How to hire a graduate assistant

How to hire a graduate assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step graduate assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a graduate assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new graduate assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a graduate assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a graduate assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect graduate assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of graduate assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Graduate Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Graduate Assistant	A Graduate Assistant assists with the supervision of student employees. They perform regular performance evaluations and provide feedback to help students progress.	$5-40
   Teaching Fellow	An individual who works at an institution to foster the students' academic strive is known as a teaching fellow. They are known as a self-motivated and education-based counselor... Show more	$12-35
   Student Instructor	Typically, a Student Instructor engages students in learning the assignments, materials, pacing, resources, and activities. Student Instructors learn and enforce questioning and discussion strategies in promoting knowledge acquisition and student participation... Show more	$15-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Computer Lab
   • Undergraduate Courses
   • Research Projects
   • Student Athletes
   • Data Collection
   • Alumni
   • PowerPoint
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Data Analysis
   • Statistical Analysis
   • Professional Development
   • NCAA
   • R
   • Literature Reviews

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a number of introductory and advance philosophy lecture courses under close faculty supervision.
   • Manage graduate program twitter handle @ comugrad and assist in developing and implementing engagement strategies.
   • Develop and manage syllabus material; evaluate students' performance relative to standardize learning objectives.
   • Collaborate with professors to accomplish academic educations through fulfilling academic instruction tasks in blackboard system and other academic activities.
   • Assist students with completing financial aid applications (FAFSA and TASFA) and applications for various scholarships.
   • Handle administrative tasks including preparation of PowerPoint presentations data entry and analysis, website development and collation of marketing materials.

   More graduate assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your graduate assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A graduate assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, graduate assistants' average salary in utah is 54% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level graduate assistants earn 87% less than senior-level graduate assistants.
   • Certifications. A graduate assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a graduate assistant's salary.

   Average graduate assistant salary

   $15.24hourly

   $31,704 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level graduate assistant salary

   $11,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average graduate assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$49,658	$24
   2	New York	$46,268	$22
   3	Connecticut	$42,929	$21
   4	Maryland	$38,314	$18
   5	Wisconsin	$35,632	$17
   6	Alaska	$34,353	$17
   7	Indiana	$33,988	$16
   8	Michigan	$33,332	$16
   9	Colorado	$30,909	$15
   10	Illinois	$30,269	$15
   11	California	$29,080	$14
   12	Kansas	$28,728	$14
   13	Virginia	$27,692	$13
   14	North Dakota	$26,462	$13
   15	Texas	$26,455	$13
   16	North Carolina	$25,549	$12
   17	West Virginia	$25,211	$12
   18	Tennessee	$25,121	$12
   19	Iowa	$24,658	$12
   20	Kentucky	$24,128	$12

   Average graduate assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sotheby's Institute of Art	$85,318	$41.02	2
   2	New Jersey Institute of Technology	$80,844	$38.87	1
   3	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$78,862	$37.91
   4	San Francisco University High School	$77,146	$37.09	1
   5	Massachusetts General Hospital	$76,427	$36.74
   6	Bunker Hill Community College	$75,045	$36.08
   7	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$72,451	$34.83
   8	Ursinus College	$70,599	$33.94	3
   9	Curry College	$70,280	$33.79
   10	University of California-Berkeley	$69,700	$33.51
   11	Emerson College	$68,517	$32.94
   12	University of Nebraska at Omaha	$66,691	$32.06	9
   13	Misericordia University	$65,815	$31.64	14
   14	Union University	$65,106	$31.30	2
   15	Newman University	$64,825	$31.17	4
   16	Barnard College	$64,030	$30.78	2
   17	MCPHS University - Boston	$63,888	$30.72
   18	Rutgers University	$63,852	$30.70	58
   19	Post University, Inc.	$62,091	$29.85	1
   20	Bridgewater State University	$61,626	$29.63	11

4. Writing a graduate assistant job description

   A job description for a graduate assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a graduate assistant job description:

   Graduate assistant job description example

   WHO WE ARE: Soccer Shots is an engaging children's soccer program for children ages 2-8 with a focus on character development. Our caring team positively impacts children's lives on and off the field through best-in-class coaching, curriculum and communication.
   
   WHAT YOU GET AS A GRADUATE ASSISTANT: · Up to $5,250 annual, tax-free tuition reimbursement for Master’s Degree at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), or another approved institution· $1,250 monthly stipend· $1,000 yearly gas allowance· Flexible scheduling including mornings, evenings and weekend hours· Professional experience and leadership development in an established franchise system that continues to grow throughout North America
   · IRA - Retirement planning with company match
   
   WHAT YOU NEED: · Alignment with Soccer Shots’ Core Values· Passion for soccer and positively impacting children and families· Previous experience as a coach, teacher, instructor or educator, or academic experience in a related field· Reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license· Eligible to work in the U.S.· Must qualify for entry into graduate degree program at SNHU, or another approved institution
   
   A DAY IN THE LIFE: · Safely manage classes of up to 14 children aged 2-8 · Implement Soccer Shots curriculum which focuses on skill and character development · Arrive on time to scheduled locations, provide a positive customer experience, maintain equipment and manage class rosters· Develop capacities and responsibilities for business management areas including marketing business development and operations· Engage with leader development content provided by franchise system experts and grow with peers across North America as qualified and competent professionals· Go home knowing you made a difference
   
   OUR CORE VALUES: · We Care · We Own It · We Pursue Excellence · We Are Stronger Together · We Are Candid · We Grow Soccer Shots DMV · Are you looking for a great job where the work is actually fun, and you're growing professionally?· Do you want to work somewhere you can get real job experience while making a difference in your community?· Are you passionate about sports, education, being a positive role model and impacting young children? You’ve come to the right place! We change lives. We help children learn, grow and meet their goals. We care.
   
   HOW TO APPLY: · Submit resume and cover letter· Cover letter should explain why a Master's degree with Soccer Shots mirrors your passion about sports, education, and impacting young children
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find graduate assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your graduate assistant job on Zippia to find and attract quality graduate assistant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit graduate assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new graduate assistant

   Once you've found the graduate assistant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new graduate assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a graduate assistant?