Graduate Teaching Assistant

FAU Pine Jog Graduate Assistantship Program

Application Form

Deadline: 3/30/2025 for Fall 2025 Semester.

For more information or questions, please contact Christopher Hill, Associate Director at [email protected] 

Pine Jog Environmental Education Center offers assistantship opportunities for graduate students. These opportunities offer a multi-dimensional immersion into the environmental field by integrating academic coursework and theory with practical work experience at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center.

Why Should I Apply?

The opportunities provided at Pine Jog are unique in the country. At no other location in the nation do you have a state university, a public elementary school and an environmental education center located on the same site and working collaboratively to improve education for all parties involved. Pine Jog can offer an invaluable practical learning experience which enhances the academic program provided by the university.

Graduate students employed at Pine Jog will have the opportunity to lead programs for students in Palm Beach County and may have the opportunity to develop and implement curricula of their own.

Teaching responsibilities may include:

• Field based programs at Pine Jog
• Schoolyard outreach programs
• After-school programming
• Interpretive programs
• Classroom visits
• Summer day camp
• Summer residential camp
• Programs for families

Graduate assistants will be involved in teaching and may be assisting a Pine Jog staff member in their area of expertise. Assistantships allow students to experience various aspects of the field such as program development, nature center administration, fund raising and grant writing. These positions vary each year, but the options can include assisting the Director of Education, the Facilities and Land Manager, or the Executive Director. Opportunities exist to assist in public relations, publications and special events.

Each year, students are presented with various opportunities to enhance their education in their free time. These opportunities usually include:

• National and/or local conferences
• Professional workshops
• Lectures
• Networking

Students entering the program should expect approximately 30-40%* of their time to be spent in direct service (teaching) and the remainder spent on indirect service (program and administrative support). *This may change each semester

Using the professional experiences gained through the assistantship that complement academic learning at FAU, previous participants have found employment as:

• educators at non-formal education and science centers
• outreach educators for resource agencies
• program directors for state or regional EE programs
• educators and program directors for conservation groups
• teachers at the elementary, middle & high school level