Navigating On-Campus Assistantship Opportunities

New York City is an expensive place to live; if you’re looking for on-campus job opportunities to help cushion some of your expenses, start your search with the assistantships! There are four types of assistantships - Teaching Assistants, Readers, Program Assistants, and Student Assistants - each of which are connected to either a specific course or program. We interviewed current second-year students about their assistantships to give you a better idea of how your responsibilities and experiences could vary based on the position. Check out the SIPA website for more information about the application process, job descriptions, and salary.

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Ferdinand Pehamberger (MIA ‘23): Teaching Assistant (TA) for Energy System Fundamentals (ESF)

Can you provide an overview of your main responsibilities and the approximate time commitment for each?

My responsibilities include:

• Setting up before lecture (slides, Zoom, AV system), attending lecture, and answering student questions after lecture (2 hours/week);
• Holding office hours (2 hours/week); 
• Administrative work like uploading slides and problem sets, answering emails, and answering questions on the class discussion board (1-2 hours/week); 
• Holding office hours (2 hours/week); 
• Grading problem sets (3-4 hours/week); 
• Attending and teaching recitation (3 hours/week); 
• Attending weekly coordination meeting with my professor (1 hour/week)

What do you find most rewarding and challenging about the position?

It is very rewarding to observe students’ progress throughout the semester and to see how they grapple with the material and eventually come to understand and apply it. Being able to lend them a hand during that process is extremely gratifying. The most challenging part is finding the right balance between grading too harshly and being too lenient. 

How did you decide which course or program to apply for a position in?

ESF was my favorite class in my first semester and remains one of my all-time favorite classes at SIPA. I knew from the beginning that this was the class I wanted to TA for, and I was excited to be able to sit in on the lectures again. 

What tips do you have for students looking to apply for an assistantship?

Do well when you are taking the class, build a relationship with the professor, and make sure to express your interest in becoming a TA to him.

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Jheel Patel (MIA ‘23): Reader for Quantitative Analysis I

Can you provide an overview of your main responsibilities and the approximate time commitment for each?

My main responsibilities as a reader are:

• Guiding students with solving practice exercises in class (2 hours/week)
• Office hours to help students better understand class concepts (2 hours/week)
• Grading problem sets and some exams (0-5 hours/week)
• Attending teaching team meetings (1 hour/week)
• Private tutoring (by appointment ~2 hours/month)
• Helping students with STATA set-up in recitations (only first 3 weeks of semester)

What do you find most rewarding and challenging about the position?

Watching an abstract concept finally “click” in a student’s mind is the most rewarding part of being a reader. After working with a student who doesn’t understand a concept, figuring out a way to explain the concept in a way that makes sense to them is such a rewarding challenge. I love working with people, and everyone understands things differently, so finding a way that works for that specific student is challenging but rewarding when you finally see their face brighten with that “aha” moment.

The most challenging part of the position is the monotony of grading, but the professor and teaching team do a wonderful job to actually make it a fun time. 

How did you decide which course or program to apply for a position in?

I never expected to be a Reader for Quantitative Analysis. My background is in Psychology and the idea of taking Quant was daunting. However, as I struggled through the problem sets, the concepts surprisingly clicked in my brain, and I even enjoyed (?!) STATA. I also thought Doru was a funny professor who I would enjoy working with. Because of this, and because I wanted to help other students like me who were daunted by the idea of Quant, I decided to be a reader for Quant.

What tips do you have for students looking to apply for an assistantship?

• Show off how your experiences relate to your expertise in the subject matter.
• Show off your teaching/coaching skills if you have any.
• Your work in the class is important – do your best on the problem sets and exams. These results show the professor that you understand the concepts enough to teach them.
• Talk with the professor to see if you would enjoy working with them.
• Make sure you have the time to invest in the position – it is less of a time commitment than being a TA, but still requires a decent amount of effort.

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Thea Koehn: Program Assistant (PA) for the Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy (HRHP) Department

Can you provide an overview of your main responsibilities and the approximate time commitment for each?

My main responsibilities are student engagement and providing organization support to the department. In practice that means organizing student events, writing the HRHP newsletter, offering weekly office hours, and ensuring that we have a tight-knit HRHP community! 

What do you find most rewarding and challenging about the position?

I find engaging with students particularly rewarding. I enjoy helping out and making sure everyone has their best possible SIPA experience. It’s also just really fun to get to know the first years and attend events with them. The one thing that can be challenging is that you receive questions at all times of the day and you don’t have fixed working hours! 

How did you decide which course or program to apply for a position in?

I am in the HRHP department and therefore applied to be an HRHP PA. 

What tips do you have for students looking to apply for an assistantship?

To apply to be a PA you rank this role as one of your choices during the yearly SIPA recruitment for on-campus positions. I would definitely recommend speaking to your program coordinator (who will be your future boss and decide who will get the program assistantship) in advance, so that when he sees your application he can put a face to the name.