There are several benefits to being a Teaching Assistant. All benefits listed below can be discussed with the Math Department Payroll & Benefits Specialist.
Health Insurance
Graduate employees have a choice of several HMOs in the Dane County area as well as a Standard Plan (allows you to see any doctor of your choice, etc.) The insurance does include some limited dental coverage. There is a monthly premium taken from your paycheck, which is set by the State of Wisconsin. Note: Plans change their rates every year and the cost could change yearly. It is possible to change plans each year in October.
Tuition Waiver
TAs who are employed a minimum of 33.33% may be eligible for a tuition waiver, dependent upon academic program. To find out if your program is eligible, please contact your program coordinator. If you have a tuition waiver, you should only have to pay segregated fees. The amount is determined by the number of credits you are enrolled in. For more information, visit:
- Tuition and Fees Information
- Segretated Fees Information
- Tuition Rates Workbook (Interactive tool; choose “Tuition Schedule” at the top, then change “Tuition Rate Group” to “Master’s and PhD Program Rates” AND “Specific Tuition Rate” to either “Graduate” or “Dissertator” as appropriate.)
Sick Leave
All TAs have access to Sick Leave. Details about the policies and when sick leave applies can be found in the Graduate Assistant Policies and Procedures (https://hr.wisc.edu/policies/gapp/). Details about how to use sick leave as a Graduate Assistant in the Math Department can be found at https://wiki.math.wisc.edu/index.php/TA_Absences.
Other Benefits
The teaching contract gives students other financial benefits including Supplemental Dental insurance, Vision Insurance, Domestic Partner benefits, Employee Reimbursement Accounts (also called Flex or Medical Spending accounts), life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. If you are interested in these options, see Campus Human Resources and the Math Department Payroll & Benefits Specialist.