Home » Financial Support » Employment, Teaching & Research

Employment, Teaching & Research

Information on employment and academic appointment services.

• Graduate Student Employment
• Teaching & Research Appointments
  • Impact on Residency for Tuition Purposes Requirements
  • Oral English Proficiency

Graduate Student Employment

Registered graduate students can use the Career Center to find internships, part-time jobs, or summer employment. You can find job listings posted on the Career Center website. Newly admitted graduate students may consult the listings as early as July 1 preceding fall admission. Many jobs are available, some specifically for graduate students.

Please note that graduate students may not hold any university employment for more than half time without permission from the Dean of the Graduate Division.

International students and any family members in any visa category (except permanent residents) should check regulations under which they may be employed. F-1 and J-1 student visas require work permits prior to any employment. For information about employment eligibility and work permit applications, please visit the Berkeley International Office website or contact the office by phone, (510) 642-2818, or email.

Teaching & Research Appointments

Academic appointments are an important source of financial support for Berkeley graduate students, although their availability varies by department. Some departments may propose a combination of teaching and research appointments as part of a financial support package. Other departments may expect you to arrange for your academic appointments after you arrive on campus.

All graduate students are restricted to working no more than half time regardless of the position they hold.  For example, Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) typically work on average 16 to 20 hours per week. Graduate student academic appointments have minimum academic requirements, such as grade-point average (GPA), and students are expected to meet registration and enrollment requirements. Some positions may be eligible for fee remissions in addition to salary. For detailed information, please see the What You Need to Know about Being a GSI, GSR, Reader, or Tutor.

For more information on eligibility requirements and the availability of appointments, contact the department for which you want to work. On occasion, some departments may list openings with the Career Center website.

Impact on Residency for Tuition Purposes Requirements

A research or teaching appointment can affect the residency requirements that determine whether or not you must pay nonresident tuition.

Graduate students appointed at 49 percent time or more for the semester they petition to be classified as residents are exempt from meeting the financial independence requirement for residency for tuition purposes. Students must, however, meet the one-year physical presence and established intent criteria, along with meeting other eligibility requirements for California residency. (See Legal Residency and Fees).

International students holding F-1 or J-1 visas are not eligible for California residency for tuition purposes.

Oral English Proficiency

All students who do not speak English as a native language and don’t have a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution and who wish to become GSIs must demonstrate oral English proficiency. You may do this by taking the TOEFL iBT if it is available in your geographic area. If it is not, you may take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) prior to enrolling at Berkeley or the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) after you arrive on campus.  A table listing passing and non-passing scores for the SPEAK, TSE, and the TOEFL iBT speaking section for the purpose of GSI appointments can be found on the GSI Teaching and Resource Center’s Language Proficiency Program web page SPEAK/TSE/TOEFL iBT Equivalences.

For TSE registration information and up-to-date information on the TSE program consult the ETS website. TSE scores are valid for two years.

For further information on SPEAK testing, English language proficiency courses, and testing policies, please consult the GSI Teaching and Resource Center’s Language Proficiency Program website.

 

Last Updated: July 26, 2012 10:11 AM