• Assistantship Application

    This application is for a graduate assistantship position with the School of Accounting, Finance, Economics, & Decision Sciences.

  • Minimum qualifications/requirements

    • Full-time admission into either the MA Accountancy, MS Quantitative Economics, or MS Applied Statistics & Decision Analytics
    • GRE/GMAT OR at least 9 s.h. of earned credit from an AACSB school with at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA.  Students that are currently enrolled in their first semester at an AACSB school may still apply without the GRE/GMAT, but positions will be contingent upon satisfactory grades in the first semester.

    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

    • Ability to physically work on one of the WIU campuses at least 3-4 days each week for the ENTIRE academic semester (16 weeks).

    • Can NOT simultaneously hold another 2/3 (or greater) assistantship on campus

    • Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with faculty and students

    • Must comply with all University required documentation, including prompt completion of background check authorizations

    • Ability to arrive physically on campus the week prior to the semester start for all orientation events and for timely registration
    • No prior involvement in academic integrity incidents 

    Preferred qualifications 

    • Prior experience in tutoring US students in accounting, finance, economics, and/or decision sciences

    • Familiarity with the WIU campus, student organizations, and university procedures

    • Ability to assist students in a wide array of business principles courses including introductory finance, accounting, and business statistics.

    • Prior U.S. office work (answering phones, copying, greeting customers, etc)

    • Experience with statistical software packages such as R, STATA, JMP, and Python Libraries

    • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including lookup tables, pivot tables, formula creation, and visualizations

    • Experience in social media management and promotional activities

    • A laptop with a working microphone and webcam
        

    Job Description and Duties
    Teaching Support Assistants (TSAs) are contract employees hired by the School of Accounting, Finance, Economics, & Decision Sciences to assist with undergraduate classes and general departmental support.  Once hired, individuals will be assigned specific duties based upon department needs and student skills. All applicants MUST have excellent communication skills.  It is imperative that TSAs are able to follow written/verbal directions and communicate professionally.

    Primary responsibilities may include the following:

    • Tutoring students (in-person AND virtually) in principles level business courses
    • Assisting with undergraduate grading
    • Assisting with in-class activities, proctoring, or other classroom events
    • Answering phones and greeting students looking for AFED faculty
    • Administering course evaluations for the School of AFED
    • Contributing to social media and other recruitment activities
    • Assisting with light research activities including basic data management, literature acquisition, etc
    • Assisting with recruitment events and prospective student engagement
    • Other duties as assigned

    Job Location
    The School of Accounting, Finance, Economics, and Decision Sciences and the supervising faculty member are based in Macomb.  Although we do try to hire 1 person to assist the QC faculty, most of the positions require regular visits to the Macomb campus.  These positions are NOT open to fully online students.

    Term, Workload, and Payrate
    The TSA will receive a tuition waiver (students are still responsible for fees and other course costs) for the Fall/Spring/Summer semesters, with a stipend during the fall/spring semesters, as dictated by WIU policy. The assistantship requires 13 work hours per week during the Fall/Spring semesters. It is the responsibility of the employee to report the number of hours accurately worked and tasks completed. All positions may be subject to midterm performance evaluations. The contract may be canceled if the TSA does not fulfill the required job duties.  TSAs MUST  continue to make progress toward their respective degree plans while employed.  This requires them to follow all advice/guidance from their academic advisor.  Failure to take the appropriate courses may result in contract termination.

  • Assistantships within the school of AFED are ONLY open to students that have applied to (and been accepted into) one of our Master's programs; Accountancy, Quantitative Economics, and/or Applied Statistics & Decision Analytics.  Students currently enrolled in another program and not actively pursuing one of our degrees are not eligible for one of these positions.  

  • The GRE/GMAT requirements for admission are different from those for an assistantship.  Even if the program doesn't require the exams for admission, or if you are granted a waiver (MA Accountancy), you may still be required to take the exam to be considered for an assistantship.  These assistantships are highly competitive and the testing requirement is essential.  It is only waived for students that have already proven themselves successful at AACSB accredited schools.

  • Application guidelines
    A complete application (submitted electronically, as required by the School of Accounting, Finance, Economics, and Decision Sciences) will include:

    • A completed University level, general assistantship application, available at http://www.wiu.edu/graduate_studies/current_students/forms/AppForGradAssistantship.php

    • A current CV or Resume in PDF form

    • A Statement of Purpose (SOP) that specifically addresses your qualifications for this position in PDF form

    • Current contact information for two professional/academic references.  These individuals should be people that know the candidate’s abilities well, such as a former professor or employer. You will provide the email address and we will collect the information on your behalf.  You will NOT be able to see the submitted evaluations from your references.

    • Applicant must successfully complete all other employment paperwork including the background check, as required by the University IF offered the position.
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  • All applicants must provide contact information for 2 professional/academic references.  Upon submitting this application, your indicated references will be contacted directly to complete an evaluation instrument.  Be sure to correctly enter their names and email addresses in the box.  You should be sure that your references are aware to be expecting immediate contact and the associated timelines.  All references are "blind" in that you will not see their evaluations.  Your references should know you and your abilities well.  We strongly recommend asking past/current teachers or supervisors to serve as references.  You should NOT have fellow graduate students serve in this role.  

    You will receive an automatic message when your reference completes their evaluation.  It is YOUR responsibility to correctly enter their email addresses in this form.

  • These positions are highly competitive and decisions likely won't be made until mid-April.  Do NOT send inquiries regarding the status of your application.  We will notify all applicants once a decision is made.  Otherwise, please contact the School Director, Dr. Jessica Lin if you have any questions about the position, job requirements, or associated benefits.  You can email her at afed@wiu.edu or call her directly at 309.298.1152.

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