are widely available for [ PhD ^ PhD ] students, although some are targeted at [ Master’s ^ Master's ] students as well. 

Some universities will assign a GTA position to a specific [ doctoral ^ Doctoral ] project and will highlight this when advertising that opportunity. Others open their GTA positions to all candidates who can then apply for them as they are advertised on university platforms. 

Many GTAs work in their own department or [ faculty ^ Faculty ]. Some may work in other departments or in one of their institution’s learning support centres. For example, a PhD student in statistics could assist with demonstrations in the psychology department, or a civil engineer could tutor [ undergraduates ^ Undergraduate ] who are struggling with particular mathematical concepts which are common in engineering.


Location

## Qualifications

If you are applying to do a [ PhD ^ PhD ], it may be helpful at the outset to identify that you would be interested in becoming a GTA, so that potential [ supervisors ^ PhD Supervisor ] can advise you on any opportunities at their institution (as well as the institution’s policy on hours worked and training available). PhD students who wish to take on GTA duties must have their supervisor’s permission.

GTAs must prepare for any teaching they take on by familiarising themselves with the core reading for the course and making sure that they are able to contextualise and/or summarise the material. 

They also need good time management skills, as working additional hours is common (for example, exceeding paid time for preparation and marking).


Qualifications

## Progression 

Having proven GTA experience in addition to a [ PhD ^ PhD ] will strengthen almost any application for a first teaching post in a university, such as a [Teaching Associate](https://yourstemcareerpath.royalsociety.org/career-profiles#/teaching,early-mid-career) or [Junior Lecturer](https://yourstemcareerpath.royalsociety.org/career-profiles#/teaching-and-research,early-mid-career). It also develops certain skills needed for research-focused roles such as a [Postdoctoral Researcher](https://yourstemcareerpath.royalsociety.org/career-profiles/postdoctoral-researcher) as these may involve some tutoring or mentoring of others.

In recent years, many universities have developed GTA training programmes, which are often accredited by [Advance HE Associate Fellowship](https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/fellowship/associate-fellowship) status, providing a teaching qualification which is becoming more commonly required for Lecturer roles. 


Progression

Graduate Teaching Assistant 

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Career pathways

Career profiles

Postdoctoral Research Assistant 

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Fellow

Research Professor

Lecturer

Associate Professor

Professor

Research Scientist

Assistant Technician

Technician

Clinical Doctoral Fellow

Clinical Lecturer

Case studies

Changing sectors

STEM 101

Further Resources

Qualification profiles:

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees

Doctoral research (including PhD)

rule

Support for:

Disabled scientists

Scientists from ethnic minority backgrounds

Women in STEM

LGBTQ+ scientists

Next steps

Fellowship schemes

Researcher development framework

Useful links

Glossary

About

The pathways shown are intended to be illustrative, and do not represent an exhaustive picture of STEM careers or routes through them. Role titles are not standardised across all institutions, so when looking at roles it is important to be aware of what the role actually entails, rather than going by title alone.

Salary information was developed in 2022/2023 and is subject to change with time.