Subdivided, there is a difference between a teaching assistant and a research assistant. The former is called TA (teaching assistant) and the latter is called RA (research assistant). This is the requirement of American universities for international students with scholarships.
There are many students majoring in science who are doing RA, and their tutors are all great researchers. They suggested that everything in the laboratory was basically left to graduate students. Doing TA requires fluency in English, mostly for junior or undergraduate students to attend classes or be a tutor, and it is required to be stunned by a room full of black and white beauty. This is not easy for foreigners who have just arrived in the United States.
There are relatively more graduate students doing RA in China. The full scholarship includes free tuition and living allowance, and requires a certain number of hours of work per week. Because the tuition fees of American universities are very expensive, accounting for a large part, the monthly living expenses are just enough to pay rent, meals, medical insurance, books and transportation expenses.
I majored in liberal arts in America. I worked as an RA doctor for four years and completed all my studies with the support of research scholarships. Which professor is assigned to help in each semester, 12 ~ 16 hours per week. After four years, I have worked with seven professors with different temperaments, and I have done a lot of chores, big and small. It is quite interesting to think about it.
As a teaching assistant of Professor S in the first semester, the first thing I did was very interesting. At the beginning of the new semester, Professor S held a welcome party at his home on behalf of the department, and invited all the teachers and graduate students in the department to attend. The professor put me in charge of the invitation and daily contact. Needless to say, everyone knows me after this party.
Most teaching assistants usually do teaching work, such as helping professors copy, preparing lessons, managing online courses, regularly sorting out department libraries, making PPT for meetings, consulting books and materials, doing statistical analysis of data, updating department websites and sorting out office documents. Among them, I became so proficient in data analysis and online courses that any professor in the department came to me with this kind of work, and some came from outside with funds.
As a teaching assistant, the most technical job I have ever done is to help Professor L read the doctoral thesis of an Indian student, contribute to the journal edited by her, and write comments. Of course, this can only be done in the second year. Reading periodical contributions is a long learning process, and you can learn a lot about research topics and design. I usually draft a few opinions and send them to the professor by email for her reference.
There are also many PPT of academic conferences. The professor had to attend the meeting, but he had no time to prepare. I will do it according to the content framework and requirements of her paper. Professor l changed it after reading it, and some of them were keynote speeches at American national conferences.
The last thing I want to do is to clean up Professor T's office, which has been done for half a year. Where do I need to find a doctoral student for this job? But you can't stop.
On another occasion, the dean asked us to report the workload, what we did and how much time we spent by email once a week. This feeling of being watched is also very uncomfortable. However, after calculating an account, I know that I can't do the prescribed time every week.
As teaching assistants of different professors, the situation and treatment are sometimes completely different. I always remember working with Professor Z for half a year.
When the two departments merged, Professor Z and Vice President came to our department. This white lady in her fifties is short, bloated and straightforward, and she can often hear her hearty laughter in the corridor. Professor Z seems to be very popular and easy to talk to.
As a teaching assistant of Professor Z, the first thing I did was to replace the adjusted department's Internet homepage and update it with new content. So we redesigned the columns and functions together. With the help of the technical department, we designed a new introduction page for each professor, took photos and listed the academic achievements of the professors. And sort out the scattered information one by one according to categories and levels.
After being so busy for more than two months, the new department homepage is very eye-catching, with simple interface and clear content. Professor Z was so happy that he told me many times. Later, even the tutor knew that we worked well together. 1 1 One day in June, Professor Z emailed me to attend an activity in the department. When I arrived, I saw people from various departments holding commendation activities for outstanding teachers and teaching assistants this year in the hall. After a while, I heard the host read my name. I didn't expect that I was recommended to win the best teaching assistant award! When I came to the stage to receive the prize, I saw Professor Z sitting below, smiling brilliantly.
I have worked as a teaching assistant for nearly three years before and have never heard of any awards. I always thought it was my job to work with a scholarship. Although Professor Z is ugly, he is kind-hearted and, like gold, full of respect and support for me as an international student. Being a teaching assistant for half a year is the most fulfilling thing.
Generally speaking, most professors in American universities are excellent. Research and teaching activities are very independent, and it is not easy to distribute any works. Working 16 hours a week is common, especially when you don't have to work with a scholarship.
My experience as a teaching assistant in an American university is that if a professor has a job, you must promise and go all out to do it. If you can't do it, ask and learn. You can't shirk your homework because it's your own business. To be a good teaching assistant, attitude is the first important thing.
I would like to add here that in the United States, there are more than one way to get assistantships. When applying for a university, you can find scholarship information and application methods on the websites of these universities. Some scholarships are for the whole university, while others are only for a college or major below the university.