Job Opportunities (BX)

The University of California, Berkeley employs more than 2,000 Academic Student Employees (ASE) each academic term. The terms and conditions of employment for individuals holding ASE appointments are described in the UAW Contract.

ASE's are employed at Berkeley in four different job titles. Following is a general description of the duties performed by appointees in each of the titles

• Graduate Student Instructor (GSI): The GSI's may be employed at one of four different levels. Following is a brief description for each level.
  • Step I: No graduate level teaching experience, or has completed fewer than four semesters of teaching as a GSI at UCB. Duties include leading discussion sections or labs and instructing prescribed course content. GSI's may not be solely responsible for instructional content of the course, selection of assignments, planning of exams, or final determination of course grades, although the GSI may assist in above tasks in collaboration with the instructor of record who has final authority. GSIs cannot be compelled to deliver a lecture.
  • Step II: at least 4 semesters of GSI teaching.
  • Step III: at least 6 semesters of teaching as a GSI or as an AI-GS.
  • Step IV: at least 8 semesters of teaching experience; and must be advanced to doctoral candidacy.

• Acting Instructor - Graduate Student (AI-GS): Appointees to the Graduate Student Acting Instructor title are employed to render services as the Instructor of Record for a particular upper division course as approved by the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division and approved by the Committee on Courses. In that role, the Acting Instructor shall have independent responsibility for developing the course syllabus, reading assignments, assignment of grades including response to grade appeals, and other duties as assigned. All Graduate Student Acting Instructors must be registered and enrolled Berkeley students who have been advanced to candidacy in a doctoral program and have at least two years of post-baccalaureate university- or college-level teaching experience. More information on AI-GS duties and responsibilities can be found in the revised May 2, 2016 Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of Graduate Student Instructors. AI-GS case submission guidelines and deadlines are here.
  
  
• Reader: Readers and Tutors will usually be graduate students, but qualified undergraduate students may be employed as Readers or Tutors when graduate students are not available. Professional readers, not enrolled as students, may be employed to meet special needs.

  Duties are assigned by the hiring department and are included in the written notification of appointment provided to the appointee by the department. Appointees to the Reader title are employed to render diverse services as course assistants, which will normally include the grading of student papers and examinations. Subject to assignment by the department, duties might also include attendance at lectures, office hours, consultation with the instructor, and other course-related duties. Readers may not perform teaching duties.

• Tutor: Readers and Tutors will usually be graduate students, but qualified undergraduate students may be employed as Readers or Tutors when graduate students are not available. Professional readers, not enrolled as students, may be employed to meet special needs.

  Duties are assigned by the hiring department and are included in the written notification of appointment provided to the appointee by the department. Appointees to the Tutor title are employed to render individual or group instructional activities in support of regular academic programs. Under supervision, a Tutor’s duties may include individual tutoring sessions, group tutoring sessions, presentation at workshops, and other duties as assigned. Tutors do not perform teaching duties assigned to the GSI series.

ASE's who are in positions that require registration and enrollment must be registered and enrolled as Berkeley students. ASE's must meet minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements (3.0), may have no more than two Incomplete grades in upper division or graduate level courses, and are expected to make satisfactory progress toward their degrees within the Normative Time for their programs. Students on academic probation are not eligible to hold ASE titles (lapsing of candidacy is a form of academic probation). Students with Course Work Only or Visitor designation may not hold academic appointments unless the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division has approved an exception in advance.

Where registration and enrollment is required, ASE's must register and enroll in a minimum of 12 units per semester during the term in which they serve. When registration and enrollment in a 300 series course is required for the position, the ASE is required to enroll, participate in, and complete the 300 series course. The only exception to the registration rule is approved Filing Fee status; students on Filing Fee status may only serve as Readers or Tutors, which do not require registration.

ASE's who are students may not be appointed to any academic (or nonacademic title) or combination of titles for more than 50 percent time during academic semesters without appropriate exceptional approval.

Students on F-1 visas do not require permission to hold ASE appointments for 50% or less of full-time during the regular academic term. All ASEs on J-1 visas must have permission from their program sponsors to hold an ASE appointment.

In addition to the campuswide qualifications described above, departments may have additional departmental level qualifications for positions. The qualifications for positions are established at the sole discretion of the University. Exceptions to campuswide qualifications may only be requested by the hiring department, and if different with the approval of the student’s home department, and can only be approved by the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division. Requests for exception to campuswide qualifications should be sent to Associate Dean for Student Support via gradappt@berkeley.edu.

Individuals who want additional information about the numbers of ASE positions that departments have projected for the coming academic year, as well as contact information to find out more about positions at the departmental level, should check the Expected ASE Job Opportunities table. Please note: this information is only a projection and is not a guarantee of the actual number of ASE positions that will be available or filled.

Consistent with the provisions of applicable state and federal law, the University shall not engage in discrimination or harassment of any person seeking employment with the University of California on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, HIV status, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran, political affiliation, or union activity. For purposes of this paragraph, medical condition means any health impairment related to or associated with the diagnosis of cancer, or health impairments related to genetic characteristics.

Additional information about campus appointments for graduate students is available through the Graduate Division website:

Graduate Division Appointments Office

Graduate Student Academic Appointments Handbook