A student who is a US citizen or permanent resident who applies to work, in addition to their RA or TA appointment, may be permitted additional compensated employment at MIT for no more than 10 hours per week during the academic year, especially to support campus life activities (e.g., staffing the front desk of a residence hall). MIT will enforce policies for academic progress and for employment responsibilities associated with a students’ primary MIT appointments (e.g. as an RA or TA).
International Students have more restrictive work limitations based on U.S. immigration law.
Hourly graduate student job descriptions
- Administrative Assistant
- Answering phones and routing calls to the appropriate recipient. Overseeing various daily office operations such as setting up appointments, handling incoming and outgoing mail and emails and editing documents. Scheduling meetings and interviews. Generating reports, managing inventory and performing bookkeeping tasks.
- Comm Lab Assistant
- Meet with clients to offer one-on-one support in written, oral, and visual communication; work on Comm Lab-related projects and resource preparation.
- Course Assistant
- Assist students in exam reviews, recitations, and tutorials; grade examinations; attend lectures, recitations, and staff meetings. May assist with course development (such as creating new assignments or updating course software). Typically done during a time when the course is not offered (IAP, summer, off-semester).
- Event Assistant
- May assist with events such as organizing a professional conference, Research appropriate venues and venues, coordinate vendor contracts, maintain communication with vendors, manage expenses per the budget, help develop event marketing materials., order catering for events, maintain documentation for each event, help set up and tear down events.
- Grader (course, exam, ASE)
- Grade pset problems and enter grades on a weekly basis, grades exams, and/or grade ASE exams. May also assist with grading papers/assignments, and recommend course grades.
- IAP Course Assistant
- Teaching a student-run IAP course.
- K-12 Tutor/ Mentor
- Work one-on-one with K-12 students to provide the student individualized assistance to help them learn new concepts and complete assignments and/or projects. Duties may include studying materials, and reviewing textbooks to prepare for a tutoring session, answering a student’s questions about a topic, etc.
- Lab Assistant
- Primarily helps answer student questions in the lab, sometimes also online; may involve occasional grading, may perform laboratory tests, and prepare samples. Work collaboratively with the lab team to ensure efficient operations.
- Orientation Assistant
- Assist institute office or department with orientation activities including but not limited to team building, organizing group challenges and providing on-site support for new students.
- Peer Mediator/Mentor – REFS
- Meet with individual students, listen to concerns, create a safe and confidential environment. Help students better understand and more effectively manage difficult situations and direct them to other resources for further assistance. Mediate disputes when appropriate.
- Proctor
- Work with instructor or TA to pick up exams; distribute exam to students; monitor students taking the exam for adherence to a set of rules defined by the instructor (i.e. open or closed book, notes allowed, etc.}; contact instructor or TA if a student has a question/requires clarification on part of the exam; ensure students complete the exam in the appropriate time frame; follow any additional guidance for ADA accommodations that is provided to the proctor; collect exams and deliver them to the instructor or TA.
- Professional Ed Assistant
- Support for Professional Education courses.
- Project Assistant
- May include project work such as manuscript assistance (such as check footnotes, track down a few citations, oversee the index, verifying quotations, and formatting of the book), departmental projects such as research for a curriculum committee, website, assistance with faculty member’s lit review project, website development and/or maintenance, develop social media content, etc.
- Tutor/Mentor
- Work one-on-one with MIT students to provide the student individualized assistance to help them learn new concepts and complete assignments in undergraduate courses. Duties may include studying syllabi, materials, and reviewing textbooks to prepare for a tutoring session, answering a student’s questions about a topic, occasionally aid students who need further support in addition to faculty office hours and TA recitations/office hours.
- Visiting Student Program – Grad
- Other
- Jobs not included in above descriptions should include detailed responsibilities in the job title field.
