Her professor wants her as an unpaid teaching assistant in final year

ivory_sparrow_5312 May 2026

Daughter finished third year last week. One of her professors has asked her to be a TA for the second-years next semester. Grading lab records, one tutorial a week, roughly eight to ten hours. No pay, a certificate at the end. She's tempted. I'm a school administrator, so naturally I think teaching is the best thing anyone can do 🙂 but final year is also placements, the project and whatever else they pile on. Her friends say it 'doesn't count' for jobs in her field. Has anyone's child done this in final year? Was it worth it, or did it swallow the year?

2 comments

quiet_kettle_14272 May 2026
Eight to ten hours a week sounds manageable on paper, but grading tends to arrive in piles right before exams, which is exactly when her own work will pile up too. I'd ask the professor what the worst week looks like, not the average one. If she still wants it after hearing that, the fact that she's tempted tells you something about what she enjoys. That's worth more than the certificate ❤️
cedar_pebble_1862 May 2026
When a teacher chooses a student, it means trust. My cousin's son did something like this in his last year of B.Com and the same sir later wrote him a recommendation letter for his first job. I think she should do it if she can manage. But she must tell the professor clearly which weeks are her exams, before saying yes.