Become a Peer Learning Assistant

Peer Learning and Teaching Others (PLaTO) is proud to employ over 70 undergraduate Peer Learning Assistants (PLA).

PLAs are selected through a competitive application process. Selection is based on availability, faculty reference, and interviews.

Pay: PLAs receive $11/hour, course credit for the UNIV 1204 pedagogy course, CRLA accreditation and experiential learning credit (depending on school/college).

Weekly Commitment: 5 hours/week. 3 hours of class facilitation in assigned course, 1 hour of preparing individually, and 1 hour of weekly planning with the course instructor. 

PLA job requirements include:

  • Enroll in and complete UNIV 1204 (a one-hour institutional credit course) within your first semester of being a PLA (unless you have already completed UNIV 1204)
    • Students cannot register for the course prior to being hired as a PLA  
  • Attend all sessions of your assigned course communicated by instructor to facilitate active learning in the classroom  
  • Attend weekly planning sessions with the instructor of your course  
  • Complete ongoing trainings with PLaTO staff including a beginning of semester training
  • Be proficient and subject matter and have the ability to explain topics to others
  • Have excellent communication skills and a patient approach to explaining concepts
  • Be able to recognize when to make referrals to appropriate campus resources when assistance beyond a PLA’s qualifications is needed

To qualify for a PLA position, you must:

  • Hold a minimum 3.25 overall GPA
  • Have successfully completed or anticipate to complete the course for which you are applying for with a B or higher 
  • Have completed at least one semester of classes at UGA
  • Be able to commit to and attend all sessions of the course for which you are applying

To apply to become a PLA:

If you are interested in becoming a PLA for the upcoming semester, you must apply a semester in advance. For example, we hire Fall PLAs at the end of the Spring semester.

The Peer Learning Assistant application for Fall 2024 closed on Wednesday, March 27th. The Peer Learning Assistant application for Spring 2025 will open in October 2024.