Each year, the School of Biomedical Engineering hires a limited number of Teaching Assistants to help support our undergraduate and graduate courses. These positions play an integral role in helping us fulfill our goal of offering our students superior teaching and learning experiences.
About Applications
SBME has launched a new application system this year that allows TAs to apply to multiple courses within one application. All undergraduate and graduate students (including non-research students) may apply for a TA position. Please note that you cannot save the application survey for later, you must fill out the application in one sitting. If you make a mistake and want to remove or add more courses, please submit an entirely new application and we will ensure we use the most recent one for further processing.
Be advised that Teaching Assistants at The University of British Columbia (UBC) are represented by the Canadian Union Of Public Employees Local 2278 (CUPE2278) and that a Collective Agreement between UBC and CUPE2278 is in effect. All TAs are required to join the Union as a condition of employment. The collective agreement applies to all TA contracts, and selection of TAs will be done in accordance with the requirements of the Union.
Salaries are based upon CUPE 2278 and UBC rates.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.
Deadline to Apply
The application portal for the Summer Term opens on Friday, March 14th. Completed applications should be submitted no later than Sunday, March 30th at 11:59 pm. Please visit the link at the bottom of the page to apply.
Application Instructions
Eligibility
Registration
Students and recent graduates of UBC are eligible for appointment as a Teaching Assistant. Recent graduates are those that have completed their degree requirements within 8 months of the term they are being hired for. Applicants must be full-time students registered in a UBC program or must have been unconditionally accepted to UBC, for the term in which the TA-ship takes place.
A full-time Teaching Assistant position has a maximum workload of 384 hours per academic year from Sept 1 to April 30, with an allotment of 192 hours per term. A separate allotment of up to 192 hours is available for the summer term covering the period of May 1 to August 31. Students can hold multiple part-time TA positions across the university or within the same department so long as it does not exceed the hours indicated. In the winter term the average weekly hours are for a full-time TA position is 12. In the summer, it is compressed so students are allowed a maximum of 24 hours per week. It is the TA’s responsibility to communicate their workload and commitments to their potential supervisor to ensure there are no conflicts.
In order to apply to TA for SBME the following criteria must be met:
- Students from other degree programs may be considered based on experience and suitability to the program. (Cellular & Physiological Sciences students are preferable for BMEG 410/510; a non-BMEG student is required for BMEG 598 due to conflict of interest)
- Cannot be on leave from your program during the TAship.
- Must reside in BC and be legally eligible to work for the duration of the appointment at the time of the application and must provide proof of your legal eligibility to work (such as a study permit and SIN document for international students).
- If you are an international student who will not receive a study permit before the start of term, please decline any offered positions as soon as possible before the term starts.
- Must be willing to perform on-site work for the entire period of the appointment and attend lecture and lab sessions for the course where applicable. If you will be out of town for a significant portion of the term, please do not accept a TA position in that term.
- Must inform your instructor and the department of any additional TA positions or conflicting responsibilities before accepting the offer.
- Must ensure that you will not exceed the maximum hours a TA can hold as set out in the Collective Agreement.
- Availability to complete the mandatory APSC TA training (new and returning); multiple sessions will be offered within the first few weeks of the term and your time to attend will be compensated.
- Must accept or decline your offer as soon as possible, max 10 business days.
- Must complete all Workday onboarding steps after your appointment is processed in Workday (UBC’s HR/Finance system).
Competencies
Mastery of the course academic material and subject matter.
Ability to help students learn actively and explain course content in a clear and logical manner.
Ability to effectively lead discussion groups that facilitate student learning and to constructively evaluate student presentations.
Ability to effectively assist student learning by enabling different sets of skills, including oral and verbal communications, problem solving, critical thinking, numeracy, teamwork, leadership, planning.
Have an understanding of and will agree to comply with WorkSafe BC, UBC and Departmental Safety Regulations.
Possess excellent oral and written English communication skills.
Supervisor Approval
Applicants must have the approval of their Research or Program Supervisor to engage in an employment contract in addition to their academic program.
Your supervisor must be made aware of your intent to apply to TA positions and must approve of the total number of hours (especially for students that would like to accept multiple positions).
Additional Requirements
New TAs and returning TAs who have not participated in the Faculty of Applied Science (APSC) TA training program must complete the mandatory training, as it is designed to help ensure that TAs are successful in their roles. If you receive a TA position, information on this training will be provided to you (typically within the first few weeks of the term).
