I posted a while ago when I was about to start graduate teaching and was concerned that I didn't know much about the topic. I have managed to muddle through so far by reading the set texts to be discussed in the seminar. However, I have just found out I have to mark their essays - maybe I'm niaive not realising this but I was never given a job description. The course convener is very dismissive of my concerns and wasn't helpful at all when I asked what the procedure was for marking. He also dismissed my concerns when I said todays seminar was particularly difficult especially because none of the lectures on the subject are actually before the seminars so both me and the students have to discuss things we know nothing about beforehand. The other teaching assistant told me that the previous year the course was run by somebody else and she thinks the chap running it this year is doing an apalling job. I said I was going to complain about the lack of support and she said she would back me up.
What are other people's experiences and do you think I have grounds for complaint?

I do sympathise but I think you'll find its basically the same everywhere. I was thrown in at the deep end marking and teaching, it was all I could do to stay one step ahead of the students. Sometimes they know it aswell!! Make them do the talking - when you mark get a set of marking criteria - they will have to have one. Good luck - remember just be 24 hrs ahead of them

Yup it's the same here. The thing I would complain about though is haveng the lectures after the seminars. That has happened here a couple of times but it really shouldn't. I teach a broad range, much of which is not in my field - I just do the reading and try to keep one step ahead. That's easy with first years but I would try to stick closer to my own field with second and especially third years. I give marks by term not paper, which is easier I think. But there has been no training or guidance - that's the norm it seems.

pamw, i think you should insist on getting some sort of marking frame/criteria. these should be known to the students too, actually, so if your course convenor resists your enquiries, you could tell your students to flood him/her with requests. that might work better.

i was provided with a quite useful "essay feedback and mark sheet" that helped me look at different aspects of the essays such as structure, clarity, critical thought, how precisely the given question was addressed/answered, referencing and bibliography, etc.
i could explain more about that or send it to you, if the PGFT lets us exchange e-mails. but first of all i would try to get something like that from the course convenor or from the department.

Thanks Shani,
I know there is a marking criteria sheet of which the convener didn't have any but I have been in touch with the assessment office and they have furnished me with copies.

Hi Pamw - I was also thrown in at the deep end and didn't know what the hell I was doing, my first set of essays took me absolutley ages to mark and I panicked over them quite considerably! Sadly I think this is the norm. However, once you do the first set it should get easier and you will start to get quicker at it when you know what to look out for. I found the marking criteria very helpful and I also found a grading sheet on the uni webpages which described a typical '2:1 essay' and so forth and that really helped me