Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanB
I am applying for a TA job for next semester and have a question about academic referees (references)
Does the reference have to be a prof or can it be another TA or administrative person?
Im assuming professors dont just allow people to use them as a reference, how hard is it to get a prof to allow you to use them as a reference?? how well do you have to know them??
Is an academic reference absolutely critical to getting a TA job??
Thanks for the help  |
For all of those questions, it depends.
Some employers allow the academic reference to be a TA, some don't. Check with the employer.
Profs usually look better, though.
As for how well a prof has to know you before they are comfortable giving a reference letter, it depends on the prof. Some will do it if you were in their class and they recognize your face, others want to know you much better.
If the job you're applying for asks for an academic reference, then unless they don't have enough applicants to fill the spots (which is unlikely), you probably won't be considered without one.
Having said that, not all TA positions require a letter of reference--TAs are hired for individual courses, and each course/dept has its own procedures and requirements. You can't generalize to all TA positions.
