What is an Assistantship
The purpose of the Assistantship role is to provide a PhD candidate with limited employment and relevant career experience to complete their learning and experience in their field of research.
There are three types of annual competitive Assistantships to PhD candidates at Cairnmillar available. They are:
- Teaching Assistantships
- Clinical Assistantships
- Research Assistantships
Selection process:
PhD applicants will be asked to specify if they are interested in applying for an assistantship. They can express interest at this time (or any other time) and once satisfactory progress of the thesis is confirmed, they could take up the Assistantship role. Availability of assistantships initially and ongoing would not be guaranteed, but subject to Institute needs and availability.
Applications for an assistantship will reviewed by the Dean and PhD course coordinator, in consultation with the relevant leadership in each area (Associate Dean Teaching and Learning for TAs, Clinic Director for CAs, Associate Dean Research for RAs)
All ongoing assistantship appointments will be reviewed at the end of each semester by the PhD course coordinator, in consultation with the relevant leadership in each area (Associate Dean Teaching and Learning for TAs, Clinic Director for CAs, Associate Dean Research for RAs) and the candidate’s principal supervisor, to ensure adequate role performance, likelihood of on-time degree completion, Institute needs, and equity among PhD candidates.
Remuneration/Discount:
Remuneration will be at the equivalent to Level A academic $76,300 x .2FTE = $15,260 plus superannuation. Upon satisfactory work performance on both academic and Cairnmillar assistantship work they will receive the following semesters tuition fees of $3,500 waived.
How to Apply:
New applicants to the PhD course should specify their interest in an Assistantship in the application Personal Statement. Current PhD students should email the PhD Course Coordinator to express their interest.
Positions Available
Teaching Assistant
Teaching Assistants will provide instructional assistance to one or more specified Unit Coordinators at a rate of 7.5 hours per week (0.2FTE), which may include lecturing, leading tutorial sessions, grading assessments, preparation of lecture or tutorial materials, and monitoring and developing materials on our Learning Management System. Teaching Assistants with higher degrees, such as a Master’s degree in a relevant field, may be contracted to teach into, or provide marking for, units at an AQF level equivalent to or lower than their relevant higher degree.
Clinic Assistants will be required to hold current registration as a psychologist, counsellor, or psychotherapist. Clinic assistants will have an expected average caseload (including associated duties e.g., report writing, case notes, etc.) of 5 client hours per day. Registered psychologists with a current supervisor endorsement may be eligible to provide supervision of Cairnmillar Institute provisional psychologists on placement in lieu of some billable client hours, as the approval of Clinic Director. Counsellors and psychotherapists would need to be approved to provide supervision services.
Research Assistants will be contracted to provide direct research support for a Cairnmillar Institute academic staff member who holds a current research grant or contract that has a specific budget item for doctoral-level RA. Specific duties would be dictated by the needs of the grant-funded research project, but may include activities such as participant recruitment, literature searched, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript writing, as directed by the Chief Investigator of the grant, at the rate of 7.5 hours (0.2FTE) per week per semester.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which The Cairnmillar Institute is located, and we pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We also extend these respects to any First Nations peoples engaging with these materials, and our services
Ash Thomas Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri people There's a Lot Goin' On, 2025
Sometimes in life there’s lots of things goin’ on that can be hard and trying, or easy and happy, but my artwork gives me strength to see out the bad times. This is my Country before colonisation. The lines are like a map representing how our people shaped the Country with their spiritual connections told in songs and stories. The blue water and the red oxide land show my journey line with places I’ve stopped along the way. The small linear patches of dots are all the different mobs and families around Country. The brown patterns and shapes are mountain ridges and waterholes representing time past. The diamond patterns are from patterns on our old shields. Their colours represent connection to culture and the red dirt and many coloured sands that make up our beautiful Country. The group of Elders sitting with their spears are telling stories of Bunjil the eagle, our Creator, and passing down their knowledge of tracking and hunting. The goannas are my Ancestors watching, mesmerised, over their Country and culture.
This artwork was created through The Torch, a not-for-profit organisation that provides art, cultural and arts industry support to First Nations people currently in, or recently released, from Victorian prisons.