Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

If you are interested in becoming a UTA, there are important things to note:

• Only Year 3 and 4 undergraduate students are permitted to undertake work as a UTA.
• Your work as a UTA must not interfere with your studies. If you feel overwhelmed with your workload and UTA hours, then please contact the Student Office straight away.
• You are only allowed to assist with one module per week.
• UTAs are not normally allowed to work more than 4 hours per week (there may be some flexibility with the number of hours per week in the summer term for wet labs).
• Once your allocation for a specific module has been confirmed, you should be available to work for every session throughout the term (including reading week if required).
• If, for any reason, you cannot attend a session you should inform the Senior Timetabling Officer and the module lead as early as possible.
• You can only assist with modules where the cohort is junior to yourself. This means Year 3 UGs can only assist with Year 1 and 2 modules and Year 4 UGs can assist with Year 1, 2 and 3 modules.
• You should have taken the module you are interested in assisting with and achieved a solid 2:1 or higher. Your overall mark for the corresponding year should also be a 2:1 or higher.
• If a UTA opportunity is available and you may be eligible, details will be sent to you directly.
• You may be asked to attend an initial interview with the module lead.
• Work is then allocated on a 'best-fit' basis depending on interest, skills, experience and availability.

You will be expected to attend briefings and follow guidance from the module leader in preparation for the teaching sessions. This might also include proactively initiating contact yourself. Once your allocation has been confirmed, you will be enrolled on the relevant module area on Blackboard. You are expected to adequately familiarise yourself with the teaching resources available and ensure you are equipped to contextualise and summarise the module material.

You will always be supported and guided during these sessions, either by a member of academic staff, a lab leader or a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA).

UTA testimonials
"She gave me some really helpful tips on thinking about how to design a circuit. She genuinely seemed to enjoy helping us.”

“He is open to students’ sugestions and listens to their ideas. He will then build upon those ideas and try to improve on them or help the student work out the answer themselves rather than enforcing his own opinion.”