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The academic career!
My first obvious question was why they have chosen this academic career. In answer to my question, Radwa - Operations Management T.A.- mainly referred to her acceptance of the job due to the prestige of being a university staff, as well as the influence of her parents. She also mentioned like Bassel - Introduction to Financial Accounting T.A - the fact that being a T.A enables them to work; besides completing their post graduate studies.
Salma Ghareeb, had a comment to say here, she actually tried to work in the labor market before joining the T.A team but preferred the academic career, at least until she is done with her masters. Another point of view was given to me both by Sarah Hawass - Introduction to Financial Accounting T.A - and Mariam El-Zamly - Introduction to Management T.A); both said that being a T.A was a life long dream since they entered university. They wanted to join the academic staff since then to finally become doctors and PHD-holders. Mariam also pointed out that on the long run being a university staff would allow her a better work-life balance than being an employee in some company.
The experience of being a TA!
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Another question that I received very weird answers about, was do you like being a T.A? Radwa answered me that till now she feels that the good outweighs the bad, although her very first tutorial was a bit difficult, she now feels that there is a better progress as she is more self confident and experienced.
Bassel told me that it is a very weird experience as in exactly two months he shifted from being the student to being the teacher! Heba Nofal - Introduction to economics T.A - told me that she thinks being a student is way better. Salma Yehia El-Gendi - Marketing T.A - said that it's very interesting and very challenging to make students understand and be convinced of what you mean.
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Mariam, however, provided me with a much deeper comment. She said that she feels happier when she helps her students, and satisfied when she finds that they understood what she has been explaining. But she explained that the weirdest of all, is that she never imagined that she would one day feel that her students are like her children, and it indeed makes her miserable when they get bad grades.
Salma Yehia provided me with an excellent list of the different things that she learned from being a T.A., she said that first of all it gave her more self confidence when addressing people. Moreover, it helped her become more mature when dealing with certain situations inside the classroom. Last, but definitely not least, it helped her be a lot more patient than before in dealing with everybody, especially her students. She also provided me with a very interesting comment; she said that she feels that during her years of studying she and her colleagues were more concerned about their future and about their careers.
How to get the job!
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Salma Ghareeb and Mariam informed me on how they were offered their T.A job: The university sent e-mails to various students based on their GPA (they both had an A GPA). Mariam also said that most of the T.A.s chosen have graduated with highest honors. Afterwards they were called up for an interview, and based on that they chose the most self confident and the best presenters among the applicants. Mariam pointed out that her bachelor thesis might have given her extra credit for the T.A job, as hers was selected as one of the best 16 papers.
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Labor market vs. academic field!
I asked some of them if it was better working in the labor market or in the academic field. They all replied that it has to be basically upon your own preference. However Salma Ghareeb said that from a compensation point of view, for fresh graduates working at the GUC, she makes slightly more than what her friends make in the labor market. While Heba Nofal said that from the working hour’s point of view it is the same it is an 8 hour working system.
Well guys that's all the information I have gathered from them, and I guess it provides a realistic unbiased view of what a T.A's job is all about. If you have any further inquiries you should really go and ask them. They were really helpful and aided me a lot; you might also find that you already know some of them as either your friends or your tutors.
Just go to their office and knock, don't be surprised if you found that they're a bit noisy… after all they're not that old they are only a few years older than us.
Dalia El Shiaty
What do other Alumni do at the GUC?
Marc Onsi, 21 years old, Management Technology graduate with Economics and Strategic Management majors. After graduation, I worked for three months in TeenStuff magazine as a graphic designer and now working as a camera man and video editor in the GUC Digital Media Campus.
Part of my job is shooting all GUC events on and off campus, as well as editing the material, writing scripts to prepare a documentary covering the event from all aspects.
I’m planning to do further studies in the field of media to widen my knowledge and expand my capabilities of shooting and video editing.
Marc Onsi
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My name is Sarah Hussein Hafez, I graduated from the faculty of Management Technology with double major in Human Resources & Organizational Behavior and Marketing. I am working now as an HR planning officer at the GUC. I had this Job opportunity when I knew that there is a job vacancy at the GUC that needs a fresh graduate with an HR major, therefore I applied for it and got the job after conducting two interviews.
My job entitles the strategic part of the HR field which is the planning part and I am currently doing the Academic HR planning which includes doing the staff plan for Lecturers and Tutors, comparing the schedule to the teaching load of each lecturer and tutor to make sure that they are not overloaded or under loaded.
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Also, predict the university needs for Academic Staff recruitment based on the expected number of enrolled students in the coming years, so that we do not reach the understaffed or the overstaffed status but to maintain a fully staffed status.
Having such an opportunity to work on the HR strategic level at the beginning of my career is something that enables me from gaining a lot of experience in my field and shortens the way for me to a lot of achievements.
Sarah Hussein Hafez
Quotes:
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“Thank God that you are still students”
Bassel - Introduction to Financial Accounting T.A
“We are not as old as you think we are”
Salma Ghareeb
“Students give me adorable titles like {Doctor Mariam}”
Mariam El-Zamly - Introduction to Management T.A
“One moment I am the student next I am the tutor”
Salma Yehia El-Gendi - Marketing T.A
“I can control the students”
Heba Nofal - Introduction to economics T.A
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