This page addresses both the teaching preparation activities required for first-time GSIs and campus-wide eligibility requirements to work as a GSI.

Required Teaching Preparation Activities

The Academic Senate’s Graduate Council Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of GSIs requires first-time GSIs to do the following, either prior to or concurrently with their first GSI appointment:

1. Attend the day-long Teaching Conference sponsored by the GSI Teaching & Resource Center. This conference is held each semester on the Friday before classes begin. Pre-registration is required. All first-time international GSIs must also complete the Teaching Conference for International GSIs, which takes place in the fall semester the Thursday before classes begin.
2. Successfully complete the online course GSI Professional Standards and Ethics in Teaching before they interact with students (in person or online) in their role as an instructor.
3. Enroll in and complete the 300-level pedagogy course for first-time GSIs on teaching in your department. All GSIs teaching for the first time on campus must take a 300-level pedagogy course, regardless of prior teaching experience or previous courses taken at other universities.

The three requirements above, and others pertaining to departments, faculty who teach with GSIs, and continuing GSIs, can be found in the Graduate Council’s Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of GSIs.

Additionally, all first-time GSIs must attend an hour-long Academic Student Employee (ASE) orientation session. You must register for this session through the UCB Learning Center; you will need to log in via Blu using your Calnet ID and password. In order to register, you will need to have been entered into the Personnel Payroll System (PPS) by your department, and you will need a valid CalNet ID number. You should be able to sign up online beginning two days after the start date of your appointment. If you are unable to gain access to the UCB Learning Center online registration system, please contact your department administrator for assistance, or Labor Relations (510-643-6001).

Eligibility to Work as a GSI

There are several campus-wide eligibility requirements. For example, to be eligible for a GSI position students must be enrolled in 12 units; must be in good academic standing; and must demonstrate English language proficiency if they do not speak English as a native language. Please consult the Graduate Division’s Graduate Student Academic Appointments Handbook for fuller details. Also contact the person in your department who hires GSIs and ask about the availability of GSI positions and the necessary qualifications. Appointment decisions are made by the individual departments.

Additionally, all prospective GSIs who do not speak English as a native language and do not have a bachelor’s degree from a US institution are required to demonstrate English language proficiency before they can be appointed as GSIs. Information on how to fulfill this requirement can be found on the Language Proficiency Program (LPP) web page.

If you already know you need to take a test, please fill out the Language Proficiency Questionnaire, if you have not already done so. Once that is submitted, you will hear back from LPP within a day or so. Good luck!