Supervisions - Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Graduate Teaching Assistant? Is this correct when I'm an undergraduate?
"Graduate Teaching Assistant", or GTA, is the general term used to refer to students who are employed to teach. Generally undergraduate students are employed as GTA4 (or FA4) on the payroll scale, and are referred to as "Graduate Teaching Assistants".
Postgraduate students are employed at the FA5 payroll scale, and are referred to as "Senior Graduate Teaching Assistants".
I don't yet know my grades. Can I still apply?
Yes, you may apply before getting your results; this can apply to both the results released in July, and to any September resits.
A decision on whether you will be permitted to take on the supervision role will me made after the results are released, but due to the administrative process of registering new GTAs it is necessary to begin this process early.
I don't have any past teaching experience. Can I still become a supervisor?
For many supervisors this role will be their first teaching experience. Having taught before is not a requirement.
I applied to become a supervisor but no longer wish to do so. Can I withdraw?
Yes, this will not be a problem. Please notify Mark Cummings (M.S.Cummings@warwick.ac.uk) and he can remove you from the list.
I missed the deadline on the advert. Can I still become a supervisor?
There will be two recruitment periods, one with a deadline at the start of August, and a second with a deadline in September. If you miss the first round you may still apply in the second round.
If you miss the deadline for the second round, we will be unable to get you registered on the system to supervise in Term 1. However, it may still be possible to become a supervisor later in the year, such as at the start of Term 2. If you wish to do so, please let Mark Cummings know.
I'm on a student visa. Am I allowed to become a supervisor?
This will depend on the conditions of your visa. Most student visas permit a student to take on some work alongside the studies, and so long as you do not go over the limit you will be fine. Information on this can be found on the university's Visa Advice Service pages.
All new GTAs are required to undergo a right-to-work check; as part of this you will need to show your visa to confirm that you are allowed to work alongside your studies.
It is also recommended to check whether your visa provides you with a National Insurance Number (needed for tax purposes). If you do not have one, either through your visa or otherwise, you should apply for one. Make sure to use the official government website for this, and not third-party sites.
What are the payment rates?
The standard university payment rates can be found at: Salary Scales and Costs. An undergraduate will start at Spine Point 16 (in the FA4 pay grade). Postgraduates begin at spine point 22 in the FA5 pay grade.
Note that you will be paid an hourly rate, based on the expected hours of the role. You should claim the hours that will be listed on your contract.
Due to the nature of the role you cannot take leave. Instead, you will accrue "holiday pay", at the rate of approximately 17.12% (i.e. for each hour worked, you will also receive 17.12% of an hour holiday pay). You may claim all accrued holiday pay at any time; due to the limitations of the system, you cannot claim part of the accrued pay and must take all of it at once. Holiday pay will then accrue for all further work, and can also be claimed.
What are the steps of the recruitment process?
To become a GTA, the process is as follows:
- Respond to the job advert before the deadline
- After the deadline a list of all applicants will be sent to the Supervisions Coordinator to determine who should proceed (rejections are generally due to unsuitability for the role, such as low grades)
- You will be invited to an "interview". Due to the large number of supervisors, for undergraduate students this is handled through an online form with some questions to encourage you to think about your attitude towards teaching. There are no right or wrong answers; the purpose is simply for you to consider your views. We need you to complete the "interview" before you can be added to the system.
- After all "interviews" are complete, the list of accepted applicants is sent to the GTA team (a division of Human Resources)
- The GTA team will contact you with some paperwork to fill in (so that you can be added to Payroll), and they will also need you to attend a right-to-work check
- We will arrange a mass right-to-work check, taking pace during Week 1 of the Autumn term, in the Maths department. You should try to attend during this time. Note that the GTA team may specify a particular hour, but this is simply to spread everyone out; you may see them during the time that they are present. For home students, you will need to bring some form of ID (passport is preferable). International students will also need to provide a copy of your student visa. Relevant details will be provided nearer the time.
Once the process is complete, you will be issued with a staff IT account and ID number. This means you are now registered as a GTA, and can be issued contracts for the work that you do.
I have a question that isn't answered here.
Please send any questions to the Supervisions Coordinator, currently Mark Cummings (M.S.Cummings@warwick.ac.uk).