Frustrated with TA scheduling

[c3honey84]

Can someone please explain to me if all schools are like this? I was given a TA schedule teaching labs on monday and tuesday which was great since I am an out of state commuter. I arranged for overnight housing on monday night. Two days later I got an email that the schedule changed and now I am on monday and wednesday. I was frustrated but I arranged for housing on monday and tuesday night now. I can barely afford it but it is going to work. A week went by and now all of a sudden the schedule changed again! And now I'm on monday, Wednesday, and thursday! Is this normal that they are still changing the GTA schedule 2 weeks before classes start? They have changed it a total of 4 times so far. Now my arrangement doesn't work and I don't think I will be able to afford the housing. Plus the new schedule conflicts with a course that I am registered for. I told this to my GTA director and he told me that i would have to email all of the TAs to find someone to switch with. Shouldn't the class that I am registered for take priority on his GTA schedule? It seems that he expects me to drop the class. It's very last minute to be dropping or adding courses. 

[rising_star]

In my experience, no, the TA schedule doesn't change that often. If I were in your shoes, I would've talked to the GTA director in advance of the assignments going out to explain your circumstances/situation. In my own graduate program, accommodations in scheduling were made to deal with people who have children, sick relatives to care for, or other commitments that meant they couldn't be on campus on a varying schedule or were only available in the afternoon or morning. You also shouldn't be asked to drop a class for a TA assignment. This isn't the exact same discussion but it is pretty similar. 

Since your only option now is to ask other people to switch with you, get on that ASAP. Target those that have the sections you want and email them. If possible, talk to them in person, on the phone, or via Skype. Be polite and explain your situation. Hopefully, someone has more flexibility and can switch with you. Good luck!

[c3honey84]

I definitely will speak with him in advance next semester. Unfortunately, I was only offered this TA two weeks ago so I am still trying to figure out the correct procedure

I would also like to mention that the director accommodated for other students whose courses overlapped with the TA schedule, but he has not offered to do that for me...

 

 

Edited August 15, 2015 by c3honey84

[fuzzylogician]

This does sound like too many changes, but there is a lesson to be learned here. Accommodations are given to those who ask for them. If others asked before you, they will likely be accommodated before you. The people who don't ask for much or do it too late end up with the worst schedules, because that's just how things always turn out. First you factor in everyone's constraints and give the ones who have many of them their pretty schedules, then you're left with some holes to fill and you give those to whoever is left, even though it's not very pretty. For now the best way to solve this is probably to target the TAs that have the slots you want and talk to them, and if you can't fix it then go back to the coordinator and explain again that you now can't afford the arrangement, ask for more help. Next time, make sure to put in your requests early on, and to give some idea of why this is important to you so that your requests get the attention they need. 

[St Andrews Lynx]

In my school there is a fair amount of TA shuffling - both in the immediate run-up to the new semester, and actually during the first couple of weeks. I think we'd also be expected to prioritise our TA assignments (i.e. the thing that the school is paying us to do) over any of our classes (the things that we are choosing to do).

 

If you have the option of sorting it out with the TAs themselves, then I'd go ahead and do that. There's guaranteed to be somebody else who is mildly dissatisfied with their assignment, or who wouldn't mind swapping with you. That certainly happens a lot in my Dept too. 

[rising_star]

c3honey84, you might also want to consult this thread, where there was a discussion about what to do when there's a TA scheduling conflict. 

[Eigen]

Our TA scheduling is shuffled up until the end of the first week of classes, but there's an understanding the schedules aren't final until that time as well.

[TakeruK]

That sounds frustrating. In my experience, you might have one change prior to the term starting but never that many in such as short time. The standard procedure was to issue preliminary assignments, the TA coordinator collects all conflict information, resolves them, and then submits a new finalized schedule. At my MSc school, we sign a contract for the TA position approximately 1 week before the term start, and until that happens, nothing is set in stone yet.

For your current situation, I agree that the best thing you can do right now is to try to switch with other TAs. I also agree that for future semesters, you should make your request for TA assignment ASAP, before assignments are made. 

[mandarin.orange]

Are ALL schools like this? No, but administrative procrastination, oversight and mistakes are common everywhere, and certainly has been my experience (e.g. wrong pay grade, fees to me because someone didn't file my hiring paperwork on time, 11th-hour class assignments, etc.) I think the majority of this oversight stems from admins being overworked, while in the fray of most dept politics. I certainly don't envy their job!

I echo others' advice: start inquiring about your schedule, class assignment, early and often. Harrass follow-up if you don't hear what you need to within a few days/week. Make a paper trail (get it in writing, in email). Re-forward/attach those prior communications when you check in about the issue. If you've gone to great lengths to make housing arrangements, and the schedule gets upset and it's a hardship for you -- communicate that ASAP. 

Of course, as a background to this, make sure you have good rapport with your admins, even in the face of frustration. If they don't know you outside of email (sounds like you're new and this may be the case) -- you are just a warm body to shuffle around for the greater good of getting these classes taught. 

I'm always on guard re. teaching assignments. My dept still hasn't given TA assignments for the fall, but I did a lot of inquiring and documenting in June, so I know, at least, what course I'm supposed to teach...

 

[bhr]

I just straight bribe the department admins. Every month or so I bring in treats (fudge, brownies, ect). It's amazing how easily I get help when I need it.