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[jamesbeard101]

I'm a grad student, and I have a bit of a quandary with a TA position I will be having/holding this fall term.

First of all, it is the tradition (however informal) in my school for TAs to not have weekly office hours, and only have office hours after a midterm or assignment. The students are welcome to e-mail the TA with questions throughout the term, however. Also, my university is located in a major urban area, but has a satellite campus in a suburb, about 1-hr away by public transportation.

I have been offered a TAship at this satellite campus. The prof offered me the job about a month ago, and I signed the contract. Never did I get the impression that I was to hold weekly office hours. (This prof is a brand new prof to the school, assistant prof, recently hired). Weekly office hours was not stated in the contract. Two days before the term started, he told me that he expects me to have weekly office hours on site. At first, I inquired as to why he was insistent, but being nice at the same time. (I was nice.) I then acquiesced and agreed to the weekly office hours. Going up to the satellite campus is not a hassle for me, but it's just the fact that he never said anything, he just tells me two days before, and insists that I do it. To me, it's unfair, and a matter of principle.

After we discussed the office hours, he then insisted that I had to come up to the first day of classes to "introduce" myself to the students, for just 5 minutes. I immediately countered -- but still being nice -- and requested that I not be obligated to do so. He was firm, and again insisted that I had to be there. I acquiesced.

Now, I am not sure what to do. Again, going up there and my time (although inefficient) is not the issue, I don't mind. But it's just the prof's attitude. He never conveyed his expectations to me, until a few days before classes start. Technically, I do have a recourse: since the contract I signed didn't include the weekly office hours, the prof did breach it, and so I can opt out if I choose.

But I know this will be a contentious issue. Profs speak to each other, so I don't want to develop a bad rep in my department. It really bugs me that, I have given in to the prof's weekly office hours requirement, and since he never conveyed these expectations nor in the contract, I was hoping that he would compromise a bit, and not have me come up to the satellite campus just for 5 minutes to introduce myself.

What should I do? Just suck it up (probably)? If so, just tell me, I can take it, and it's probably what I should do, anyway, and just choose not to work for him again. My main issue is really one of principle. What he did/does is unfair, and is just not right, not even compromising a few things. But again, grad school is all about networking, right?

[ideagirl]

I'm not going to say you should "suck it up," because that implies that you do it grudgingly, with a bad attitude. So I'm going to suggest you adapt gracefully to the situation. There is nothing remotely abusive or exploitative about asking you to introduce yourself to the class, and I can't even imagine why you would object. As for office hours, if it were a serious hassle to get there it might be worth trying to negotiate something (e.g. do office hours only every other week or whatever), but since it's not, again, what's the problem? Bring your own work and spend the time working on your own stuff--chances are you will rarely be troubled by students seeking help. And when students do come in, consider it part of your training: if you ever hope to be a professor, helping students during office hours will be part of your job.

[jamesbeard101]

I'm not going to say you should "suck it up," because that implies that you do it grudgingly, with a bad attitude. So I'm going to suggest you adapt gracefully to the situation. There is nothing remotely abusive or exploitative about asking you to introduce yourself to the class, and I can't even imagine why you would object. As for office hours, if it were a serious hassle to get there it might be worth trying to negotiate something (e.g. do office hours only every other week or whatever), but since it's not, again, what's the problem? Bring your own work and spend the time working on your own stuff--chances are you will rarely be troubled by students seeking help. And when students do come in, consider it part of your training: if you ever hope to be a professor, helping students during office hours will be part of your job.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. But let me repeat, although I am not opposed to the office hours or the trek on the bus (lol), what I do not like is the attitude by the prof. It was he who didn't inform me of his expectations and didn't set it out in the contract, and now, he is insisting that I oblige, without even some compromise on his end. I'm not asking for 50/50, but even something minor would show that he understands he made a mistake on his part. So, I repeat, to me it's principle, me being the victim of something unfair and unjust.

I've held office hours before, but my attitude towards office hours is not at issue here.\

[prof_smartypants]

Whether or not these things are standard at your campus doesn't matter. They are pretty standard everywhere I've ever taught/studied. It doesn't really sound like he breached the contract at all, unless the terms stated that you were NOT responsible to do the things you ask. Most TAs work 10 or 20 hours a week for a prof and do whatever the prof asks them to do (within reason). These things are certainly within reason, and it was your responsibility to clarify these terms before you agreed to take the job.

Sure, the prof should probably have been more explicit about what he was looking for, but attending the first day of class and holding weekly office hours are something most professors would expect their TAs to do. That's why you are a "teaching assistant" and not a "grader". The prof did not make a mistake. He is simply expecting you to perform normal TA tasks.

And I wouldn't worry about working with this particular prof again. I doubt he will hire you.

