Department of Physics and Astronomy
Applications for Teaching Assistantships

Applications for Summer 2013

Applications for Fall 2013

Information about Positions

General

Wages: See gardner.byu.edu/tas/wages for information about wages.

Grades: We will usually not hire students with poor grades in physics courses.

Spring and Summer Terms: We have few positions available, so we usually only hire physics majors and some non-physics majors with experience.

Rehiring: An application form must be filled out for each semester or term you wish to work. You are not automatically rehired for the same position you held during the previous semester or term. In fact, depending on the needs of the department, you may not even be rehired.

Tutorial Lab

If you are employed to work in the tutorial lab, you will be helping students with their homework problems. There are two tutorial labs, 105/121 (for students in physics 105 and 121) and 106/123/220 (for students in physics 106, 123, and 220). (During the spring and summer terms, these two labs are combined.) To work in the 105/121 tutorial lab, you must have completed physics 121 and 123. To work in the 106/123/220 tutorial lab, you must have completed physics 220 as well. (To work in the combined lab in the spring or summer term, you must have completed physics 121, 123, and 220.)

TAs who work in the tutorial lab are expected to attend a weekly tutor preparation session. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory. There is a separate session for each physics course: 105, 106, 121, 123, and 220. Each session is two hours long (three hours in the spring and summer terms). In each session, the TAs help each other work the homework problems they will be helping students with during the coming week. This prepares the TAs to be especially prepared to help to students in that course. However, TAs are expected to help all students in the lab, not just those in the course they have prepared for.

The times for the tutor prep sessions are given at gardner.byu.edu/tas/tutorprep.html. You will also find some additional information at that link. Note that the days and times for the prep sessions change each semester.

If you want to be considered for employment in the tutorial lab, then (1) you must be willing to work at least 8 hrs/week (10 hrs/week in the spring and summer terms) which includes the time in the prep sessions and (2) you must be available for one of the prep sessions in the tutorial lab you are qualified to work in. Be sure to fill out a schedule, following the link provided after you have filled out the application form. Without this schedule, we don't know which tutor prep sessions you are available for and we cannot offer you employment.

Lab Instructor

We hire instructors for our lab courses. For physics 107 and 108, we prefer to hire students who have completed physics 140 and 145 with good grades. For physics 140, 145, 240, 245, 230, 330, 430, we prefer to hire students who have completed the course with a good grade.

Graders

We hire graders for most of our courses. You must have completed the course with a good grade.

Astronomy Courses

We hire TAs for the astronomy courses using recommendations from the astronomy faculty. Be sure to submit an application form.