So this is one of the questions many undergraduate students have and I get asked all the time. So today I thought of answering your question. How to be a TA or an RA. I will start with TA because I was a one for a year.
First of all lets talk about the job role. A TA is responsible for doing all the practicals, marking the reports, invigilating exams and conducting tutorials. It can be undergraduate or sometimes postgraduate. You get paid around 40000 LKR in many government and private universities. Usually after completing the undergraduate degree you can apply for the position in the department you studied and based on the qualifications and the number of vacancies you will be offered a position. In most of the departments the maximum duration is 1 year.
When it comes to RA positions it is not very straightforward as TA positions. Most of the time the RA posts are offered to graduate students who are conducting research. However it is possible to join an existing research team as a RA if there are vacancies available. So if you want to be an RA you have to stay on alert about the vacancies and apply as soon as you spot a one. You might need good experience in doing research and handling necessary laboratory equipment.
If I am to talk about the pros and cons I would say it has both, but it depends. For an example if you are planning on going for higher education after the bachelors degree a TA or an RA position is ideal because it lets you work during the time gap between the completion of the undergraduate degree and enrolment of the graduate degree. And you can use that time to do another research and add to your portfolio as well. On the other hand if you are someone who wants to join the industry I would say it will be a bad idea to become a TA because it is not going to get you to a career path. It is better to focus on a job that will offer you a career instead of becoming a teaching assistant for a temporary period of time.
Thank you for your emails and please let me know if I should write more on certain topics.. Feel free to email or comment down below!
Comments
Post a Comment