International Teaching Assistant/Instructor Policy Overview

The International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) is responsible for implementing the University of Missouri policy and the Missouri law concerning oral English-language assessment and training for international graduate students. This includes all teaching assistants (TAs), graduate instructors (GIs), research assistants (RAs) and postdoctoral candidates who:

• take on any direct supervisory or instructional roles in a course being offered for credit
• did not receive both primary and secondary education in a nation or territory where English is the primary language.

Residence Length and Cultural Orientation Requirements

In addition to possessing the necessary language skills, candidates must meet two additional criteria:

• An international teaching assistant (ITA) must be in residence at the University of Missouri for at least one semester before beginning any TA work. The one-semester residency requirement is designed so that the ITA can learn how teaching differs in a U.S. university or college from teaching in his/her home country.
• ITAs are required to complete an American classroom cultural orientation before they take on their responsibilities. ITAP provides this orientation through the Orientation for New International Teaching Assistants (ONITA) before the start of fall and spring semesters.