Teaching Assistant Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Tennessee
Teaching assistant visa sponsorship jobs in Tennessee are concentrated at major research universities like Vanderbilt University, the University of Tennessee, and Tennessee State University. Nashville and Knoxville lead for sponsored positions, particularly for graduate teaching assistants in STEM, humanities, and education programs. Competition is real, and sponsorship is not guaranteed.
Find Teaching Assistant JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 159+ Teaching Assistant Jobs in Tennessee with Visa Sponsorship
See all 159+ Teaching Assistant Jobs in Tennessee with Visa Sponsorship
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Teaching Assistant Jobs in Tennessee with Visa Sponsorship.
Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Lab Teaching Staff is part of the Department of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and is responsible for assisting in the education of students in multiple major disciplines, primarily Pre-Health Professional. This position has staff persons to teach, develop coursework, and to implement the overall Academic Goals of the Department and University. Lab Teaching Staff allow the Course Coordinator to maintain a consistent level of education across all lab sections of each of the Introductory Biology Laboratory courses offered. Reporting directly to the Course Coordinator, the Lab Teaching Staff interact directly with undergraduate students, graduate students, Introductory Biology Laboratory Faculty, Departmental Faculty, and may have interactions outside of the Department with other schools within Vanderbilt University, and abroad to other institutions on a daily basis.
The Lab Teaching Staff will be responsible for implementing the directives of the Course Coordinator. The Lab Teaching Staff will both teach multiple sections within the Introductory Biology Laboratory courses and prepare all of the chemical reagents and laboratory equipment needed for any given experiment. Additionally, the Lab Teaching Staff is responsible for responding to student and TA inquiries both inside and outside of the laboratory and offering guidance to graduate teaching assistants. Ultimately, the Lab Teaching Staff is responsible for the success of the following Introductory Laboratory Biology Courses: BSCI 1510L, 1511L, and 1512L.
The Lab Teaching Staff will work with other team members in a progressive, communal, and professional atmosphere that encourages innovation and progress while consistently maintaining a high standard to keep the Introductory Biology Laboratory courses operating at a high level of educational outreach for the development of undergraduates.
The Department of Biological Sciences has an excellent staff to facilitate issue resolution involving personnel, financial management, supply and equipment orders proposal submission, and infrastructure. The faculty in the department carry out diverse research projects and often collaborate with other members within the department and in nearby departments. This department covers a broad spectrum of biology, from molecules and cells to tissues and organisms to populations and ecosystems. Award-winning faculty and graduate students teach and carry out research in Biochemistry, Structural Biology and Biophysics, Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Developmental Biology, and Neurobiology.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Work with the Course Coordinator to design and implement laboratory activities that will emphasize key learning objectives for the courses taught.
- Teach two or more sections of Introductory Biology Laboratory courses (BSCI 1510L, 1511L, 1512L) for majors each semester. This includes mentoring students conducting a laboratory research experiment in BSCI 1510L and designing/implementing an introductory level research project in BSCI 1512L.
- Work in a laboratory setting to make necessary chemical and biological reagents for laboratory experiments using sterile and safe laboratory practices.
- Involved in information management (grades, creation and maintenance of content, quizzes, and tests in Brightspace/TopHat course learning platforms). Work with Lab Course Coordinator to attend to all re-grade requests for student assignments.
- Keep a well-organized inventory of laboratory equipment and chemicals used in the Introductory Biology Laboratories.
- Administer online quizzes to students in all sections of Introductory Biology Laboratory courses offered using the online platform TopHat. Transfer student grades from the TopHat platform to Brightspace.
- Schedule and hold office hours during each semester. Respond to student inquiries in a prompt and professional manner.
- Routinely clean and repair equipment within the laboratory to maintain optimal performance. Clean and sterilize laboratory equipment and hard surfaces on a regular basis.
- Work with personnel within the Department of Biological Sciences to coordinate shared laboratory space.
- Work with personnel within the Department of Biological Sciences office on a regular basis to coordinate laboratory purchases and other special requests.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Qualifications
A Bachelor’s degree is necessary.
A Master’s degree is preferred.
Lab experience and/or teaching experience is preferred.
Able to manage time and plan what needs to be done.
Able to accurately follow written or verbal instructions.
Flexible and able to work cooperatively with others.
Experience measuring with basic laboratory equipment.
Able to perform calculations necessary for mixing solutions.
Familiar with basic cell and molecular biology equipment and techniques.
Computer skills including Microsoft Office and web-based tools for collaboration and communication.
Basic competence with statistics; experience with R preferred.
INTRODUCTION
The Lab Teaching Staff is part of the Department of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and is responsible for assisting in the education of students in multiple major disciplines, primarily Pre-Health Professional. This position has staff persons to teach, develop coursework, and to implement the overall Academic Goals of the Department and University. Lab Teaching Staff allow the Course Coordinator to maintain a consistent level of education across all lab sections of each of the Introductory Biology Laboratory courses offered. Reporting directly to the Course Coordinator, the Lab Teaching Staff interact directly with undergraduate students, graduate students, Introductory Biology Laboratory Faculty, Departmental Faculty, and may have interactions outside of the Department with other schools within Vanderbilt University, and abroad to other institutions on a daily basis.
