Written By: Rachel Emmanuella Marlinang
They are the bridge between you and the Professors, the ones that give up their time to help you and the professors, and the people the students often find themselves looking up to; here, we call them “Teaching Assistant,” which people usually refer to as TA. Talking about how being a TA has become a significant part of their university years, it is only suitable to dig deep into the process of how they end up to the point they are in now.
The Reasons
There are many reasons why students initially decided to apply for a TA job. Some were attracted by the reward including the experience, benefits, and income, some were inspired by their former TAs and friends, some started because they needed space to go out. Pham Thi Nhat Quynh, who usually goes by Alisé, a 4th year-1st semester student shares a story of how the Covid-19 pandemic brought her to this decision of being a TA in her 2nd year-1st semester. “Feeling captivated in my room,” she said. “Working as a TA at that moment is a way to get out of that cage; because talking to other people even if it is online helps me feel freer.” A very different reason from Nguyen Ngoc Bao Hy, a 2nd year-1st semester student from Vietnam, and Supanan Phokeo, usually called Mook, a 3rd-year 1st-semester student from Thailand who applied due to the influence from their former TAs and all the skills they desire to have through their work as a TA. “Being a TA will allow me to meet a lot of new people including the professors, LTAs, fellow TAs, and students as well as to improve my skills,” Mook said. Though having an income counts as one of the most important and possible reasons for students to apply, it turned out to be the least priority for some students because experiences and personal development from being a TA, come first.
The Process
Although different TA positions may have different application processes, it is frequently stated that the process will mostly consist of an application survey which requires the applicant to send out their information and essays as the first screening, and an interview, be it a group interview or the individual one as a second screening, especially for the first year seminars such as Multicultural Cooperative Workshops and Study Skills and Academic Writing which are the very first courses students will encounter. However, there are too, some courses that only required an application survey like Introduction to Peer Leader Training, and some major classes just as Mook confirmed, “For Finance TA, I just applied through a survey, and I got the job.”
Verifying what exactly the selection process looks for to fill the positions, Professor Peter Roux, an Associate Professor in the Education Development and Learning Support Center (EDLC) shared his perspective on some foundations the applicants need to get selected and be able to maintain their personal lives, academics, and the TA work. Motivation, curiosity to reach out to fellow students, attitudes that are open, workable, and positive, and willingness to cooperate or to make effort by being active; are the things that the selection panel will seek first. In addition to that, Professor Peter then explained how “Most of them are skills that anyone can develop, so, anyone can become a good TA,” he ensures. “Like the competencies to be on top of things, to manage their schedule well, to know your priority, to approach things in a balanced but firm way, leadership and communication skills, and whether or not you’re an approachable person,” he adds. Above that, people who are wanting to work and are keen to develop themselves are very much desired.
The Experience
“Worth it.”
The same answer came from Alisé, Hy, and Mook when asked if their experience as a TA was worth all the effort and time they put into the work. When applying, they all have different expectations about the job, but after experiencing it, they all come to an agreement that it all matches their expectations and even exceeds them. Yes, the workload is a lot, and the responsibilities are big, but as they know and have the bigger picture of the position before, they already have their predictions, therefore preparing to face the consequences of applying. Being TA means that you are given a platform to “become the students’ friend,” said Hy. This alone describes what will you face the most by being a TA. And even if there are days when you are too tired to do so, all in all, Mook said she had fun working as an MCW TA; she made lots of new friends and gained so many skills.
Sharing the work that they do, Hy disclosed more details about how she was “expected to engage in conversation with students, help them out with their Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening, check for attendance, host workshop and most importantly to become that person who they reach out whenever they need help with anything related to English-using.” as an Elementary and Intermediate English TA. Furthermore, Alisé, who always loves working and interacting with people shares about being a TA exceeds her expectations. She first came to work as a TA with solely the desire to know more since she had nothing to do and wanted to get out of her cage back then, but working as a TA brought you to form a relationship with someone, something that Alisé would love to do; it leads to the heartwarming encounter every time her students or just someone she got to know from TA works, comes up to her to greet her anywhere and anytime they meet.
