How much do graduate teaching assistants make?

Question

I am looking into entering a PhD program in Hispanic Linguistics. I'm currently a high school Spanish teacher. The program offers teaching assistantships but I was wondering on average how much is this stipend? Is it enough off which to live? Ideally, I would like to leave my high school teaching job while working on the PhD program and I am trying to decide if I can afford it. (I am married with 2 kids).

Answer 1

It would indeed be wise to leave your job while pursuing your Ph.D.

However, a teaching assistantship provides a stipend, not a living wage. Stipends vary from school to school, depending on several factors, such as urban vs. rural, prestigious program vs. state school, and from discipline to discipline. (Stipends in the hard sciences are always much higher than stipends in the humanities and social sciences.)

Most stipends in language Ph.D. programs range from about 8000 per year to 14000 per year, depending upon the factors mentioned above. Assistantships also almost always prohibit ANY outside employment as a condition of acceptance. So unless your spouse is employed, you won't be able to support a family on a stipend.

However, if you can get an assistantship, you should not let the small stipend deter you. Keep in mind that your "pay" also includes full tuition remission, and that you will defer all student loans you already have (and you will be eligible to take new ones if necessary) while in the program. Many doctoral students with families just decide to "bite the bullet" financially for a few years. However, married Ph.D. students with children MUST have extremely supportive AND gainfully employed spouses for this to work.

I wish you every success.

Answer 2

Your pay depends on how much money the department makes. Most likely it isn't enough to live off of, especially if you have a wife and kids. In my assistantship I make about 10/hr and only allowed to work 20 hrs a week so that's not much money at all. If your wife works the pay from your assistantship and her pay may be enough depending on your living standards. You probably don't have to worry about paying tuition once you work for the school.