Teaching & Research Assistants

We hire graduate students for paid employment as teaching and research assistants.

Research Assistants (RAs)

Faculty members with external research grants often hire graduate students as RAs. Details of these appointments (salary, hours, etc.) are worked out between the student and the faculty member.

Contact faculty members to find out about possible openings.

Teaching Assistants (TAs)

We have TA positions each year for academic assistants and lab instructors. TAs are covered by a collective agreement between CUPE Local 4163 Component 1 and UVic.

We post a list of openings about 3 months before the start of each term. Application deadlines typically fall 4 weeks before the start of classes.

Fall TA offers are sent out in the last half of August or early September. Spring TA offers are sent out before the winter break in December although some might be sent out in early January.

A small number of positions are available for summer session. These are posted in early February with offers going out in late April.

Frequently asked questions

Under the supervision of the course instructor, you may be asked to:

Hold weekly office hours to help students with problems
Prepare exams and assignments
Grade assignments
Help supervise mid-terms and final exams
Record grades
Help the instructor with other course-related tasks, such as preparation of course materials

Lab instructors also run computer or non-computer labs or tutorials, depending on the course. If you apply for a position as a lab instructor, you should be comfortable teaching in front of small groups of students (20-35).

TAs at UVic are unionized, and we follow the appointment guidelines in the CUPE 4163 Agreement (Article 13.02). To be eligible, students must be registered full-time and be on campus for the term of the TA appointment.

Selection decisions include:

Qualifications and ability of the candidate (s) based on academic merit and related experience
The career and/or pedagogical value that the position will provide the student
The student's preferences (as listed on the application form)
Other sources of graduate student financial support being received

All TAs must have a solid background in the related subject (unless specified otherwise). A good command of spoken and written English is essential.

Priority in hiring goes first to graduate students registered in the Department of Economics, following our appointment priority policy.

Appointment priority policy

Employment will first be offered to graduate students in the Department of Economics, including any graduate students with outstanding TA funding offers included in an offer of admission.

Priority level 1: Masters Year 1 and Ph.D. Year 1. Ph.D. Years 2 and 3 (where previously appointed to a bargaining unit position)

Priority level 2: Where previously appointed to a bargaining unit position, Masters Year 2 and Ph.D. Year 4 or 5

Priority level 3: Other graduate students (in other years, not previously appointed, or from other departments)

Priority level 4: Undergraduates

Priority level 5: Others/non-students

Find salary rates for teaching assistants on the Human Resources website (CUPE 4163, Component 1).

140 hours per term is typically the maximum number of hours that will be assigned to TAs who fall under Priority Level 1 of the Appointment Priority Policy. Students in a lower priority level may receive less than 140 hours. The actual number of hours worked per week varies by course and term.

There are very few TA hours available in the summer term so TAs can expect to receive significantly smaller offers than the fall and spring terms. TAs should consider this in their financial plans.

TA applications can be found by looking at the Current Postings section of our website. Please email completed TA applications to ctoews@uvic.ca

Sending us an application confirms that you do want a TA job. It also gives you the chance to list your course preferences so we can consider them when we make assignments.

Current postings

Econ Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Vacancies

(CUPE 4163 Specialist Instructional Laboratory Instructors & Academic Assistants)

WINTER SESSION – Fall Term 2025 09

Positions Available:	Graduate Student Academic Assistants and Laboratory Instructors. See list below for anticipated positions.
Appointment Dates:	September 1 – December 31, 2025
Rate of Pay:	$31.80/hr regular TA wage + $2.92/hr academic income supplement = $34.72/hr + 4% vacation pay
Hours:	Hours per position are based on course enrollment and will be finalized at the beginning of the term.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

TAs must be available on campus during daytime hours to fulfill duties, as needed, for the duration of the term.

Duties may include some or all of the following:

holding weekly office hours to assist students with problems

preparing exams and assignments

grading course assignments and exams

keeping accurate records of grades

invigilating mid-terms and final exams

teaching in-class computer labs or conducting tutorial sessions

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Appointment decisions are based on the guidelines of the CUPE 4163 Agreement, Article 13.02.

Selection criteria for all positions will include the qualifications and ability of the candidate(s) based on academic merit and related experience, the career and/or pedagogical value that the experience in a particular position will provide the student, the student’s preferences, and other sources of graduate student financial support being received.

All applications will be considered, however, priority will first be given to graduate students registered in the Department of Economics, in accordance with the department’s Appointment Priority Policy, including any graduate students with conditional offers of employment included in an offer of admission.

All TAs must have a solid background in the related subject (unless specified otherwise). Excellent command of spoken and written English is essential.