Not just the students, Professor Peter believed that working as a TA is an opportunity to work “closely with the professors, where you may be inspired and learn from them. You can see everything from different perspectives, from educational and university’s point of view,” which is something you definitely cannot miss. It is, as he stated, a “wonderful, exciting, interesting, challenging learning experience.”
The Advantages and Disadvantages
As there are always two sides to a story, we cannot disregard each one of them and only believe what we want to believe. Some might say that being a TA is full of the benefits of experiencing new things, making networks, gaining status, and developing new skills. Some might say that when you become a TA you will mess up your schedule, you will be too overwhelmed, you will have no time to rest, and so on. None of this is wrong, but it all comes back to the person.
Professor Peter reassures that “the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.” He then explained more about how being a TA is a chance for you to get to know yourself; what you’re capable of, what you need to learn more, what your challenges are, and your strengths and weaknesses. You also learn how to work in a team, and you’ll learn to get to know people better and how to deal with them, which is a lifelong skill on top of other skills such as communication, relating, patience, and what seems like an endless list of gains. Supporting this, the three interviewees share the same view on TAs' advantages, repeatedly emphasizing “making connections and deeper relationships with professors and other students; making new friends, while developing many skills and finding new ones.”
Completing the explanation of the advantages of being a TA, Hy mentioned some difficulties she faced. “For the drawbacks, I would say there are days which you feel so tired to handle and engage with students, you just want to come back to your places finish your homework, and sleep, but since being TA is an official job, I have to get over the idea that I was tired at the time, roll up my sleeves and go to those classes as usual,” said Hy, sharing her opinion on what disadvantage she felt. Other than that, time management and disregarding your limit can also become handy and in the end, mess you up with continuous tiredness and worn-out feelings. But that too is a learning process of knowing your limit and balancing yourself. It all comes back to the way you perceive it, and how you make use of your opportunity.
The Advice
Despite it being one of the most wanted positions APU students aim for, being a TA call for deep consideration. Many students then become unsure whether to apply for it or not, afraid it might be too much for them to handle. Regarding this, some of our experienced TAs give little words of encouragement for those who might be feeling like this now;
“Definitely recommend,” Alisé briefly said. There are many activities in APU, sometimes, people might think it’s too much to the point they don’t know what to pick. But Alisé confirmed that being a TA is a good start. This is where you can talk to people, and learn from them so that eventually you become aware of the place you wanted to be, the things you wanted to do, and the potential that you did not recognize before.
Hy and Mook, agreeing on that, encourage the students to “just try out everything, even if it was the things that are out of your comfort zone. A failing scenario might occur, but at least you have already given it a try.” With that, you’ll be able to “challenge yourself, believe in yourself, and make the most out of your time at APU!!!” Mook excitedly exclaimed.
Adding to the advice and closing the story, Professor Peter, described TAs existence in one word, “Vital,” he said, that he cannot imagine running his classes without his amazing group of peers. It is not just important for one side, or challenging for one side; it works both ways. He then delivered some of the things he wanted to say to those TAs who have been working really hard and still working hard up until now. He said, “Thank you is not a big enough word. But I just feel so honored that they would join a journey of learning with me, and I am learning so many things from them that I feel so grateful for. They keep me on my toes, they remind me, they give me notes to improve, they make me laugh, and they make me smile. When I feel the burden they carry I too feel sad, and I’m just thankful.”
Yes, working as a TA is the students’ choice and decision. It all comes with a price and needs of effort and of course, sacrifices. But it is indeed an opportunity that cannot be brushed aside. It is time for us to give back what our previous TAs have passed down to us and offer the help our professors very much needed. So, what is it exactly that’s holding you back?