Teaching Associateship in Spanish

Teaching Associate Request to Fill Vacancy Form

Duties – Position Description:
Job duties include: Part time teaching position. Teach beginning Spanish course (as instructor of record). Prepare course assignments and attend section meetings as directed by Course Coordinator. Maintain office hours. Will be responsible for grading student work.

Minimum Qualifications:
Must have successfully completed SPAN 201 (Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language) with a grade of “B” or higher, or be enrolled in SPAN 201 during the semester in which the student intends to begin the Teaching Associateship; ability to speak, read, and write Spanish and English at advanced levels; demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently and in groups; ability and willingness to work with computers including common word-processing software, and computer and Internet-based language teaching technology.

Application Procedures: Application for Teaching Associateship is  available online via eRecruit (see Applications Materials tabs).

TA Qualification

A number of teaching associateships and graduate assistantships are available to graduate students who are enrolled in a master’s degree program and whose previous records show outstanding achievement in academic work, outstanding subject matter competence in their major field(s), and the special qualities necessary to perform the duties assigned.  Graduate Associate teaching positions are intended primarily to provide financial support to students who demonstrate promise as future scholars and teachers. 

Under the supervision of a full-time faculty member, Graduate Associates in Spanish acquire teaching experience through paid teaching experience by teaching classes in elementary Spanish at Fresno State. 

Eligibility for an initial appointment as a teaching associate or assistant in Spanish requires possession of a baccalaureate degree and admission to the master’s degree in Spanish, with at least Conditional Classified Graduate Standing.  Subsequent appointments require that students maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, and demonstrate satisfactory progress toward completion of their graduate degree.

Selection Criteria

• Must have successfully completed SPAN 201 (Teaching Spanish), or be enrolled in SPAN 201 during the first semester of the Teaching Associateship;
• Past academic performance and future academic promise;
• Ability to speak, read and write Spanish and English at advanced levels;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently and in groups;
• Ability and willingness to work with computer and Internet-based language teaching technology;
• Enrollment in a minimum of six units of approved coursework for use toward the M.A. in Spanish (Note: In order to make satisfactory progress toward the M.A. degree, the student normally needs to take a minimum of nine units, or thee courses, of M.A. coursework per semester).

Reappointment Criteria

• Availability of necessary funds in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages & Literatures;
• Satisfactory performance of all responsibilities carried out as T.A., including satisfactory student evaluations, satisfactory teaching observation reports, on-time production of testing materials for tests and quizzes common to all sections of the level of the course the T.A. is teaching, maintaining regular office hours and regular attendance at mandatory T.A. meetings.
• High academic performance;
• Satisfactory progress toward completion of the M.A. (not only in classes but on required M.A. exams as well; in other words, number of classes successfully completed, no Incomplete Grades, not putting off the taking of M.A. exams, etc.);
• Must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in applicable coursework (See “Advancement to Candidacy” in the M.A. Spanish Handbook);
• NOTE: Once TAs have completed 30 units of coursework, they are not eligible to continue as Graduate Associates (with the exception of the possibility of one extension to complete a culminating experience: comprehensive exam, thesis or project).

Department TA Policy

Any deviation may result in reconsideration for employment.

