Teaching Assistantships

As a portion of the guaranteed stipend, students in the funded cohort who do not hold a major scholarship (eg. NSERC, OGS, QEII-GSST) will be assigned up to 161 hours as a TA (158 in 2023/24). The TA assignments may be made for the fall, winter and /or summer terms and may be held at STG, UTSC and/or UTM campuses. Students with a major scholarship also have the option to TA, depending on the availability of positions.

The total of the funding package is conditional on students accepting TA assignments; if a student turns down a TA position s/he forgoes that portion of the funding package.

Below are the hours accounted towards the funding package.

Circumstance TA Hours
Funded cohort and no major scholarship, CONACYT Fellows 157 hours
Connaught 100 hours
OGS, QEII-GSST, CIHR Scholarship 50 hours (optional)
NSERC CGS M/PGS M/PGS D, FQRNT, FAST Scholarship 50 hours (optional)
MSc Year 2, PhD years 5+, Direct/Transfer PhD years 6+(beyond funded cohort) 50-180 hours

 

Teaching assistant positions are generally first assigned to students who have subsequent appointments.
 

  • Major scholarship holders of more than $15K in funding have the option to apply for a teaching position.
     
  • Students may also take up teaching assistant positions at other departments at University of Toronto in all three campuses to fulfill their TA hours. Note that some hours may not be eligible. For other TA postings, please visit the CUPE 3902 website.
  • Hours conducted in an approved through the Chemistry Teaching Fellowship Fellowship Program (CTFP) will be applied towards TAship hours outside of a signed subsequent appointment.
  • (Only applicable to doctoral students) Although a graduate student's preference as to the campus location of his or her TA appointment will be taken into account, both the initial TA appointment and the subsequent appointment obligation related to that appointment may be met through position(s) on any one of the three University of Toronto campuses (UTM, UTSC or St. George) in courses in the same discipline as the initial appointment. TAs will only be assigned to courses in fields in which they are or should be qualified to assist.  The student may request for the timing of the subsequent appointment to be assigned on a different session as the initial appointment but inclusive within the academic year, ie. September to August.
     
  • Students beyond the funded cohort (ie. MSc year 2, PhD years 5+, Direct/Transfer PhD years 6+) are recommended to apply to all three campuses and other departments to maximize TA opportunities.
     
  • Students who wish to TA more than the hours accounted towards their funding package are recommended to obtain their supervisor's approval. This includes TA assignments from other departments. This will avoid miscommunication over hours being spent in the lab which may affect your research assistantship (RA) funding. RAship requires students to carry out specific responsibilities and duties in order to maintain this source of funding.

Rates are based on the CUPE3902 Collective Agreement. Master's and doctoral students receive the current hourly rate of pay (noted as T4 pay on your monthly paystub) + 4% vacation pay less legal deductions and union dues.

Students who have an appointment of thirty hours or more during the academic year (September 1 to August 31 of the following year) are eligible for the Health Care Spending Account.  

For the current collective agreement and other resources, visit CUPE 3902

For more information on pay rates and the HCSA, please visit the Human Resources & Equity Office

Teaching assistantship (T4) is paid in equal monthly installments based on the total hours and over the period of the contract. Appointments are based on the length of the course. The pay is payable on the 28th of each month, or the closest Friday if the 28th falls on a weekend.  Log in to ESS review your statement. 

The Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, is hiring teaching assistants for courses to be offered during the 2024 summer semester. The number of positions available/required for each course, and the hours allocated to each position, are determined by enrolment and are subject to budgetary constraints.   

UTStG Campus
Summer 2024 Postings Deadline: April 8, 2024
Apply Here

UTSC Campus
UTSC DPES Employment Page
 

UTM Campus
Summer 2024 Postings: Deadline: March 28, 2024

If you are an incoming grad student, please contact the Grad Office to enquire how to proceed.

As per the 2021-2023 collective agreement between CUPE3902, Unit 1 and the University of Toronto, first-time teaching assistants shall receive 4 hours of paid job training and additional work-related paid training thereafter. The Teaching Assistants' Training Program (TATP) offers a number of services to support training.

All first time TAs should complete the Policies & Procedures for TAs at the University of Toronto. The Chemistry Graduate Department delivers its own modules/specific topics during the orientation week in September. January registrants attend and enroll themselves with TATP.

In addition to the first appointment training, the Universtiy shall provide 2 hours of work-related paid training per academic year in which a TA holds at least one appointment. Teaching Assistants can request additional training, up to 4 hours, for each subsequent appointment. The TATP will be supporting departments in providing this additional training in the following subject areas: pedagogy and inclusive pedagogy; anti-oppression and anti-racism; cultural competency; accommodations and crisis referrals; online course design and management; educational technology. To request for additional training, fill out the Unit 1 TA Training Request Form and forward to the Chemistry Graduate Office