Teaching Positions

Courses in the Linguistics Language Program (LLP) are typically taught by Teaching Assistants (TAs), who can be graduate students from any of the departments on campus. Priority is given to Department of Linguistics graduate students. In the event that there is an insufficient number of graduate students available to teach a particular language or level, we are permitted to hire qualified individuals from outside the University.

Language students have two different instructors, one for conversation (called the Conversation instructor) and one for grammar (called the Analysis instructor). Conversation instructors lead small conversation sections on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Analysis instructors lead larger analysis sections on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

TA positions in the LLP are awarded on a competitive basis to qualified UCSD graduate students. Priority is given to students currently enrolled in PhD or MFA programs, but other graduate students and non-students with a BA or equivalent degree may be hired when too few qualified PhD and MFA students are available to teach in a particular language.

An Analysis instructor must have a good command of the target language as well as a background in linguistics or other formal grammar study. Although Analysis instructors are normally graduate students in the Linguistics Department, others with excellent speaking ability in the target language and substantial formal training in the linguistic aspects of the target language may be eligible for employment as an Analysis instructor.

Conversation instructors must be native or quasi-native speakers of the target language with enough formal education in that language to ensure they can serve as good models for conversational activities. Conversation instructors must also be able to provide cultural insights into a culture which uses the target language. (In general, persons whose education was conducted entirely in the target language through the high school and college levels are considered qualified to serve as Conversation instructors. Others who consider themselves native or quasi-native speakers may be employable as Conversation instructors after demonstrating an equivalent command of the language during a personal interview.)

In addition to the requirements listed above, all prospective instructors must have permission to work in the U.S. (i.e., be US citizens or have a visa which permits employment), and must attend a training seminar.

For additional information, visit the Linguistics Department Home Page at ling.ucsd.edu