We have recently revised our GTA recruitment process to anonymise applications, and to include GTA briefing documents which details the skills/experience needed for modules, as well as the work expectations. You can view our presentation summarising the changes here.

Key contacts

Module Lead (the contact can be found on the GTA spreadsheet for your work): email for information about your GTA work/modules/expectations. Inform asap if you cannot complete work.

Lucy Orange, Admin Manager (environment-hr@york.ac.uk - note to please not use her personal email): email if you have a question about your bookings/contract. Inform asap if you cannot complete work.

Ed Garrett, PGR Coordinator (ed.garrett@york.ac.uk): email if you have any general questions about GTA work or being a PhD student.

casual-payroll@york.ac.uk: for any questions regarding your payslip/tax if your work is booked through Dashboard.

salaried-payroll@york.ac.uk: for any questions regarding your payslip/tax if you are on a contract.

casual-workers@york.ac.uk: email if there is an issue with your Dashboard account (can't sign in/deactivated, etc.)

Useful links

- DEG GTA sheet Semester 1 23/24

Holds all the information on work GTA assigned for the upcoming semester.

- GTA webpages

University information and guidance for GTAs, including the information on the Introduction to Teaching and Learning training.

- Dashboard

The casual worker system that holds your bookings and timesheets. Log in to submit your timesheets each week.

- GTA policy

The university's policy on GTAs - please note this was last updated in 2020 so not all of the information is up to date.

Mandatory training

As part of being a GTA, you will need to complete the following mandatory training:

Introduction to Teaching and Learning training

This must be completed before you do any GTA work.

For seminar-based work, please complete 'Facilitating seminars and discussion-based learning'.

For practical-based work, please complete 'Facilitating practical and laboratory demonstrations'.

Staff mandatory training

All of these training modules must be completed before you do any GTA work. You will be paid four hours for completing this.

Once you have completed the above training, please complete the mandatory training payment spreadsheet (columns A-H). If you are on contract, this will be included in your hours. If you are booked through Dashboard, Lucy will then set up a Dashboard drawdown booking to pay you - please just enter any hours that add up to four hours for this.

Loce? Please visit the PGR Wiki page.Looking for more PGR guidance? Please visit the PGR Wiki page.

Looking for more PGR guidance? Please visit the PGR Wiki page.

Dashboard or contract?

Whether your bookings/payments are done through Dashboard or contract will be indicated on the GTA Allocation tab on the GTA spreadsheet (linked above).

Contracts

In consultation with the unions, the university has introduced fixed term contracts for GTAs with regular work over a semester (roughly 0.1FE over 12 weeks).

If you are put on contract, your hours over the semester will be added up and divided equally over the months of your contract, so you will be paid the same amount for the duration of the contract.

If you are on contract, you will receive an email from HR with the details of your contract, and will ask you to sign this.

Dashboard

If you have less frequent or less hours of work, you will be employed casually through Dashboard. You will receive emails from Dashboard confirming your bookings, and you must submit timesheets. Timesheets should be submitted before the 14th of each month to be included in that month's payslip. Find out more about payroll deadlines here. You can also view guidance for using Dashboard here.

You can find guidance on signing up to Dashboard here - please make sure to do this and complete your right to work check well in advance of the start of the semester.

FAQs

Please click the drop downs to see the answers! If something isn't covered here, please email the relevant contacts at the top of this page.

The GTA recruitment process

How does the recruitment process work?

You can find a summary of the revised GTA recruitment process here.

Recruitment for the next semester will start about five months ahead of time... this may seem like a lot, but it's necessary for all the steps!

Ask academics to create/check GTA briefing documents for the upcoming semester (1-2 months).
Gather the information and send recruitment form to PhD students to apply for modules (1 month).
Collate the applications, anonymise, and send to academics to review suitable candidates (1 month).
Assign work once the timetable is finalised, share with academics and then GTAs. (1 month).
Process contracts and Dashboard bookings.

This cycle happens twice a year, once per semester.

When will I hear about GTA recruitments?

The PhD group will be emailed for upcoming recruitment, roughly in May for the following year's semester 1, and October for semester 2. You might be emailed about ad hoc/additional recruitments too. Please check the deadlines for applications.

If you are not receiving emails to the PhD group, please email Dave at dave.hay@york.ac.uk to be added.

What does the recruitment process involve?

To apply for GTA work, you will be sent a form that links to all of the GTA briefing documents for the modules we are recruiting to. These documents hold information about the activities/marking that needs covering, as well as the skills/experience needed and GTA work expectations. If you have any further questions on the work, you can email the module leader.

For the application, you will have to provide:

Your name (this will be anonymised)
Your username (this will be anonymised)
How many hours you can work per week (please make sure this is accurate - this should incorporate any visa restrictions and other commitments)
Any dates you know you cannot work (e.g. holidays, conferences, because of other commitments)
An outline of any overall/general skills or experience that you would like to be included in your application
Specific relevant experience/skills/training for each of the modules you are applying for

Please make sure you include enough detail - remember, your application will be anonymised so academics will only have your submission to review!

