MECH TA FAQ

TA Application Process

1. How do I apply to be a TA?

You can submit TA applications through the appropriate Qualtrics portal listed under “Apply” on https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/.  

Please also review https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/ for more information about the application process. 

2. What is the deadline for TA applications?

As per the CUPE 2278 collective agreement, applications for the 2025 Winter Term (September 2025 – April 2026) will be open to applicants from March 31 until April 30, 2025. 

3. I missed the deadline to apply, can I still submit an application?

While the portal will still be open to apply following the deadline, submissions from May 1st and onwards will not receive priority - they will be considered on an as-needed-basis to fill all TA positions. 

TA Eligibility 

4. What requirements and qualifications do I need to be a TA?

Please visit https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/ under “Qualifications & Requirements” for more information about eligibility.

5. If I graduate, am I still eligible to be a TA?

Recent graduates are eligible to be a TA. As per the CUPE 2278 collective agreement, a recent graduate is considered as someone who has completed their degree requirements within 8 months of the term they are being hired for. You must also have valid working status to be a TA. 

For example, if you completed your degree requirements on April 30, 2023, you are eligible to be a TA for September - December 2023, but not January - April 2024. 

**Exception: if you graduate from a PhD program and wish to take on a Post Doc role. UBC does not allow an individual to hold both student appointments such as TA or GRA and Post Doc appointment at the same time. 

6. My study permit expires during the school term. Am I still eligible to be a TA?

You must have valid working status throughout your entire appointment period. Please keep MECH Student HR up to date about your permit application. When your permit extension application is complete, please send a copy of the IRCC confirmation letter to studenthr@mech.ubc.ca. When you receive the updated study permit and updated SIN documentation, please also send a copy to studenthr@mech.ubc.ca.  

TA Application Portal 

 7. Which TA portal should I apply to?

As of April 9, 2025 there are 4 TA hiring portals. They are separated into the MECH TA portal (main portal), MECH TA portal (subsequent portal), MECH 2 TA portal, and other courses TA portal (non-MECH courses). You will need to complete a separate application to each portal as appropriate. 

To see the list of available courses and their respective portals, please visit https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/ under “Review Available Courses”. Please note other portals may be released as needed. 

We are separating the hiring process into multiple TA portals this year for smoother administrative processing, as hiring for certain courses will require cross-departmental collaboration. 

 8. If I need to update my application in the TA portal, what do I need to do?

If you would like to edit your response, please create a new submission in the portal. We will only consider one submission (most recent submission) per applicant per portal. 

Note: once you have submitted your application, a copy of your response will be sent to the email provided on the application form. You can refer to your original application for ease of resubmitting. 

 9. Will more courses be added to the portal?

In the event that we are hiring for more courses, they will be added to a separate portal. The portal will be announced and updated on the website (https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/).  

 10. How many hours and positions will there be for a specific course?

The courses listed on the portal will have at least 1 TA position. Unfortunately, the number of hours is not confirmed at this time. 

 11. What types of duties should I expect to perform for a specific course?

In general, TAs can expect to perform a variety of duties listed under “Types of Duties” on https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/.   

For the types of duties you may be expected to perform for a specific course, please visit “Review Available Courses” on https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/. 

 12. How will the TA ranking process be done this year?

To consider TA preferences, applicants will be able to rank their top 3 courses in the portal. This will appear as a section where you can indicate your rankings and specify additional information you would like us to take into consideration. 

Since there are multiple portals, we encourage you to add comments in the ranking section which consolidates your preferences across your applications. For example, if you apply to the MECH and MECH 2 portals, you can comment that your ranked courses in the MECH 2 portal take precedent over courses in the MECH portal. Alternatively, you can email these comments to studenthr@mech.ubc.ca.  

While ranking will indicate which courses you would most like to be a TA for, you will still be considered for all courses you apply for. Additionally, not ranking your courses will indicate that you do not have preference, and all courses will be treated equally. 

TA Offers  

13. How are TAs selected for courses?

We follow the CUPE 2278 collective agreement, including offering preferred status students the positions to meet their previous hours. To learn more about preferred status, please see question 26. We also prioritize TAs not working more than 192 hours per term (inclusive of training and vacation). 

 14. When will TA offers be sent out?

TA offers will be sent out as early as the end of May and will continue until all positions are filled (which can extend into the start of the academic year). Although we appreciate the interest of all applicants, only successful candidates will be contacted with further details. 

 15. How many days do I have to accept an offer?

You must respond to TA offers within (10) working days of receiving the offer via email. Failure to respond within this timeframe will be seen as a decline on your behalf and will result in the position being offered to the next most qualified candidate. 

 16. An instructor offered me a TA position. Why did I not receive an offer?

Instructors are not allowed to offer TA jobs to students. To understand more about the TA selection process, please see question 13. 

 17. I received offers, but none are from my top-ranked courses. Why is that?

We match TAs according to student and instructor rankings. Please note that it may be difficult to be matched to some courses as they only hire 1-2 TAs, many of which have previous TA experience for the course. 

 18. Can I receive more TA offers?

After the initial round of offers, courses may become available if the original candidate declines. We will continue to send offers, following the rankings until the position has been filled. For more information about how TAs are selected for courses, please see question 13. 

