Working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Institute for Critical Disability Studies

These are the minimum qualifications for working as an ICDS GTA. Meeting all of these qualifications is required in order to hire a candidate:

• GTAs are expected to keep reliable and timely communication with ICDS co-directors and staff during business hours, including: email correspondence, responding to calendar invitations for scheduled meetings, and taking initiative to reschedule meetings that are missed.
• GTAs should have experience in writing in genres including formal emails, event announcements, and profile articles. Clear prompts and coaching will be provided to improve your skills in this area.
• GTAs must responsibly handle sensitive information, such as when working with confidential student or personal information and coursework.
• GTAs must stay current on required WWU ADEI trainings and abide by ICDS policies on supporting accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI).

Meeting one or more of these preferred qualifications makes the student a stronger candidate for the position, but are not required to be hired:

• Knowledge and experience in disability studies, advocacy, accessibility, and/or universal design is highly preferred, but not required.
• Proficiency in writing in diverse genres, including blogging, social media, email, meeting minutes, and summaries of events is preferred, but not required.
• Experience in student or community leadership, for example in a student club or community organization is preferred, but not required.

ICDS GTA roles can span a broad range of support areas.  Primary job responsibilities are intended to directly support the Institute, Critical Disability Studies coursework and minors, and the ICDS student community. All GTAs hold regular weekly office hours (virtual or face-to-face), and serve as supporting members for the activities of the ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC). 

Additional specific GTA responsibilities will include a curated subset of the following listed roles in three main areas of support need.  Roles are determined for each GTA individually upon mutual discussion and agreement between GTA and Institute Co-Directors. We will aim to choose work that both satisfies the ICDS needs and GTAs professional development goals. Specific roles may vary from quarter to quarter, depending on seasonal curricular and programmatic needs

• Academic support
  • Work with faculty teaching disability studies courses outside of class time by grading, providing feedback on writing, and/or moderating online discussions
  • Work with faculty teaching disability studies courses to assist during class time with classroom activities and/or moderating topical discussions
  • Holding office hours for students in disability studies courses
  • Work with faculty to design curriculum on disability-related topics, if needed
• Program support
  • Designing and/or delivering professional development workshops
  • Leading community support group activities
  • Helping to organize ICDS guest speaker event logistics
  • UnConference support: During and in advance of our October event:
    • Organizing and facilitating the annual UnConference panels and workshops
    • Mentoring and/or supervising UnConference student workers
  • Coordinating event logistics such as food and room setup, or designing and printing materials
  • Co-hosting and representing ICDS at outreach and informational tabling events
• Institute support
  • Keeping records and reporting to ICDS co-directors: this includes attending and taking notes on ICDS meetings
  • Writing blog posts and newsletter articles about the ICDS programs
  • Mentoring undergraduate student workers
  • Serving on standing committees
  • Serving in a mentor and advisory role to support the operations of the ICDS Student Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Interfacing with various offices and WWU student groups

This position is open to all WWU graduate students regardless of disability status or field of study.

We are particularly interested in welcoming applicants with diverse and intersecting identities, particularly disabled, neurodivergent, chronically ill, BIPOC, queer and gender non-conforming individuals, and veterans.

Please note: If your graduate program is not state-supported (i.e. is offered through OCE, office of continuing education), you cannot received salaried GTA support and must apply for an hourly nonsalaried position.

Note: Due to funding, the ICDS GTA positions are only available as half-time salaried or hourly nonsalaried for AY 2025-26. We are not able to hire on full-time GTAs this year.

GTA positions are typically available as full-time salaried, half-time salaried, and hourly nonsalaried. The position requires approximately 20 hours per week for full-time appointments, 10 hours per week for half-time, and between 5-9 hours per week for hourly (non-salaried) positions.

Salaried GTAs will receive the standard pay and health insurance benefits of an academic graduate teaching assistant. Full-time and half-time salaried positions include full graduate tuition waivers.  Compensation for hourly nonsalaried GTA positions will be consistent with the current wage schedule for graduate assistants.

GTAs will report directly to the ICDS Co-Directors. Hourly GTA positions require timely reporting of hours through electronic time sheets maintained by the GTA and approved by the ICDS.

These appointments differ in salary, benefits, minimum enrollment to apply, and whether other campus jobs can be accepted simultaneously. Paychecks are disbursed twice a month).

• full-time salaried: 
  • 20 hours/week ICDS Graduate Assistant Work
  • salary: $6024 per quarter paid in 6 installments
  • tuition waiver: Full (waiver does not cover student fees: full table of cost here)
  • benefits include health insurance
  • enrollment: must be enrolled full-time, or at least 8 credits per quarter of employment in a state-supported WWU graduate program
  • Other campus jobs: No other campus jobs can be accepted
    • generally, a graduate student is limited to 6 quarters of salaried GTA work through the WWU Graduate School.
• half-time salaried: 
  • 10 hours/week ICDS Grad Assistant Work
  • salary: $3012 per quarter, in 6 installments
  • tuition waiver: Partial (full table of cost here)
  • benefits include health insurance
  • enrollment: must be enrolled full-time, or at least 8 credits per quarter of employment in a state-supported WWU graduate program
  • Other campus jobs: can be accepted, up to 9 hrs/wk
• hourly nonsalaried:
  • 5 – 9 hours/week ICDS Grad Assistant Work
  • non-salaried hourly rate: consistent with the WWU wage schedule for graduate students
    • Student must record hours worked and submit biweekly time sheets that are then approved by the ICDS.
  • tuition waiver: None
  • student covers health insurance
  • enrollment: must be enrolled at least half-time, or 4 credits per quarter (graduate half-time)
    • Any WWU graduate student can be paid hourly, including grad students in continuing education (OCE) graduate programs.
  • Other campus jobs: can be accepted

No, the tuition waiver does not cover student fees: a full table of costs for 2023-2024 is linked here

For salaried (full-time and half-time) positions, you must be enrolled full-time, or 8 credits per quarter minimum, for each quarter you will be employed as a salaried grad assistant.

For non-salaried (hourly part-time) positions, you do not have to be enrolled full-time, but you do need to be enrolled at least half-time, or 4 credits per quarter minimum, for each quarter you will be employed as a grad assistant.