University Graduate Teaching Assistants: policies, trends, perspectives

The discourse of professionalism and increasing emphasis on universities' demonstrating that academic and teaching staff are qualified for the work they do has increased steadily over the last decade, leading to external pressures for accreditation of teachers through, for example, Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy or completion of relevant professional development programmes. There is mounting evidence that acquiring such credentials is likely to be a factor in building an academic career. What are the implications of this for Graduate Teaching Assistants as aspiring academics? How can we promote GTA engagement, balance what GTAs would like in their development, what institutions would like from their GTAs and help them prepare for their current and future work?