 19. I need to learn more about […] before I make a decision about my offer. Where can I get more information?

If you are looking for information related to scheduling of lectures, tutorials, labs, or discussions, please log in to Workday student to find the course schedule. 

If you are looking for information related to the job duties and hours, please review the job duty breakdown in your offer letter. If you require more specific details, please reach out to the instructor directly. 

 20. I am a new TA who applied to numerous courses but did not receive any offers, what can I do?

Please consider attending TA training, to ensure you are able to take any late offers. For more information, please review the section below. 

TA Training 

21. When are the TA training and lab orientation sessions?

In-person trainings are scheduled as follows, based on your years of experience as a MECH TA: 

There will be no further training sessions beyond those scheduled, nor is there the opportunity to have individual training.  You cannot TA without the required training complete; your offer will be revoked. 

 22. What type of training do I need to complete?

Generally, some form of TA training is mandatory each year you are a MECH TA. To be eligible to work as a MECH TA, you will need to complete training before the start of term as follows: 

*Completed online and asynchronously before attending in-person training 

For more information about the safety courses, please visit “Required TA Training” on https://mech.ubc.ca/graduate/teaching-assistantships/. 

 23. Is TA training paid?

Yes, TA training will be paid if you have a confirmed TA appointment. 

 24. Is Lab Orientation mandatory?

Lab orientation is mandatory for TAs with a lab component.  

If you have never completed lab orientation, you must attend. 

If you have completed lab orientation previously, please ensure that this was completed within the last 3 years (training is only valid up to 3 years). Otherwise, you must attend. For example, if you are a lab TA for January – April 2026 and you completed lab orientation before January 2024, you will need to attend orientation again. 

 25. Can I attend TA training and Lab Orientation even if I’m not a TA?

You are welcome to attend the training sessions even if you do not have a TA position.  Please email studenthr@mech.ubc.ca if you would like to sign up. 

We suggest that anyone interested in working as a TA attend as we may have additional TA opportunities that become available throughout the year – note you will only qualify for these opportunities if you have completed the appropriate training. Kindly note that training will only be paid for those who secure a TA position. 

TA Status and Rates 

 26. Do I have preferred status as a TA?

Preferred status only applies to Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) as per the CUPE 2278 collective agreement.   

How long you have preferred status depends on if you are a Master's student (2 years preferred status) or Doctoral student (5 years preferred status). If you are switching from a Master’s to Doctoral program, you have 5 years of preferred status which begins on the start date of your Doctoral program. 

 27. How are pay rates determined?

Pay rates are determined by your student status and years of experience as a TA.  

Masters and Doctoral students qualify for the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) rate. There are two rates: Graduate Teaching Assistant 1 (GTA I) and Graduate Teaching Assistant 2 (GTA II). 

• GTA I – A graduate student who has two years of experience as a graduate student teaching assistant. 

• GTA II – A graduate student with less than two years of experience as a graduate student teaching assistant. 

Undergraduate students qualify for the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant rate. All undergraduate TAs in MECH are paid at the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant 1 (UTA I) rate. 

Rates are determined by the CUPE 2278 collective agreement. For more information about these rates, please visit the CUPE 2278 salary scale. 

 28. How do I qualify for a GTA I rate?

The GTA I rate applies to graduate students who have two years of experience as a graduate student teaching assistant. At MECH, one year begins and ends within a full winter session (e.g., 2023W). To qualify for one year of experience, you must work as a GTA II for two winter terms (e.g., 2023W T1 and 2023W T2). After working as a GTA II within four separate winter terms, you will qualify for the GTA I rate in the following winter term. 

Graduate teaching assistant experience outside of MECH can be considered in your years of experience. Please email studenthr@mech.ubc.ca if you believe you qualify for the GTA I rate, and we can verify this for you. 

• If your experience is outside of the MECH department, but within UBC, please send a screenshot of your job profile history on Workday (Profile > Job > Job history). 

• If your experience is outside of UBC, please provide proof of your duties. Ensure you include information about where and when this work was completed, as well as an outline of job duties (which must be similar in nature to the CUPE 2278 GTA job duties). 

CUPE 2278 

29. What is CUPE 2278?

CUPE 2278 is a local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The local union is composed of Teaching Assistants, Graduate Academic Assistants, Tutors, Markers at UBC and Exam Invigilators at UBC’s Centre for Accessibility, among other groups.  

CUPE 2278 represents TAs on their conditions and standards of employment, namely by bargaining a collective agreement with the union and advocating for members in workplace issues. For more information, visit the CUPE 2278 website. 

 30. Do I have to be part of the CUPE 2278 union to be a TA?

All TAs are required to join the Union as a condition of employment. The collective agreement applies to all TA contracts. Be advised that Teaching Assistants at The University of British Columbia (UBC) are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2278 (CUPE2278) and that a Collective Agreement between UBC and CUPE2278 is in effect. 

 31. Where can I find information about my rights as a TA?

You can read more about your rights as a TA in the CUPE 2278 collective agreement through the UBC HR website. For a brief overview, please visit the CUPE 2278 website. 

 32. I am having problems at work. Who can I contact for assistance?

If you are a Teaching Assistant experiencing problems, please contact a union steward. They are your co-workers elected to represent you and the union. Please find the union stewards listed on the CUPE 2278 website.