GTAs in Design Engineering
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are able to be employed to help deliver the Department's MEng Design Engineering programme. Duties range from delivering classes to marking assessments, to constructing catapults for practical assessments.
As a GTA, you will gain valuable teaching experience. Whether or not you intend to pursue an academic career beyond your PhD, working as a GTA will help you develop your communication skills and be a valuable asset to your CV. In addition, GTAs are paid at a rate of £15.52 per hour.
At the beginning of each term, you need to discuss your GTA work with your supervisor, and consider the impact this will have on your PhD (both positive and negative).
Accordion Widget
What do I need to do to be eligible for work as a GTA?
In order to qualify to work as a GTA, you need to complete two core courses on the Graduate School's GTA Training Programme.
Spaces on these courses are in extremely high demand, so please look to book these as far in advance as possible.
In addition, the Graduate School has further, optional courses for you to further develop your teaching skills.
You need to have completed these courses in order to be paid as a GTA.
Setting up your payments
In order to be paid for your GTA work, you need to be set up as a casual worker at the College. In order to do this, please contact the Senior Finance and Research Administrator, Rebecca Allen with your CID number, the start date of your GTA work, and the modules that you will be teaching on.
You must have a UK National Insurance Number to get paid. Please see here for more information.
Working hours and Tier 4 Visa restrictions
On average, GTAs should teach fewer than six hours per week, and teaching should not exceed ten hours in any given week.
If you are studying in the UK on a Tier 4/Student Visa, then you must never exceed twenty hours of paid work a week.
Applying for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
Students who have sufficient teaching experience are able to apply for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Eductation Academy (AFHEA). This is a professional recognition of your teaching.
If this is something you wish to pursue, the Educational Development Unit and the Graduate School both have extensive resources designed to help you with your application.
The STAR Framework is Imperial's pathway to applying for AFHEA, and is facilitated by the Educational Development Unit. Further information on STAR is available here.