A teaching assistant cover letter needs to do more than confirm you have taken courses in the subject area. It must show a hiring committee that you can support student learning in practical, measurable ways — whether that means leading recitations, holding productive office hours, grading with consistency and fairness, or mentoring undergraduates through challenging material.
TA positions are competitive at most universities, and departments receive more applications than they can interview. A focused, evidence-backed cover letter separates candidates who are ready to contribute from those who are simply available. If you are applying to your first academic role, our entry-level cover letter guide covers the structural fundamentals you will need before diving in. For broader context on roles in this field, see our education cover letters hub.
What employers look for in a teaching assistant cover letter
Departments and faculty supervisors evaluate TA applicants on a specific set of competencies. Understanding these priorities before you write ensures every paragraph works in your favor.
- Subject-matter command. Confirm that your academic background equips you to field student questions accurately. Reference your degree program, relevant coursework, or thesis work that overlaps with the course you would assist.
- Instructional support experience. Any prior experience leading lab sections, facilitating recitations, or running review sessions signals that you can manage a room and explain material clearly without reading from a script.
- Grading and feedback quality. Faculty want TAs who grade consistently and return work with actionable feedback. Mention any experience evaluating essays, problem sets, or lab reports, and note the volume you managed.
- Office hours and student communication. Departments care about availability and responsiveness. Describe how you have made yourself accessible to students and resolved confusion outside of class time.
- Mentoring and student development. Highlight any tutoring, peer mentoring, or academic coaching that demonstrates a genuine investment in student outcomes beyond the required duties.
- Reliability and communication with faculty. Supervisors need TAs who surface problems early and keep them informed. A brief reference to how you collaborate with instructors signals professionalism.
How to write a teaching assistant cover letter that gets interviews
Open with your academic fit and a specific result
Start by naming the course or department you are applying to and connecting your academic background to it directly. Then immediately follow with one concrete outcome: a grading volume you managed, a student performance improvement you contributed to, or a recitation session that earned positive feedback. A line like "As a TA for Introduction to Statistics, I graded over 200 problem sets per week and held weekly office hours that drew an average of 18 students each session" gives the reader a clear picture of your capacity. For additional structure guidance, see our how to write a cover letter resource.
Demonstrate how you support student understanding
Move beyond listing duties and describe how you actually help students learn. Explain how you adapt your explanations when a concept is not landing, how you structure office hours to address common misconceptions, or how you design review materials that complement the professor's lectures. Departments want TAs who enhance the course, not just manage logistics.
Quantify your grading and mentoring contributions
Numbers give hiring committees something concrete to evaluate. Include the number of students in your section, the average number of assignments you graded per week, or the improvement in student performance on assessments you prepared. If you tutored students independently and tracked outcomes, mention the results. Vague language about "helping students" is easy to overlook; specific figures are not.
Address your availability and collaboration with faculty
Close the body of your letter by confirming your availability for office hours, recitations, and lab sections, and describe how you keep the supervising instructor informed of student progress or concerns. Demonstrating that you are a dependable partner — not just a warm body in the room — reassures departments that you will strengthen the course rather than create additional management work. If you are also exploring related roles, our guides on paraprofessional and academic advisor positions cover adjacent competencies worth referencing.
Teaching assistant cover letter example
Replace university names, courses, and achievements with your own experience.
Subject: Application for the Teaching assistant position
Before you send your application
Use this checklist to review your teaching assistant cover letter before submitting:
- Confirm that you have named the specific course and department in the opening paragraph rather than addressing a generic TA role.
- Verify that at least two quantified results appear in the body of your letter — grading volume, office hours attendance, or section performance metrics are all appropriate.
- Check that you have described how you actively support student learning, not just the tasks you perform.
- Confirm your availability for the recitations, lab sections, or office hours listed in the posting.
- Proofread for accuracy, especially any course names, faculty names, or academic terminology.
- Keep the letter to one page. Remove any sentence that restates your resume rather than adding context.
FAQ
How long should a teaching assistant cover letter be?
Keep your letter to one page, roughly 250 to 400 words. Faculty and department coordinators review many applications, so a concise letter that leads with one or two measurable contributions will hold attention better than a lengthy narrative. Focus on your most relevant TA or instructional experience and let your CV handle the full academic history.
What if I have never been a teaching assistant before?
Emphasize transferable experience: tutoring, peer mentoring, lab volunteer work, or any role where you explained complex material to others. Frame the outcomes concretely — how many students you helped, what subjects you covered, and what results you observed. Our no-experience cover letter guide offers additional strategies for positioning yourself when you lack a direct title match.
Should I mention grading experience specifically?
Yes. Grading is one of the most time-consuming TA responsibilities, and departments want confirmation that you can handle volume without sacrificing consistency or turnaround time. Mention the types of assignments you have graded, the approximate number of students, and any rubric or feedback systems you used.
Can I use this cover letter for a graduate teaching fellowship?
The same principles apply, but fellowship applications often expect a slightly longer letter and may request a brief teaching philosophy statement. Expand your discussion of pedagogy and student outcomes, and consider referencing your research agenda if it connects to the courses you would teach. For additional framing ideas, see our school counselor cover letter guide, which addresses similar student-support competencies in a different context.
How do I tailor my teaching assistant cover letter to a specific department?
Read the course syllabus if it is publicly available, and review the professor's recent publications or teaching approach. Reference one or two specific aspects of the course — the lab component, a particular unit you are well-suited to support, or a pedagogical method used in the course — to show genuine engagement with the position. Browse our cover letter templates for a formatting starting point, then customize every paragraph to the department and role.