General Information
If sufficient funds are available, it is the Department's intention to provide support to graduate students through annual Teachings Assistantships. Such funding is contingent on satisfactory academic progress.
Most teaching assistants’ principal service to the university is to teach, under the supervision of a faculty member, one elementary language class of about 25 students, meeting five hours per week. Teaching assistants are given orientation at the beginning of each year and other advice and assistance as needed; supervisors and teaching assistants meet periodically for discussion of relevant problems. Teaching assistants’ duties, including class preparation, correction of papers and quizzes, office hours and meetings, amount to approximately twenty hours each week, up to a maximum of 220 hours per quarter.
Eligibility and Renewal
Eligibility is dependent on admission to the Graduate School and acceptance to the department as an instructor of French. Within the limits of financial possibility and subject to certain conditions, the most important of which are maintaining satisfactory progress toward a degree and demonstrating competence as classroom teachers, French and Italian Studies graduate students holding regular appointments will be reappointed annually for the full term of their eligibility (six quarters for M.A. students, nine additional quarters for Ph.D. students). Students must maintain the minimum registration requirement of 10 credits per quarter applicable towards their degree in autumn, winter and spring, and 2 credits in the summer (if there is a course for the student to teach in the summer and the student chooses to teach).
Training
All teaching assistants attend a training program that prepares them for their teaching assignments. New and returning appointees must be present for a required planning and training period, and will be notified in writing when that training begins (usually about September 16). Training will include lectures by the faculty, filmed and live demonstrations of college language courses, practice readings and the preparation of teaching and testing materials. Additionally, international students are required to attend the International Teaching Assistant (ITA) program, which covers cross-cultural communication, teaching strategies, and second language practice. In addition, all new teaching assistants in French take FRENCH 510, Methodology of French Language Teaching (3 credits), and FRENCH 590, Foreign Language Teaching Methodology (2 credits) in autumn quarter. HEALTH BENEFITS. Teaching assistants are eligible for benefits provided by the Graduate Appointee Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance Program (GAIP). The plan year runs October 1 through September 30, as long as eligibility requirements are met. Current GAIP coverage is administered by LifeWise Assurance Company. The University pays the full monthly premiums for eligible TAs. If TAs decide to insure eligible dependents, the University pays a portion of the dependent premiums. A full description of the benefits for recent plan years may be looked up on the benefits website.
Union Representation
Teaching assistants are classified as Academic Student Employee (ASE) and their appointments are governed by a contract between the UW and UAW. Each ASE will be offered an opportunity to join UAW and, as a member, will pay dues each pay period. If an ASE should choose not to become a member, the contract requires paying a monthly service fee.
Application
If you are applying to enter a graduate program in French or Italian Studies, use the Assistantship Application for French and Italian Studies applicants. If you are applying to or enrolled in another graduate program, use the Assistantship Application for applicants from outside FIS. Return your form, with the supporting documentation, as early as possible. Admission to the Graduate School is a necessary condition for every appointment to a teaching assistantship. This matter should be attended to with care and dispatch, since the university places limits on enrollment. The Graduate School informs applicants directly of their admissions decisions. International students should submit their application for admission to the Graduate School as soon as possible, preferably by November 1 of the fall before desired admission, due to the time needed to apply and obtain a visa.
English Language Proficiency for Non-Native English Speakers
Graduate students who are not native English speakers must fulfill the English language proficiency requirements as stated in Graduate School Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements (formerly Memo 8) and meet the spoken English proficiency requirement in Graduate School Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English (formerly Memo 15) to be able to teach. The most common way to do this is to submit scores from the TOEFL iBT, or TOEFL pBT. Or IELTS test scores taken before June 1, 2017 (but must be less than 2 years old on upon acceptance into the graduate program) are still accepted. All test scores, no more than two years old, must be submitted directly by the testing service. Sign up for a test right away to avoid application problems.
Announcement of Awards
Offers to applicants will normally be made before April 1. Under the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, and Assistants, applicants are under no obligation to respond to an offer from any school before April 15. Written acceptance of a position offered is required for a teaching assistantship to be considered official.