If anything changes, for example you no longer want to apply for a module or want to revise the hours/dates you can work, please let Lucy know at environment-hr@york.ac.uk as soon as possible.

Using Dashboard

How do I sign up to Dashboard?

Please follow the instructions to sign up to Dashboard - please make sure to complete each of these, including your right to work check. You cannot complete any work without your right to work check.

Please let Lucy at environment-hr@york.ac.uk know once you have successfully signed up and completed your right to work check so that she can get your work booked on for you.

What do I do if there is something wrong with my Dashboard account?

If you are having trouble logging in to your Dashboard account, please email casual-workers@york.ac.uk, who look after the system.

Just to note that your account will deactivate if you haven't had any work for 6 months, so you will need to email casual-workers@york.ac.uk to reactivate it, and complete another right to work check.

What is the difference between a standard and drawdown booking/timesheet?

A draw down booking is a booking for a certain amount of hours in a week, without set times. These are used when the work has no set times (e.g. marking), or includes prep time (e.g. teaching work). You can find guidance on submitting a draw down timesheet here.

A standard booking has set times; this is used when we know the timing of the activity and it doesn't include any work before/after. You can find guidance on submitting a standard timesheet here, and on how to amend a timesheet here.

Is there any guidance on using Dashboard?

Please see the casual workers guidance pages.

When do I need to submit my timesheet(s)?

You need to submit your timesheets before 14th of every month to be included in that month's pay. If you submit the payment late, it will be included in the following month's pay.

General

I can't complete some of the work I have signed up to: what do I do?

Please email the module leader and Lucy (environment-hr@york.ac.uk) as soon as possible.

I need more information about the work I have been assigned: what do I do?

Please contact the module leader - their name is on the GTA spreadsheet for the module you have been assigned to.

How does annual leave work?

For casual/Dashboard GTAs: Any workers being paid an hourly rate have holiday pay automatically calculated on the electronic timesheet (12.07% of pay) and added to their pay each month.

For contracted GTAs: Holiday time has been incorporated in to your contract of employment and the entitlement will be reflected in that contract. It is assumed that you will have taken that leave within 'non-contact' time and therefore there is no need to book this. Should you wish to take leave during a period of time you are scheduled to work you should discuss arrangements with the module leader. The leave can either be accommodated by rescheduling that contact time (if this is feasible) or having someone else cover the contact time and taken as unpaid leave. Other arrangement may apply depending on the circumstance. All requests are subject to agreement in advance of the leave being taken.

Do GTAs get sick pay?

Yes, both casual GTAs and GTAs on contracts of employment are eligible for 'Occupational Sick Pay'. Whether a GTA casual or a GTA on a contract of employment you must follow the appropriate sickness notification procedure in order to qualify for sick pay: please inform the relevant module leader, and Lucy at environment-hr@york.ac.uk as soon as possible. You can find further guidance on sickness absence here.

GTA fixed-term contracts

How do I know if I'm on a contract?

You will be on a GTA fixed-term contract if you have consistent hours for 12 weeks or more. This will be indicated on the GTA spreadsheet for that semester (linked above). HR will contact you with your contract information to sign ahead of the semester.

How do I get paid if I'm on a contract?

You will be paid monthly: your total hours for the time of the contract will be averaged out so you will be paid the same amount each month. This can make it slightly confusing to keep track of your hours, but you can see your hours per module/week on the GTA spreadsheet (linked above).

Payment

How often do I get paid?

All staff and GTAs are paid monthly. For those on Dashboard, you are paid for the timesheets you submitted before the 14th of each month. For those on contracts, you are paid an average amount spread across the length of your contract.

I think I have been paid incorrectly: what do I do?

Make sure you look at the GTA spreadsheet and Dashboard/your contract to double check your hours/work. Email Lucy at environment-hr@york.ac.uk, who will double check your timesheets/contract. If there is still an issue, you can email:

casual-payroll@york.ac.uk: for any questions regarding your payslip/tax if your work is booked through Dashboard.

salaried-payroll@york.ac.uk: for any questions regarding your payslip/tax if you are on a contract,

I have made an error on my Dashboard timesheet: what do I do?

If you can't edit the error, please email Lucy at environment-hr@york.ac.uk who can amend it for you (please do this before 17th of the month wherever possible).

I have been asked/have completed more GTA work than on the GTA spreadsheet: how do I get paid?

Wherever possible, don't accept or complete more work until you have informed Lucy (environment-hr@york.ac.uk) so she can ensure payment is set up ahead of time. Please CC your module lead so that they can confirm the extra work.

How do I claim expenses?

Please follow the casual worker claiming expenses guidance. You can find general departmental finance guidance on the DEG Finance wiki pages.

How much do I get paid?

Here are the current GTA pay rates and further information.

For more payment information, please visit the GTA payment FAQs site, and the university's Payroll page.

Information for GTAs