MIMS Working on Campus

Types of Student Academic Jobs

Instructional Positions

At UC Berkeley, student instructional positions — called academic student employee (ASE) positions — include graduate student instructors (GSIs), readers, and tutors.

• A graduate student instructor serves as an apprentice under the active supervision of the faculty member who is the instructor of record for the course, in addition to grading papers and exams, holding office hours, and assisting course instructors in other ways.
• Readers and tutors typically grade papers and exams, hold office hours, attend lectures, and assist course instructors in other ways. Tutors may provide individual or group tutoring sessions. Readers and tutors do not teach.

For more information, see the Graduate Division’s website on appointments.

GSIs, readers, and tutors are union-represented employees and are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the current contract and the systemwide bargaining unit relevant to their job title.

Research Positions

A graduate student researcher (GSR) is a graduate student who performs research broadly related to their degree programs in an academic department or research unit under the direction of a faculty member or authorized principal investigator.

GSRs may not be assigned teaching-related , administrative, or general assistance duties that are carried out by employees in other job titles, including GSIs, readers, and tutors.

GSRs are union-represented employees and are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the current contract and the systemwide bargaining unit relevant to their job title.

Advantages of Working on Campus

On top of the experience itself, there are a number of advantages to working in these positions:

• Wages: First, you receive an hourly wage which can vary depending on the hiring title. This helps with living expenses. Current Salary Scales
• Fee Remission: Second, you may receive fee remission that offsets a portion or your tuition and fees, depending on the number of hours worked during the course of the semester. Fee remissions do not cover nonresident supplemental tuition (NRST) or  professional degree supplemental tuition (PDST).

Where to Look for Campus Jobs

As an I School student, you are eligible to work in any campus department. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the I School, students work in a wide variety of departments. The majority of MIMS students work in other departments such as math, EECS, cognitive science, Haas School of Business, or others. Be sure to keep your undergraduate background and prior work experience in mind when you are looking for a position.

The I School hires a limited number of GSIs, readers, and tutors every semester; see the list and application here.

• For INFO courses, the I School primarily hires GSIs or readers. Most of these positions go to Ph.D. students or to second-year MIMS students who have already taken the course. Students hired for INFO positions are typically required to be on campus.
• For DATASCI or CYBER courses, the I School primarily hires readers or tutors — typically MIDS or MICS students who have already taken the course. DATASCI and CYBER reader and tutor positions typically do not come with fee remission.

As a new student, it will be easier to find a GSI, reader, or tutor position than a GSR position — especially if you are qualified to teach in another department. Faculty prefer to know your research abilities before hiring GSR positions, and the majority of GSR positions go to Ph.D. students. Most students who choose to work their first year do so as a GSI, reader, or tutor in another department on campus.

There is no single way to go about finding a GSR or instructional position, and there is no single online bulletin-board for posting open appointments. Several approaches you might consider:

• For GSI, reader, and tutor positions: Berkeley maintains a list of departments which typically offer graduate-student positions. Students should also review individual departmental websites for ASE applications and follow the instructions listed. Students can also look on Handshake for open positions. 
• For GSR positions: For the most part, you will need to approach faculty directly, talk with them, present your qualifications, and see if they are hiring. This is how it works at the I School: faculty for the most part make individual arrangements with qualified and eligible students depending on their needs and resources.

After you have applied for a GSI, reader, or tutor position, please be aware that you may not hear anything from a department if you do not get the position (similar to any company’s hiring practice). Due to the volume of ASE applications and emails each department receives, we encourage students not to reach out directly to individual faculty members or departments regarding your application or application status.

Academic student employee positions are serious employment responsibilities and require commitment to the teaching mission of the university. MIMS students are advised to treat the job search for academic student employee positions with professional courtesy and to follow through on accepted offers unless significant unforeseen circumstances intervene.

Fee Remission & Estimated Fees Paid by Fee Remission

Fee remission eligibility depends on the number of hours hired for; students must meet all qualifying criteria. Review fee remission details and eligibility criteria here.

Fee Remission Eligibility

GSRs, GSIs, readers, & tutors hired at 25–50% time for the fall or spring semester

Estimated Tuition and Fees

* Excludes the Document Fee, a one-time fee charged in a student’s first term.

More Information

The Graduate Division’s GSI, GSR, Reader, and Tutor Guide outlines all of the above in much more detail.

If you have any questions or need further information, please email studentaffairs@ischool.berkeley.edu.