- When submitting your applications, please follow the naming conventions and file format (in PDF format only) as noted in the application link. (i.e., LastName,FirstName_XYZ, Smith,John_CV or Smith,John_Letter)
Although we appreciate the interest of all applicants, only the successful candidates will be contacted with further details.
Types of Duties
Although the precise duties will vary depending on the course for which an offer/appointment is made, in general TAs can expect to perform the following duties:
Laboratory Assistance – preparing materials for laboratory experiments; providing instruction, guidance, and supervision for laboratory experiments; maintaining a safe and professional laboratory; assisting students with troubleshooting equipment; ensuring laboratory equipment and supplies are used appropriately and put away at the end of each session.
Tutorial Assistance – assisting in or leading tutorial sessions, preparing written solutions, reviewing of assignments with undergraduates.
Course Administration – attending lectures, tutorials and labs, as directed. Preparing and managing resources both in-person and online to support the instructor and students. Facilitate online discussion boards and answer student inquiries (Maintain Canvas, set up classrooms, hold office hours)
Curriculum Development – For Senior Teaching Assistants only. Engaging in and applying pedagogical research related to teaching and teaching quality. At times may develop or modify new curricular material such as lectures, worksheets, labs, or discussion group topics under guidance of instructor. Provides guidance and participates in training other TA’s.
Marking – marking of assignments for lectures, tutorials, and labs, as directed. Entering and collating grades.
Invigilation of Exams (Mandatory) – is required. All TAs must be available for the full exam period of the term in which they are hired as a TA. TAs may be assigned to invigilate course(s) other than those for which they TA.
Training – Complete additional trainings as required by the instructor.
Courses
Please note that the following list is subject to change based on course enrollment and other factors. Courses with asterisks (*) beside their name have specific preferred qualifications. Please see the accordion (below this section) for more information.
Please submit a separate application for summer TA-ships and winter TA-ships.
Summer applications are open from Friday, March 14 to Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm.
Winter applications are open from Monday, March 31 to Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm.
Click here to download a list of TA positions for Summer 2025
2025 Winter TA positions – coming soon
Remuneration & Classification
Remuneration is at the standard hourly TA rates agreed upon with the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2278 (CUPE 2278).
Senior Teaching Assistant (STA): $42.95 per hour (A Senior TA is a graduate student who is registered in a masters’ or doctoral program at UBC and 1) coordinates or guides other teaching assistants, or 2) is focussed on curriculum development and has substantial teaching experience, professional development, or achievements as a TA.
Graduate Teaching Assistant 1 (GTA 1): $40.16 per hour (A GTA 1 is a graduate student who has completed two (2) years’ service as a graduate student teaching assistant.)
Graduate Teaching Assistant 2 (GTA 2): $38.65 per hour (A GTA 2 is a graduate student with less than two (2) years’ service as a graduate student teaching assistant.)
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant 1 (UTA 1): $26.40 per hour (A UTA 1 is an undergraduate student who is registered in a bachelors degree program at the University of British Columbia who is required to perform a broad range of Teaching Assistant Duties.)
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant 2 (UTA 2): $24.44 per hour (A UTA 2 is an undergraduate student who is registered in a bachelors degree program at the University of British Columbia who performs Teaching Assistant duties that do not require knowledge of the discipline, or student contact beyond an incidental or transactional basis (such as handing out or returning exams or assignments). UTA 2 duties may include setting up labs, demonstrations, or classrooms; administrative duties and preparing materials. UTA 2 assignments do not include duties such as classroom teaching, conducting tutorial sessions, providing feedback on assignments and exams, holding office hours, or demonstrating procedures to students.)
Exam Invigilator: $24.06 per hour
Senior Exam Invigilator: $28.91 per hour
A note on TA Preference
TAs at UBC are represented by the Canadian Union Of Public Employees Local 2278 (CUPE2278) and a Collective Agreement between UBC and CUPE2278 is in effect. Under this agreement, previously appointed TA’s must be given preference (for a certain number of teaching years) over new applicants. Once CUPE 2278 members (i.e., previously appointed TAs) have been considered for available positions, new applicants are considered for any remaining positions. All positions are offered on the basis of union preference and merit based on the competencies listed above. Please note that applicants should apply before the stated deadline in order to be reviewed for eligibility as preferred candidates.
Please consult the CUPE2278 Collective Agreement for more information on how TA preference is determined.
https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/collective-agreements-and-terms-conditions-employment
Applicants should be aware that generally not all applicants will be offered TA positions.