Here you will find useful information for prospective and current TA’s as well as details on how to apply to become an out-of-priority TA.
Our Teaching Assistant Coordinator will provide training to help you in preparation for tutorials, assist you with test marking strategy, explain what is expected from you regarding your duties, provide guidelines for processes, and provide any other assistance you need with respect to your TA position. An orientation will be held in early September where all aspects of your TA position will be presented. Matt Paslawski is our TA Coordinator mattpaslawski@cunet.carleton.ca.
Please remember that when you apply for a TA position and accept the terms of the contract, you are responsible to complete the duties assigned to you. If for any reason you are unable to pick up and or administer a test, unable to conduct a lab or tutorial, need more time for marking tests, etc… you must notify your Instructor and the TA Coordinator in a reasonable amount of time prior to the duty required. We will then have the time needed to cover these events if possible.
Useful Links
- FAQ – Prospective and Current Teaching Assistants
- Math and Stats Teaching Assistant Information Manual
Applying to be a TA
Note that TA contract for a course with a tutorial section is normally 55 TA hours for the term whereas a TA contract for a course with a lab normally has 32.5 TA hours for the term. Sections that have lower-than-expected enrolment have reduced TA hours. You may apply for and receive more than one TA contract for a term, however we will not assign a TA with contracts totalling more than 130 hours.
Application deadlines
Deadline 1: August 15 for fall term, December 15 for winter term, April 15, for summer term
Deadline 2: You will be notified by email within a short time after Deadline 1 regarding Deadline 2 (normally about 3 days or so after Deadline 1)
Application process
The process for applying to be an out-of-priority TA at the School of Mathematics and Statistics is described below. Note that you must submit a separate application for each term in which you wish to be a TA. Due to the large number of applications we receive each term, most applicants will not be offered a TA position.
- Submit an application through Carleton Central by Deadline 1
You need to be a registered full-time or part-time student at Carleton in the term for which you wish you be a TA. Your CGPA must be 9.0 or above. (In the past, students who were offered TA positions normally had a CGPA of 10.0 or above.) Note that Carleton Central allows you to apply for specific courses, however, we ask that you DO NOT apply for specific courses in this step because you will have to specify courses in step 3. Instead, just specify an area and fill in as much information as you can for the other entries on the application. Any course request that you submit in this step is discarded. - Join Brightspace TA Application Portal and submit a Tutorial demonstration by Deadline 2
Within a week of submitting your application to Carleton Central, you will receive an email inviting you to enroll in the Math and Stats TA Application Submissions in Brightspace where you will be asked to submit a 5-minute video demonstrating how you would present an example question in a tutorial. Complete instructions will be provided on Brightspace. NOTE: If you have been a TA with Math and Stats in the past, this step of the application process can be skipped. - Complete detailed application form once you have received e-mail notice by Deadline 2
Soon after Deadline 1, you will be notified by e-mail to your Carleton University e-mail address regarding how to access the detailed online Application Form. This form is where you include your availability and the courses you would be a suitable TA for. If you do not complete this form or fail to complete this form correctly, you risk not being considered for any TA position. - Accept preliminary offer if you are offered one
A few days after Deadline 2, you will be notified of the first draft of the TA assignment through email. If there are any issues with the course you have been selected for, please advise the TA Coordinator immediately and they will work on making any changes. Once a relatively stable version has been reached, offers will be made official through Carleton Central. You will have ten business days to accept the preliminary offer. An offer that is not accepted within the given time frame is subject to being withdrawn. NOTE: changes to the TA assignment involving reassigning other students are not possible after the offers are made through Carleton Central. Hence, if for some reason you are unable to accept a particular TA position, you will not be able to get a different one. - Discuss the assignment of duties with the instructor and sign-off
Once you have accepted a preliminary offer, instructor will contact you to discuss the duties expected of you throughout the term and to outline how many hours are assigned to each duty. An offer does not become official until both you and the instructor have signed off the official Assignment of Duties through Carleton Central. Note that you cannot get paid until the Assignment of Duties has been signed off. - Get documented by Human Resources for payroll (if necessary)
If you have not previously submitted your payroll information to Human Resources, visit the New Employees section of their website and complete the New Employee Intake Form to get yourself documented. This must be completed before Sept 15th for the Fall term, January 15th for the Winter term, and May 15th for the Summer term in order to receive your first pay cheque at the end of the month.