[voxprincipalis]

I'm not going to say you should "suck it up," because that implies that you do it grudgingly, with a bad attitude. So I'm going to suggest you adapt gracefully to the situation. There is nothing remotely abusive or exploitative about asking you to introduce yourself to the class, and I can't even imagine why you would object. As for office hours, if it were a serious hassle to get there it might be worth trying to negotiate something (e.g. do office hours only every other week or whatever), but since it's not, again, what's the problem? Bring your own work and spend the time working on your own stuff--chances are you will rarely be troubled by students seeking help. And when students do come in, consider it part of your training: if you ever hope to be a professor, helping students during office hours will be part of your job.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. But let me repeat, although I am not opposed to the office hours or the trek on the bus (lol), what I do not like is the attitude by the prof. It was he who didn't inform me of his expectations and didn't set it out in the contract, and now, he is insisting that I oblige, without even some compromise on his end. I'm not asking for 50/50, but even something minor would show that he understands he made a mistake on his part. So, I repeat, to me it's principle, me being the victim of something unfair and unjust.

If you only want the advice you want to hear, then I suggest you go to the Validation Thread, down the hall to the left.

Ideagirl is right. (And she and I rarely agree on anything, so that should be an indication of something!) In addition to her points, the professor is new to the school and probably is not aware of every detail or informal convention in arrangements with TAs. And you are not "equals" with the professor in a way that suggests his "compromising" is even necessary.

If you pursue this, you will be cutting off your nose to spite your face. It is petty and small. Drop it.

VP

[jamesbeard101]

Sure, the prof should probably have been more explicit about what he was looking for, but attending the first day of class and holding weekly office hours are something most professors would expect their TAs to do. That's why you are a "teaching assistant" and not a "grader". The prof did not make a mistake. He is simply expecting you to perform normal TA tasks.

Actually TAships at my school are merely graders. We only grade assignments and tests, and only hold office hours after for students to complain about grading, lol.

[legalgibbon]

I'm not going to say you should "suck it up," because that implies that you do it grudgingly, with a bad attitude. So I'm going to suggest you adapt gracefully to the situation. There is nothing remotely abusive or exploitative about asking you to introduce yourself to the class, and I can't even imagine why you would object. As for office hours, if it were a serious hassle to get there it might be worth trying to negotiate something (e.g. do office hours only every other week or whatever), but since it's not, again, what's the problem? Bring your own work and spend the time working on your own stuff--chances are you will rarely be troubled by students seeking help. And when students do come in, consider it part of your training: if you ever hope to be a professor, helping students during office hours will be part of your job.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. But let me repeat, although I am not opposed to the office hours or the trek on the bus (lol), what I do not like is the attitude by the prof. It was he who didn't inform me of his expectations and didn't set it out in the contract, and now, he is insisting that I oblige, without even some compromise on his end. I'm not asking for 50/50, but even something minor would show that he understands he made a mistake on his part. So, I repeat, to me it's principle, me being the victim of something unfair and unjust.

Is it possible that the "brand new prof to the school, assistant prof, recently hired" comes from an academic setting(s) in which such TA responsibilities are routine?  I don't mean routine as in, "the department always spells these responsibilities out in each TA contract", but rather, routine as in "the culture of academia involves meeting one's students, and making oneself available during office hours".  Thus, if the professor comes from a place in which such expectations are part of the background culture, he may not even know that his new location (and new TAs) find the concept remarkable. 

Indeed, perhaps rather than suddenly realizing--upon hearing from you, a grad student-- that he has made a mistake, he is having a conversation with his colleagues about the remarkable and unhelpful attitude of a graduate student who envisions working in the academic world. 

Just throwing this idea out as a way of suggesting multiple views of the same situation.  Perhaps where you stand depends on where you sit (for your office hours).

[prof_smartypants]

Sure, the prof should probably have been more explicit about what he was looking for, but attending the first day of class and holding weekly office hours are something most professors would expect their TAs to do. That's why you are a "teaching assistant" and not a "grader". The prof did not make a mistake. He is simply expecting you to perform normal TA tasks.

Actually TAships at my school are merely graders. We only grade assignments and tests, and only hold office hours after for students to complain about grading, lol.

You said that policy was "informal". So that means that TAs do whatever they are told. Quit or do the job. There are no other options.

[duchess_of_malfi]

"I was obliged to eat [apples], I was so hungry. It was against my principles, but I find that principles have no real force except when one is well fed."
                       Mark Twain, "Extracts from Adams's Diary"

This is your job.  Do it.  Or don't, and let things happen as they may.  lol.

