Call for Applications: 2025W Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

Applications are now being accepted for the 2025/26 academic year for up to 25 Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) appointments.

UTAs may provide support for first- and second-year courses in the Department of Political Science.  

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants engage in a range of tasks, depending on the course to which they are assigned. Duties may include but are not limited to: instructing students in assigned courses; preparing course outlines and daily lessons; assigning, receiving and marking student course work and providing ongoing feedback; evaluating and/or appraising students as required and keeping appropriate records; holding office hours, as required; attending staff, committee, and professional development meetings, as required; invigilating examinations; other associated duties as may be assigned. 

In all cases, UTAs will help create positive learning environments for the diversity of students who take introductory Political Science courses.   

UTAs will be hired for either one or two semesters, depending on their availability, areas of interest and the courses in need of UTA support. Please also note that some positions will be of a part-time nature (96 hours per semester) while others may be off a full-time nature (192 hours per semester).   

All UTAs will be required to undertake training as part of their employment. Details of this training will be provided to successful candidates.   

Information on rates of pay and rules of employment can be found at http://cupe2278.ca/.

Students who will be in their 4th-year or higher of their Political Science degree (any specialization), International Relations degree, or other related program and who will be enrolled at UBC in the 2025/26 academic year are invited to apply. Before applying, international students should review the information on this page to confirm that they are eligible to work on campus. 

By May 5, 2025, interested applicants should submit:

A single PDF file containing:

1. Your curriculum vitae/resume
2. A statement of why you are interested in teaching (up to 300 words)
3. A list of which of the following courses you are able and interested in teaching: POLI 100, 101, 240, and 260
4. The name and email of a professor or teaching assistant from Political Science or a related discipline who can speak to your academic abilities
5. Your UBC transcript (a screen grab is fine). 
   

A short (3-5 minutes) video clip of you:

1. introducing yourself
2. Explaining why you think tutorial sessions are an important part of introductory courses;
3. An example of a teaching strategy you plan to employ during a tutorial discussion; and
4. Some thoughts on how you would encourage both diversity and respectful/safe learning environment. Please provide specific examples.

Please do not read from a prepared text. Try to present this information in the same fashion as you would introduce a topic in a tutorial session (you might have short notes but should speak without reading your comments). 

Applicants will submit their materials online.

How to submit your PDF and Video file: 

1. Name your pdf file Last_First_Application.pdf. Name your video file Last_First_Video.
   
2. Follow this link the first time that you access the application portal: https://bit.ly/UGTA_2025W.
   1. The next time you access the portal, you can log in at https://clas.ubc.ca/prod.
3. You will land at the Upload page. (If not, choose Add New from the left menu) 
4. In the box that says “Leave private until I share them”, change this to “General assignment hand-in to course instructors”
   
5. Click “Upload file”, find your pdf, and upload.
   
6. Click the *With the permission of the Copyright Holders and change it to Yes.
   
7. Click the Choose More Files button at the bottom and repeat the upload process with your video file. 

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. These positions are subject to final budgetary approval. 

If you have informal inquiries about the positions, please email poli.ugrad@ubc.ca. 

For technical support with your application submission, please first visit Arts ISIT in Buchanan C105. If you still have questions, email carey.doberstein@ubc.ca.