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[suesmith]

Is there a tutoring center in your discipline on campus? I'd meet them there. You can also use the time to introduce the student to the services offered by the center, which could help you cut down on at least some of the non-administrative requests by students.

[balancing_act]

We TAs actually have an office, a large office, complete with furniture, refrigerator, computers, and several shared office spaces. This year, I moved my "office" to the library where I can actually get work done. I love my fellow TAs, but I can't get anything done around them. We all talk too much about classes, writing, and such.

We have a wonderful library and while it can be distracting sometimes, it's better than the dorm-room like TA office. I have my students meet me there for my office hours. It's convenient, everyone knows where it is, and I can still have relative privacy if a student needs to make up a test or something.

Check out the library.

[upanova]

I've had a home office for 25 years and it's really no problem.

Any room with a door on it is an office. I used a huge walk in closet in my apartment for eight years.
The room must be used solely for business, and be shut off from the rest of the apartment/house by a door. There's no need for a separate entrance too!

[msmommy]

As an independent contracted accountant, I did not ever claim in home office.  The rules are clear about usage of 'office materials'.  My personal computer for which I have everything from photos to spreadsheets would not qualify, my desk that is both personal and business use would not qualify, etc.  I could take a deduction for my computer based on % of business use, but the home office is not with doing if you can't "prove" you are following the rules.

As a high school teacher I did not have so much as a desk, table or chair to call my own.  No place to make private phone call to a parent, no place to put my jacket, much less my grade book or lesson plans.   A few co-workers had "carts" old AV carts that projectors used to go on, I was not so lucky.

You do what you can and if it isn't the dream job, you make inquiries repeatedly to your supervisor about what their suggestion is to meet the requirements of office hours for students. 

[ideaofa]

I just think this is terrible. My shared offices and cubicles are looking a lot better. You could try holding hours during common hour, if feasible, and meet in a classroom. That way you will also know that the students can all make it to the office hours, and you won't have to deal with "by appointment" hours or drop ins.

My other advice is to find a place where you will be an inconvenience to others and that will make THEM find you a place. I am thinking of holding office hours in the copy room or the conference room. I had to do that once, and when Professor Prestige wanted to use that space, she made sure I got my own.