The Lab Teaching Staff will be responsible for implementing the directives of the Course Coordinator. The Lab Teaching Staff will both teach multiple sections within the Introductory Biology Laboratory courses and prepare all of the chemical reagents and laboratory equipment needed for any given experiment. Additionally, the Lab Teaching Staff is responsible for responding to student and TA inquiries both inside and outside of the laboratory and offering guidance to graduate teaching assistants. Ultimately, the Lab Teaching Staff is responsible for the success of the following Introductory Laboratory Biology Courses: BSCI 1510L, 1511L, and 1512L.
The Lab Teaching Staff will work with other team members in a progressive, communal, and professional atmosphere that encourages innovation and progress while consistently maintaining a high standard to keep the Introductory Biology Laboratory courses operating at a high level of educational outreach for the development of undergraduates.
The Department of Biological Sciences has an excellent staff to facilitate issue resolution involving personnel, financial management, supply and equipment orders proposal submission, and infrastructure. The faculty in the department carry out diverse research projects and often collaborate with other members within the department and in nearby departments. This department covers a broad spectrum of biology, from molecules and cells to tissues and organisms to populations and ecosystems. Award-winning faculty and graduate students teach and carry out research in Biochemistry, Structural Biology and Biophysics, Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Developmental Biology, and Neurobiology.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Work with the Course Coordinator to design and implement laboratory activities that will emphasize key learning objectives for the courses taught.
- Teach two or more sections of Introductory Biology Laboratory courses (BSCI 1510L, 1511L, 1512L) for majors each semester. This includes mentoring students conducting a laboratory research experiment in BSCI 1510L and designing/implementing an introductory level research project in BSCI 1512L.
- Work in a laboratory setting to make necessary chemical and biological reagents for laboratory experiments using sterile and safe laboratory practices.
- Involved in information management (grades, creation and maintenance of content, quizzes, and tests in Brightspace/TopHat course learning platforms). Work with Lab Course Coordinator to attend to all re-grade requests for student assignments.
- Keep a well-organized inventory of laboratory equipment and chemicals used in the Introductory Biology Laboratories.
- Administer online quizzes to students in all sections of Introductory Biology Laboratory courses offered using the online platform TopHat. Transfer student grades from the TopHat platform to Brightspace.
- Schedule and hold office hours during each semester. Respond to student inquiries in a prompt and professional manner.
- Routinely clean and repair equipment within the laboratory to maintain optimal performance. Clean and sterilize laboratory equipment and hard surfaces on a regular basis.
- Work with personnel within the Department of Biological Sciences to coordinate shared laboratory space.
- Work with personnel within the Department of Biological Sciences office on a regular basis to coordinate laboratory purchases and other special requests.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Qualifications
A Bachelor’s degree is necessary.
A Master’s degree is preferred.
Lab experience and/or teaching experience is preferred.
Able to manage time and plan what needs to be done.
Able to accurately follow written or verbal instructions.
Flexible and able to work cooperatively with others.
Experience measuring with basic laboratory equipment.
Able to perform calculations necessary for mixing solutions.
Familiar with basic cell and molecular biology equipment and techniques.
Computer skills including Microsoft Office and web-based tools for collaboration and communication.
Basic competence with statistics; experience with R preferred.
Teaching Assistant Job Roles in Tennessee
See all 159+ Teaching Assistant Jobs in Tennessee
Sign up for free to filter by visa type, set job alerts, and find employers with verified sponsorship history.
Search Teaching Assistant Jobs in TennesseeTeaching Assistant Jobs in Tennessee: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies and institutions sponsor visas for teaching assistants in Tennessee?
The most consistent sponsors for teaching assistant roles in Tennessee are large research universities. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee State University, and Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro regularly file visa petitions for teaching assistants, particularly in graduate programs. Sponsorship at K-12 schools or smaller colleges is far less common and depends heavily on individual institutional policy.
Which visa types are most common for teaching assistant roles in Tennessee?
The J-1 visa Exchange Visitor visa is the most common pathway for international teaching assistants at Tennessee universities, typically issued under the Exchange Visitor program for graduate students and exchange scholars. F-1 OPT and CPT cover teaching assistant work tied to degree programs. H-1B visa sponsorship for teaching assistant roles is less frequent but does occur for non-student instructors at qualifying specialty occupation level, usually requiring at least a master's degree.
How to find teaching assistant visa sponsorship jobs in Tennessee?
Migrate Mate filters teaching assistant job listings in Tennessee specifically to those with visa sponsorship, saving you from sorting through postings that won't support work authorization. Search by role and state on Migrate Mate to see current openings at Tennessee universities and institutions. Graduate program portals at Vanderbilt and UT Knoxville also post TA positions directly, and those are worth monitoring alongside your Migrate Mate searches.
Which cities in Tennessee have the most teaching assistant sponsorship jobs?
Nashville and Knoxville account for the majority of sponsored teaching assistant positions in Tennessee, driven by Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee. Memphis has additional openings through the University of Memphis. Murfreesboro and Cookeville are smaller markets but worth monitoring through Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee Tech University respectively.
Are there any state-specific considerations for teaching assistant visa sponsorship in Tennessee?
Tennessee's teaching assistant sponsorship activity is concentrated in higher education rather than K-12, which affects which visa categories apply. Graduate TA positions often come bundled with tuition waivers and stipends through departmental funding, meaning sponsorship is closely tied to admission into a specific program. Public universities in Tennessee follow federal prevailing wage requirements for H-1B filings, and positions must meet the specialty occupation standard, which typically requires a relevant master's degree or higher.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored teaching assistant jobs in Tennessee?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.