Positions Available

Below is a list of MCRP courses with possible GTA positions (CUPE 2278) for 24 Winter Session (Sep 2024 – Apr 2025). PhD, MAP/MScP (research students) are prioritized for 500-level courses and encouraged to consider applying.

What follows is a general job description for GTAs at the School, keep in mind that courses may require specific qualifications and additional skills as determined by instructors. Enquire with info.scarp@ubc.ca. 

Roles and responsibilities

Graduate Teaching Assistant duties may include, but not limited to:

• Teaching tutorials and/or lectures/labs under supervision of instructor (the supervisor)
• Managing discussion groups
• Marking assignments
• Academic assistance to students during office hours
• Attend TA Training through CTLT

Qualifications

Education and experience

• Be registered in a Master’s or PhD program at UBC Vancouver
• Be familiar with, or otherwise passionate about, a wide variety of planning contexts, particularly across cultures or national boundaries
• Have strong knowledge of, and/or interest in, planning history and planning theories
• Be interested in, and willing to engage with, diverse types of data, arguments and analytic approaches, ranging from ethnography to multiple regression. In short, be an open-minded scholar with a deep curiosity about different kinds of positions, arguments and methods
• Be open to, and deeply interested in, viewpoints unlike your own and be skeptical about your own viewpoints
• Have previous TA experience

Skills and abilities

• Knowledge of planning and of key political, economic and philosophical ideas that have shaped planning practice and the built and natural environments
• Able to lead discussion groups and guide conversations using open questions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Team player
• Plan, organize, and prioritize workload
• Competent in on-line learning technology

Position summary

The GAA will collaborate on an analysis of municipal childcare plans in B.C. Planning and policy decisions at the municipal level are instrumental to realizing universal $10/day childcare and to addressing the severe shortage of affordable, accessible childcare in Canadian cities that contributes to the durability of social and economic inequity. This analysis is part of a broader project exploring the role of planning in addressing the contemporary “crisis of care.” The position is a good fit for a PhD or MCRP student interested in social planning, community health, and/or building their qualitative research skills. The position may result in an opportunity to co-author an academic journal article, and extension of the position through AY24-25 is also a possibility – both depend on the success of this initial collaboration.

Position assignment

The position will involve working collaboratively with the supervisor to conduct an analysis of municipal childcare plans from a wide range of B.C. municipalities. The GAA will be responsible for the following tasks:
• Supporting collection and management of data on municipal childcare plans in BC
• Gathering and reviewing academic/grey literature and periodicals as they relate to municipal childcare planning in BC and elsewhere in Canada
• Conducting qualitative analysis of municipal childcare plans, including analytical coding and memo-writing
• Producing written synthesis of preliminary findings

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications

• Be registered in a graduate program at UBC Vancouver (preferably in planning, geography, social work or a related field)

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of community development, social planning and/or childcare policy
• Experience collecting and managing data (quantitative and/or qualitative)
• Experience with qualitative data analysis

Applying

Applications should include a brief cover letter and a current CV. In your cover letter, please be sure to describe why you are interested in the position, and any relevant experience you bring. Please submit your application to Andrew Binet via e-mail at andrew.binet@ubc.ca. 

Applications will be reviewed beginning April 8, 2024.

Institutional Context

The University of British Columbia and the School of Community and Regional Planning acknowledges the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam people) on whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the University resides.

The University of British Columbia consistently ranks among the 40 best universities globally, and among the top 20 public universities in the world. Vancouver has a dynamic planning environment and is frequently rated as one of the world’s most desirable places to live. Times Higher Education (THE) ranks UBC number one in the world for taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, and is ranked first in Canada for making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

SCARP is internationally recognized for the excellence of its research and teaching. The School undertakes teaching and research across the sub-fields of planning, in line with being a professionally accredited planning program.

UBC Hiring Policies

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students, and is essential to fostering an outstanding work environment. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

About student positions

The University offers three types of student service appointments and are intended to assist properly qualified graduate students meet the cost of their studies, as well as to assist the University in meeting its educational and research objectives. Such appointments may involve part-time duties in teaching, research, or other academic activities and these positions are subject to availability of funds:

• Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) – CUPE 2278, union – GTA I, GTA II and Marker (undergraduate programs/courses).
• Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) – non-union and funded by research grants/hourly rate and considered a form of Fellowship
• Graduate Academic Assistant (GAA) – non-union and hourly