Hiring Policy

STATEMENT OF HIRING POLICY
APPOINTMENT OF TEACHING ASSISTANTS
COVERED BY THE CUPE LOCAL 3902 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT UNIT 1

I. APPOINTMENTS                                                                                 

A.    Posting of Vacancies

1. Where are the notices located?

2. When are the notices posted?

  • Notices are posted by July for the Fall and Winter sessions and by February for the Summer sessions

3. Are other means of notifying potential applicants used?

  • All Psychology graduate students supervised by University of Toronto Mississauga Psychology professors are notified by e-mail.

4. Are vacancies posted in other departments? If so, which department?

  • No, vacancies are posted only in the Department of Psychology.

B.   Application Procedures

1.  Where are the application forms located?

2.  What is the procedure to be followed by the applicant in order to be considered?

  • Applicants should submit an application on or before the set deadline

NOTE: Application MUST be submitted by the deadline or may not be considered.  Applicants with special needs may request to submit application in person, by mail or by facsimile.

C.  Selection

1.  By whom is the decision to employ teaching assistants made?

  • By the Psychology Academic Counsellor and Associate Chair in consultation with departmental faculty.

2. Article 16:03 of the Collective Agreement outlines the hiring criteria used when filling positions. How does your department put these criteria into practice?

The following criteria are used when filling TA positions:

  1. Ability, academic qualifications and suitability for the position, the University’s need to attract excellent students to pursue graduate studies in Psychology and financial need as appropriate.
  2. Adequate background in the appropriate area of psychology. Previous experience may be required for particular courses.
  3. We endeavour to provide all full-time University of Toronto Mississauga Psychology graduate students with some form of teaching assistantship.  Appointments are made to specific positions conditional upon satisfactory progress in the graduate program.
  4. We reserve the right to post positions to Unit 3 if the Unit 1 search did not yield a satisfactory Unit 1 candidate.

3. When are applicants advised of the outcome of their applications?

  • For the fall and winter sessions on or before August 7
  • For the summer session on or before April 22

D. Graduate Student Funding Policy

1.  In your department, how do TA appointments fit within the University's Graduate Student Funding Policy?
We include TA hours as part of the funding package for all students, excluding those with a major external award (eg. $35,000 CGS-D).
Without an External Award: The base funding for a student without an external award is $19,500 plus tuition and fees: $7,000 from their supervisor, $8,200 TAship and approximately $4,300 UTF (University of Toronto Fellowship) stipend. 
With an External Award: For students who receive an OGS ($15,000): $6,150 TAship, $3,000 from their supervisor, $4,500 UTF (students pay their own tuition and fees). Students who receive more generous external funding generally receive $6,150 TAship, $2,000 from their supervisor and $4,000 UTF.

2. In your department, how many hours of bargaining unit work count towards the funding guarantee in each year of study?  Does the number of hours vary with the year in program?

The number of TA hours counted towards the funding guarantee varies from 90-180 hours depending on whether or not the students holds an external award. The average TA appointment is 180 hours.

II. REAPPOINTMENTS

1. Does the department provide appointments beyond the number guaranteed in the Collective Agreement?

  • Yes, as long as employees maintain their registration as University of Toronto Mississauga Psychology graduate students, subject to availability of TA hours. 

2. Subsequent appointments are guaranteed to certain employees under the Collective Agreement (see article 16:05); how are subsequent appointments assigned?

  • Preferences indicated by students will be considered when making assignments
  • Students eligible for subsequent appointments are notified by mail and are required to indicate their intention to accept or decline their subsequent appointment.
  • Students with subsequent appointments are assigned appointments prior to job posting of available positions

3. Are there any other conditions governing re-appointments?

  • Yes – Students who receive unsatisfactory performance reviews in 2 or more subsequent terms may not be offered a further Teaching Assistantship.

 

The Department reserves the right to permit exceptions to the foregoing policy where circumstances warrant, provided exceptions do not violate the Collective Agreement.