Teaching#
Students without external funding (e.g. fellowships, Graduate Student Researcher funding) typically receive funding through an appointment as a GSI (Graduate Student Instructor). GSI positions are generally appointed at 50% time, which generally corresponds to two sections of a single class or one section each of two classes (less common). Students who work as GSIs have their tutition, fees, and health insurance (via the UC Berkeley Student Health Insurance Plan) fully paid for by the department. GSIs also receive a monthly stipend to cover food, rent, and other living expenses. Regardless of funding, PhD students are required to GSI for at least 2 semesters during the course of their degree. The statistics department generally fully funds students for their first semester, so they don’t have to worry about GSIing while making the transition to graduate school.
So how much time does it take?#
Here is a breakdown of how often students some students have GSI’d (excluding the first semester of the program and summers), based on a Fall 2024 survey:
Every semester: 2 students (this was two second-year students who had just GSI’d two semesters in a row)
75% of semesters: 1 student
50% of semesters: 5 students
25% of semesters: 5 students
No semesters: 4 students
Students are roughly evenly split on how hard it is to get non-GSI funding, with 7/18 saying it is easy, 6/18 saying it is hard, and 5/18 somewhere in the middle.
Only 5 of 17 students reported ever GSI’d during the summer. In the summers, students typically do a GSR (research) or an internship.
Based on the same survey, 10/20 students feel the GSI workload is okay (i.e. doesn’t have much of an impact on time for research or other things), and another 10/20 feel it is too much. The duties of a GSI with a 50% time appointment should not exceed 20 hours a week and may often be significantly less.
GSI Responsibilities#
A GSI functions as an assistant to the instructor for a course, so the work may be different for different courses. Typical GSI responsibilities include holding weekly or biweekly discussion/lab sections, holding office hours, regularly meeting with the instructor, and proctoring and grading exams. Some instructors require GSIs to help write homework or exams. GSIs for graduate classes may need to grade homework, whereas GSIs for undergraduate classes generally do not grade homework. Instructors will rarely assign all these duties and are generally very receptive to making adjustments if you find the GSI workload too heavy.
Discussion Sections/Labs#
Discussion sections are small class meetings led solely by the GSI. During discussion sections, GSIs usually work on example problems with students, answer student questions, and review material from the lectures. Some discussion sections are for students to do small coding projects related to the course material. Often, you can get materials from your instructor or previous GSIs of the course to help you plan out your discussion sections.
Office Hours#
50% GSIs generally hold 4 office hours a week, which are a time for students to ask questions on things like homework or concepts from lectures. Some instructors may have GSIs hold additional office hours in exchange of decreasing other responsibilities. The statistics department requires students to hold office hours in specified rooms (not your office) which are larger and can accommodate more students. GSIs are allowed to choose the timing of when they hold office hours, and, given instructor permission, may sometimes hold one or two remote office hours each week. Scheduling the time of your office hours is done via a shared Google spreadsheet that gets emailed to all GSIs.
First-time GSI Responsibilities#
First-time GSIs must attend a day-long GSI orientation hosted by the university and enroll in Stat 375, a pedagogy course designed to help you in your first time as a GSI. First-time GSIs may also need to fill out additional paperwork.
GSIs for Graduate Courses#
Graduate courses often do not have discussion sections. However, GSIs for graduate courses may responsible for grading homework.
English Tests#
If English was one of the primary languages you learned as a child and it was spoken in your home, there is no need to demonstrate oral English proficiency in order to apply for a GSI position. Otherwise, as of 2025, your GSI application must accompany a report of a score of at least 26 on the TOEFL iBT (speaking section) or a score of at least 8 on the IELTS. If neither of those can be provided, or your scores are more than two years old, you can take Berkeley’s internal Oral Proficiency Test (OPT) to fulfill the requirement. As this can take time to schedule, try to plan in advance so you have your language requirements ready by the time GSI applications open.
Summer Appointments#
The department provides summer GSI appointments for any students who would like to make extra money over the summer. Unlike during the Fall and Spring semesters, students are allowed to GSI up to a 100% time appointment. Students who do not work as GSIs over the summer still receive insurance benefits, and working as a GSI over the summer is voluntary. Students may also sometimes have the opportunity to serve as an instructor for a summer course, rather than a GSI.
Choosing your classes#
Every semester, students fill out a survey about what classes they would like to GSI for. You might not get your top choice every semester, but you usually get close! If you really want to GSI for a specific course, you can talk to the instructor and see if they can request you as a GSI for the course.
Union Membership#
GSIs (and also Graduate Student Researchers) are automatically represented by a union, UAW 4811. Union membership is voluntary, but all students, regardless of union membership, receive the benefits of union contract negotiations.