GRADUATE STUDENT APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Complete the TA Application Form and return it by 4:30pm, Friday, Aug 8th, 2025 to

Charlene Toews, Administrative Officer, Department of Economics via email: ctoews@uvic.ca

NOTE: Actual number of positions and total hours for each position are subject to funding availability and/or course enrollment or cancellation.

*The department typically hires a handful of undergrad students to work as TAs in ECON 103 and 104. Information on the application process for undergrad TAs will be emailed to all undergrad students soon.

POSITIONS ANTICIPATED IN FALL TERM (SEPT-DEC) 2025:

Course	Position	Hours Per position
ECON 103 Principles of Microeconomics	Lab Instructor Duties may include: lab instruction, TA meetings, marking, invigilation, and Help Centre hours Labs take place Tues 12:30-4:30; Wed 2:30-4:30; Thurs 2:30-3:30; Fri: 12:30-2:30	70-140
ECON 104 Principles of Macroeconomics	Lab Instructor Duties may include: lab instruction, TA meetings, marking, invigilation, and Help Centre hours Labs take place Tues 2:30-4:30; Wed 12:30-4:30	70-140
ECON 180 Introduction to Principles of Microeconomics and Financial Project Evaluation	Academic Assistant	35-105
ECON 203 Intermediate Microeconomics I	Lab Instructor TAs will perform a number of supporting tasks, including marking tests and helping to facilitate the weekly tutorial sessions. Labs take place Tues 2:30-5:30	70-140
ECON 204 Intermediate Macroeconomics	Academic Assistant	140
ECON 205 Managerial Economics	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 225 Writing for Economists	Academic Assistant TAs for this course should be good writers with experience teaching and marking English composition. A background teaching students who have English as an additional language is an asset.	140
ECON 245 Descriptive Statistics and Probability	Lab Instructor TAs will run computer labs and should be familiar with R. Labs take place Tues 1:30-3:30; Wed 2:30-4:30; Fri 1:30-2:30	70-140
ECON 246 Statistical Inference	Lab Instructor TAs will run computer labs and should be familiar with R. Labs take place Tues 12:30-2:30; Thurs 2:30-3:30	70-140
ECON 305 Money and Banking	Academic Assistant	105
ECON 306 International Economics	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 312 Urban Land Economics	Academic Assistant	70-105
ECON 313 Intermediate Microeconomics II	Academic Assistant	105
ECON 318 Health Economics	Academic Assistant	105
ECON 325 Public Economics	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 327 Economic History of North America	Academic Assistant	105
ECON 329 Development and Economics	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 333 Intro to Economic Growth	Academic Asssitant	70
ECON 345 Applied Econometrics	Lab Instructor TAs must have completed a course in applied econometrics and have experience working in R Studio and Stata. Labs take place Wed 12:30-2:30; Fri 1:30-2:20	70-140
ECON 346 Applied Econometrics II	Lab Instructor TAs must have completed a course in applied econometrics and have experience working in R Studio and Stata. Labs take place Tues 2:30-4:30; Wed 1:30-2:30	70-140
ECON 350 Mathematical Economics I	Lab Instructor Preference will be given to a student with a strong background in microeconomic theory and mathematics. Experience in Matlab and Maple is required. Labs take place Tues 4:30-5:30; Fri 1:30-2:30	70
ECON 365 Econometrics: Part I	Lab Instructor Preference will be given to a student who has successfully completed ECON 545. Experience in R Studio is required. Labs take place Tues 12:30-2:30	70
ECON 381/ES 312 Environmental Economics	Academic Assistant	105
ECON 383 Climate Economics	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 405B International Monetary Policy	Academic Assistant	35
ECON 410B Problems of Canadian Macroeconomic Policy	Academic Assistant	35
ECON 413 Economics of Firm Strategy	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 435 Financial Economics	Academic Assistant	35
ECON 450/550 Game Theory in Economics	Lab Instructor Lab takes place Tues 3:30-4:30	70
ECON 454 Theory: Corporate Finance	Academic Assistant	35
ECON 468 Financial Econometrics	Academic Assistant	70
ECON 500 Microeconomic Analysis	Tutorial Instructor Tutorial takes place Wed 10:30 - 11:30	70
ECON 545 Econometric Analysis	Lab Instructor TA must have successfully completed a graduate level econometrics course. Experience in R and Stata is required. Lab takes place Wed 9:30-10:30	70
ECON 547 Time-Series Econometrics	Lab Instructor TA must have successfully completed a graduate level econometrics course. Experience in R and Stata is required. Lab takes place Wed 11:30-12:30	70

The University is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our living, learning and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members who will work respectfully and constructively with differences and across levels of power. We actively encourage applications from members of groups experiencing barriers to equity.

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