1. A TA/Instructor is to teach the class that has been assigned to him/her by the coordinator or the chair of the department.
2. A TA/Instructor is not to switch sections without prior consent of the coordinator or the department chair.
3. Under no circumstances is class to be cancelled.
4. If a TA/Instructor is sick or unable to teach his/her class, s/he is to find a substitute teacher after clearing his/her absence with the coordinator.
5. A TA/Instructor is to follow the class schedule as outlined in the class syllabus and is not to deviate from it.
6. A TA/Instructor is to follow the guidelines and policy set forth in the syllabus and is not to deviate from them.
7. A TA/Instructor is to attend all the meetings called by the coordinator or the chair unless a previous excuse has been obtained.
8. A TA/Instructor is to write the quizzes and part(s) of the exam(s) assigned to him/her by the coordinator. The hour exams are to be prepared according to the patterns set forth by the coordinator. The parts for said exams are to be prepared by the person named by the coordinator and such parts are to be handed in to the coordinator at the time assigned.
9. A TA/Instructor is to keep at least two office hours per week, post them on his/her office door or in front of his/her desk and inform his/her students of these. It is advised that these office hours are to be held at different times and days (i.e., Mo. 8:30-9:30, Tu. 10:30-11:30, Fr. 1:30-2:30).
10. A TA/Instructor is to grade the exams promptly and to follow the guidelines set for these.
11. A TA/Instructor is to keep a class record with all the students’ names and results of class work and at the end of the semester must turn it in to the coordinator.
12. Final exams are to be maintained for three years after the end of the class.
13. Exams are to be given only at the dates/times specified on the class syllabus.
14. TAs/Instructors are to give quizzes periodically to ascertain a student’s progress in class. These quizzes are already specified in the class schedule but a TA/Instructor may choose to have more (not less) of these if s/he considers it appropriate.
15. In no way is a TA/Instructor to reveal to students the content of an exam. A TA/Instructor may inform students of the format of the exam.
16. A TA/Instructor will establish a set of rules for his/her classroom that will supplement, not substitute, the rules set forth here (i.e., there will be no make-up quizzes, every three late attendances will constitute an absence). The TA/Instructor will make copies of these, hand them to the students, make sure they understand them, and give a copy to the coordinator.
17. A TA/Instructor is to give the coordinator a copy of his/her semester schedule (this is to include the class(es) s/he teaches and takes, location of these, and office hours). This is to be handed in the first week of class.
18. During the last week of class all TAs and Instructors are to have their students complete course evaluation forms. An Instructor or student who volunteers to do so and to take them to the departmental office proctors these. When they become available, that is, after the evaluations are returned from the [OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND TESTING], the TA/Instructor will discuss them with the coordinator. Please refer to the departmental policy on student evaluations for further information.
19. Hour exams are to be given on the date already specified on the class schedule, and once in the classroom the TA/Instructor is to hand these out individually to the students. Do not pass them down the row.
20. The first day of class TAs/Instructors are to go over the class syllabus carefully and to make sure that the students fully understand what is expected of them. Make sure that they comprehend the departmental and university policies listed on the syllabus.
21. A TA/Instructor is to follow all policy and regulations set forth by the coordinator and the chair of the department.
22. All TAs/Instructors are required to attend orientation sessions at the beginning of each semester. IF suggested by a coordinator, a TA/Instructor is required to attend another section of the course being taught.
23. In order to be considered for reappointment, a TA must be making satisfactory progress toward completion of the MA degree, as stipulated in the Information Guide for MA Students in Spanish.
24. TA/Instructor appointments are not complete until the final exam(s) are evaluated and grades are submitted.

List of materials required to complete the application for Teaching Associate

1. Online university application via eRecruit,

• To enter eRecruit:
  • Go to Fresno State Jobs click on "Current Faculty, Staff, Students" or
  • Login to https://my.fresnostate.edu and scroll to "eRecruit".
  • Search for the job announcement for Teaching Associate-Spanish (Department of Modern and Classical Languages).
  • eRecruit tutorial

2. Department TA application, to be uploaded to eRecruit.  Please download the application. Complete this document, save file as "YourLastName-DeptApp" and Upload to eRecruit when completed.

3. Current unofficial transcripts from your undergraduate and graduate education.  If you have attended more than one institution, please copy and combine these transcripts into one document.

• How to submit your unofficial transcripts 
  • If you are a Fresno State student:  Sign into https://my.fresnostate.edu.  Access your Unofficial Transcript.  Highlight all text throughout the document, copy it and paste it into a word processor document, and save the document with your name somewhere in the file name. 
  • If you are not yet a Fresno State student:  Most U.S. universities allow students to access their academic records online, in a way similar to the way described above for Fresno State students.  Contact your institution’s registrar to find out how to access your unofficial transcript and follow the process described above.  If you have transcripts from more than one institution, please copy them all and paste them into one document, as eRecruit only allows one document to be uploaded into the link for transcripts.  Make certain that each institution is clearly indicated within this document.

4. Curriculum Vita, or résumé.  Your Curriculum Vita, or CV, is the academic equivalent of a résumé.  It should contain your contact information, your employment and educational history, skills such as computer programming, familiarity with commonly used computer programs, as well as internships, awards, volunteer service, training and any other experience you have that is relevant to education.

5. Personal Statement on teaching, your preparedness for teaching, and your personal and professional goals. This need be only a 1-2 page document in which you describe what skills and knowledge base you possess that you believe would make you a good university-level Spanish instructor, why you would like to teach Spanish at the university level, what your future goals are, and what you hope to gain from the experience of being a Spanish TA here at Fresno State. 

• If you are a native speaker of English, you must write this document in Spanish, and if you are a native speaker of Spanish, you must write it in English. 
• If you are not a native speaker of either Spanish or English, please compose it in Spanish.  

6. Voice Recording: A 1-2 minute voice recording in English and in Spanish summarizing your academic and professional goals. This cannot be uploaded to eRecruit, therefore, it must be e-mailed directly to Professor Elsa Castillo.

• Instructions for making and submitting a sound recording.

Note: The Department must receive the Department TA Application, University e-Recruit Application, personal statement and transcripts by the application deadline. Following a review of applications, the TA Hiring Committee may invite you to an interview. Interview and hiring decision dates will be announced. Phone interviews will be conducted for out-of-State applicants.