[ideagirl]

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. But let me repeat, although I am not opposed to the office hours or the trek on the bus (lol), what I do not like is the attitude by the prof. It was he who didn't inform me of his expectations and didn't set it out in the contract

It was also you who didn't ask even these basic questions about what the job entailed, and your own attitude is nothing to be proud of. This was a good lesson for you; now you know what questions to ask at a job interview (however informal your meeting with the prof was, it was still in effect a job interview). You can't accept a job without first asking how many days and hours per week you're supposed to work, how long the shifts are, what the rate of pay is and so on. Lesson learned, and you're getting paid to learn it--lucky you!

Basically what happened was you went into the discussion with your assumptions as to what the job entailed, and you never checked those assumptions with him. Your assumption was "He and I both agree that this job will be just like the other TA positions I or my friends have held, in that it won't require office hours--oh, and also, I won't need to show up and introduce myself." His assumption was probably "Students understand that TA positions generally involve XYZ, but the exact duties of a particular TA position depend on the professor's needs and teaching style." He may have taken your failure to ask questions as a sign of enthusiasm, a la "Wow, he's so gung-ho about this TA-ship that he's willing to be flexible and adapt to whatever I need--that's a good sign!" In other words, you may have accidentally made a good impression on him, and you may be about to torpedo that (quite undeserved) good impression by whining about things you don't even really mind doing, for no other reason than that those things--i.e., the duties he's asking you to carry out--are not in line with the assumptions you made.

So basically, the issue here isn't one of "principle." There are no principles at stake here. The reason you think there are is that you have assumptions about the duties of TA-ships, and he has done something that is contrary to your assumptions. It's not contrary to any principle; it's just contrary to the assumption you made.

he is insisting that I oblige, without even some compromise on his end. I'm not asking for 50/50, but even something minor would show that he understands he made a mistake on his part. So, I repeat, to me it's principle, me being the victim of something unfair and unjust.

You're not a victim (and BTW, "I am a victim of something unfair" is not a principle, it's just an attitude you choose to have). You simply failed to ask what the job duties were before you accepted the job. Neither of you should've shook hands or signed on the dotted line or whatever without checking your respective assumptions, but then again, maybe his assumptions were completely justified: there may be university or departmental policies that spell out rules that you're unaware of, and they may well say that the duties of a TA position are set by the prof, or some other phrasing that supports his approach. So you have absolutely nothing to even consider discussing with him until and unless you check whether there are any written policies that support your position. If there are written policies that support his position--e.g., "TAs should generally give weekly office hours" or "the duties of a TA-ship are set by the professor"--you have no argument whatsoever, so don't embarrass yourself; find out if there are written policies before you even remotely consider talking to him.

And frankly, even if there aren't written policies that support him, so long as there are none that support you--i.e., so long as he's not actually violating a written policy--you are far, far, far better off chalking this one up to experience and lessons learned (the lesson being, "do not accept a job without first asking what the job entails") than trying to convince him that your unspoken assumptions have the status of a principle that he somehow violated. Do you want to have a good relationship with this prof? Do you want to perhaps have him as a recommender for you in the future? Or do you want to look like an immature ninny who insists that his unspoken assumptions are principles that other people need to accommodate, and that if he fails to ask questions before accepting a job the onus is on his employer to adjust the job duties so they're more in line with his assumptions?

[ideagirl]

Sure, the prof should probably have been more explicit about what he was looking for, but attending the first day of class and holding weekly office hours are something most professors would expect their TAs to do. That's why you are a "teaching assistant" and not a "grader". The prof did not make a mistake. He is simply expecting you to perform normal TA tasks.

Actually TAships at my school are merely graders. We only grade assignments and tests, and only hold office hours after for students to complain about grading, lol.

Well then, congratulations--you've been promoted! You're now a real TA, with the potential to gain a job experience that is actually worth putting on your resume!

And you're COMPLAINING? You're complaining about the fact that you've been promoted and are being paid to learn the basic life lesson that you don't sign contracts (or orally agree to things) without first checking the details? Quit complaining. Get to work.

[larryc]

The professor's expectations are completely reasonable. In fact they are pretty typical everywhere I have been, your campus is an outlier. Drop the attitude and get to work.

[lizzy]

James, I agree that the prof's expectations are completely in line with grad programs that I'm aware of. I'd consider this an opportunity, and treat the unexpected components of the job as ways to learn. Also, I'd be looking to impress the prof and earn a strong LOR from him.

Bottom line, he's the boss. Try to make the best of it.

[corvus_caurinus]

One more bit of advice: drop the randomly placed parenthetical LOLs when communicating with people of legal voting age or older.

[ptarmigan]

Chiming in with others to say that it sounds like you're the one with the problem/mistake here, and not the professor.  Regardless of that, you say you don't want any remedy, just for the professor to admit s/he made a mistake or was wrong.  If all you want is for him/her to eat crow, then I really do not see that as a productive attitude to take towards a boss or prof.