A teaching assistantship is an exciting opportunity to share your expertise and academic interests with undergraduate students. In exchange for your service, you will receive a monthly salary, an institutional contribution toward the graduate-assistant-only health insurance premium and tuition remission to help offset the costs of your education.
Teaching requires a firm knowledge of the course material and the ability to communicate effectively with your students. If your native language is not English, you are required to take the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) test before serving as a graduate teaching assistant. Administered by the English Language Institute and coordinated with your academic department, SPEAK is designed to assess your spoken English skills and, more specifically, determine how comprehensible you will be in front of a classroom of undergraduate students.
The Test of Spoken English (TSE) taken within 2 years prior to the start of the IGTA appointment can be used as a substitute for the SPEAK test. The SPEAK is the same test as the TSE, except that it is a retired version and is administered by the university rather than by the Educational Testing Service. The TSE is the preferred test, but is not available in all countries and must be taken at least six weeks prior to admission to allow sufficient time for grading and reporting of scores by the Educational Testing Service.
You can only take the SPEAK test once, and your test score will be furnished by the Graduate School to the academic unit overseeing your assistantship. Subsequent evaluation will be based on other considerations, such as individual assessment provided at the end of further English language training.
More information about SPEAK testing
English training resources at the English Language Institute
Guidelines for the Assignment of International GTAs
