Working at the Writing Center

Our Writing Associates are undergraduate and graduate students who are committed to writing across the disciplines, and to thinking about the ways writing works in and out of the classroom here at UConn.

We hire on an annual cycle: the process for selecting our 2009-2010 staff will begin in mid-February. A current application will be available on this website early in Spring 2010.

About the job:

One-on-one tutorials constitute the largest part of being a Writing Associate, and most of our associates spend 8-10 hours a week leading individual sessions for student writers. Our staff are also involved in projects that stretch beyond the Writing Center, and often even beyond the Storrs campus. For instance, this year we worked with the students at E.O.Smith High School to create a dynamic writing center on their own campus; next year we’ll be starting a similar project at another area school.

Next year we will be expanding our fresh Writing Fellows program, which places some of our Writing Associates in the classroom to work with faculty on writing in specific courses. Pay is $10/hour; Writing Fellows will receive an additional stipend of $500/semester.

Who should apply?

Our current staff includes writers from political science, biology, pharmacy, international relations, economics, English, art history, and journalism. Take a quick look at our tutor profiles; many of our Writing Associates have double majors, and a diverse set of interests and experiences. We're looking for strong writers who are passionate about writing, of course, but also curious about the ways writing is part of teaching, part of student life, part of the ways this university understands itself both within and outside the boundaries of any one campus.

Responsibilities for new staff members

First-year staff members are expected to take a one-credit practicum during the first fall semester of their appointment. Practicum meetings will run approximately one hour, and will take place every other week.
In addition, all our Writing Associates attend biweekly staff meetings, and occasional skill-building workshops.
Our full staff attends a two-day orientation before classes start in the fall semester. Anticipated dates for 2009 will be August 28th and 29th.