Teaching Assistant Recruitment
in the Colleges Writing Programs

Overview

Each of UC San Diego’s undergraduate colleges has its own writing/core program – see the sub-pages to the left. Graduate students from various campus departments are appointed each year as Teaching Assistants in these programs.

The typical position is a 50% appointment (~20 hours per week) for the full academic year (Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters). Writing programs receive applications through an online “clearinghouse” campaign under the Instructional Assistant Data Management System (formerly known as the Academic Student Employment System). Applications are accepted starting in April for the following academic year. The application deadline is usually the last day of April

Qualifications 

Applicants must be confident, competent writers, with extensive experience in standard written English. Classroom teaching experience – especially as writing instructors or writing tutors – is desirable. The graduate student’s academic status, support time limit, etc., will affect his/her/their eligibility for a TA-ship in the writing programs. Each applicant should verify his/her/their individual eligibility with his/her/their department staff Graduate Coordinator before applying.   

Apply

Use your UC San Diego Personal ID number (PID) and Personal Access Code to log on to the Instructional Assistant Data Management System (IA) – see link below. New graduate students will first need to establish a TritonLink account through the Grad Apply system. You will be asked to rank the writing programs in the order you would prefer to be considered for employment.

See descriptions of all the colleges’ programs by clicking on the sub-pages in the left navigation column under “TA Recruitment.” After the application deadline, each program’s Directors will begin reviewing the applicants who put that program as their first choice, and will start interviewing from that pool. Note that the number of available positions can vary each year, so there is no guarantee that you will be contacted for an interview.

If after the initial round of interviews a program is still in need of applicants, those candidates who ranked that program as their second or lower choice will be considered, if they haven’t yet been offered  positions elsewhere.

The IA system will pull your campus information from your PID. You should submit via upload:

• an up-to-date resume or curriculum vitae of your qualifications as they pertain to the writing program(s) to which you are applying.
• a letter of application explaining why you are interested in teaching in a program in which writing plays a central role, and addressing why you would specifically like to work in the program you are listing as your top choice. (Letters may be addressed to “Selection Committee.”). If you will NOT be available for a writing program TA-ship for all three quarters of the academic year, please mention that at the beginning of your letter, indicating which quarter(s) you have other commitments. 
• a sample of your own writing, such as a seminar paper or term paper.  You may limit the length of your sample to ten pages. 

2024-25 Academic Year Application

Deadline: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 

Follow this link to submit an application: 
https://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/Modules/ASES/Apply.aspx?cid=5104

Late applications are accepted, but priority will be given to those received by the deadline, and most of the positions will be filled by mid-June. If unexpected vacancies occur during the year, Program Directors will check the Instructional Assistant Data Management System campaign, so please keep your application there current if you would like to be considered for last-minute openings.

Contact information for each college's individual writing program may be found on the pages at left under TA Recruitment. 

Please direct questions about the TA application process for the Colleges Writing Programs to Helen at hmout@ucsd.edu.