Onboarding for New Graduate Assistants

Congratulations on your new assistantship appointment! Before you begin your position, please complete the following requirements. If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact the Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships at [email protected].

Complete your Employment Verification (I-9)

The I-9 process is a federal requirement that verifies your work eligibility. I-9 verification must be completed by your first day of employment as listed on your award letter. Both steps 1 and 2 of this process can only be completed from within the United States. If you do not complete your I-9 in a timely manner, you risk termination of your position.

There are two steps to complete this process:

Step 1: Online Form

You will first need to visit www.newi9.com and when prompted for an Employer Name/Code, enter 14290. Next, enter your personal information. Then, you will see a list of acceptable original documents required for Step 2: In-Person Verification.

Step 2: In-Person Verification

Once your online form is completed, you will need to schedule a 15 minute appointment to meet in person with a representative that will verify your documents. This verification can be completed at a Human Resources Office on the GW Foggy Bottom Campus (in Washington DC) or the GW Virginia Science and Technology Campus (in Ashburn, Virginia).

Schedule an Appointment

International Students

Please complete the I-9 process as soon as you arrive in the United States.

U.S. Social Security Numbers (SSN) are required when completing the I-9, however you can complete your I-9 before officially receiving your SSN. To begin your application for a SSN, you will need a Support Letter from the GW International Services Office (ISO) which is requested through ISOGateway. You can find instructions for requesting a Support Letter on the International Services Office website. Please apply for a SSN as soon as you obtain the ISO Support Letter.

If you have already obtained your ISO Support Letter:

When completing Part 1 (online form) of the I-9 process, please select "SSN Applied For".

If you are still awaiting your ISO Support Letter:

Even if you have not yet received your Support Letter from ISO, you can still successfully complete the I-9 process. When completing Part 1 (online form) of the I-9 process, please select "SSN Applied For" because you intend to apply for a SSN as soon as you obtain the Support Letter.

How to Apply for a Social Security Number

Once you receive your SSN, please email [email protected] for instructions to securely upload your new SSN card.

Please note that you may need to re-verify your I-9 with updated immigration documents as you continue your studies at GW. OGSAF will contact you if re-verification is required.

Please visit the HR Employment Eligibility Verification webpage to learn more and contact hris@gwu with any questions.

Complete your Background Check

All new graduate assistants will receive an email from "Sterling Info Systems" with a link to complete your background if this is your first assistantship at GW. Please complete the background check form promptly upon receiving the email because the link will only be accessible for one week.
The background check must be completed by your first day of employment as listed on your award letter.
If you can no longer access the link, please contact OGSAF at [email protected].

Complete your Payroll Forms Online

After OGSAF receives your official hire request from your department (please note this is separate from your award letter), you will receive access to the GWeb Employee Portal. Your official hire request should arrive to OGSAF prior to the start of classes each semester. Therefore, we recommend accessing your Employee Portal during the first week of classes. Please plan to complete both steps outlined below by your first day of employment as listed on your award letter.

Complete the Form W4 & State Tax Withholding

The GWeb Employee Portal offers a convenient way for you to complete your W4 form and verify your work location address. Select the "Personal Information Menu" tab to update your W4 address and work location address. Work location is where you work at least 50% of the time.

Set up Direct Deposit

We recommend all graduate assistants enroll in direct deposit. You can allocate your pay in multiple accounts using fixed or percentage based amounts.

Use these instructions to set up or deactivate direct deposit accounts:

Review your Compensation

All graduate assistants receive a monthly salary. Your award letter will detail the total salary, the number of working hours per week and the term of your assistantship appointment.

Pay Schedule

Your monthly salary can calculated by dividing the total salary of your assistantship by the number of months in your appointment.

Please note that Fall semester has four months (September, October, November and December) while Spring semester has five months (January, February, March, April and May).

Assistantship salaries are delivered on the last business day of each month.

Access your Payment History

Graduate assistants can also access paystubs for their assistantship salary in the GWeb Employee Dashboard. Please note that paystubs are only available after you have received your first salary payment.

Review the Graduate Award Requirements Document

All assistantship award letters include a link to this Graduate Award Requirements document. Students agree to the requirements in this document by accepting their award. Please contact OGSAF at [email protected] with any questions.

Graduate Award Requirements Document

Understand your Training Requirements

Each assistantship position comes with unique training requirements to ensure graduate assistants are prepared to succeed in their role.

Graduate Academic Assistants (GAAs): Graduate Academic Assistants (GAAs) receive position-specific training from their department or direct supervisors. If you have any questions or concerns about your training responsibilities, please contact your direct supervisor.
Graduate Instructional Assistants (GIAs): Graduate Instructional Assistants (GIAs) receive training for their instructional role via the Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program (GTAP). In addition to GTAP, GIAs receive discipline-specific training from their supervising professor.
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs): Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) receive training for their instructional role via the Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program (GTAP). In addition to GTAP, GTAs receive discipline-specific training from their supervising professor.
Graduate Student Lecturers (GSLs): Graduate Student Lecturers (GSLs) may receive training for their instructor role via the advanced Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program (GTAP). In addition to the advanced GTAP, GSLs may receive necessary discipline-specific training from their department.
Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and Graduate Research Fellows (GRFs): Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and Graduate Research Fellows (GRFs) receive position-specific training from their department, lab coordinator, or direct supervisors. There may be additional lab-specific training necessary for your research role. If you have any questions or concerns about your training responsibilities, please contact your direct supervisor.

Prepare for your First Day

In graduate assistantships, your day-to-day responsibilities are organized by your department and supervisor. We recommend discussing the following questions with your supervisor prior to the start of your assistantship:

What are my specific position responsibilities?
When is my first day of work?
What is my work schedule?
Where should I report to work?
What is my supervisor's preferred method of communication?
Whom should I communicate unexpected absences due to sickness, inclement weather, etc. to?
What equipment, software, or materials will I need?

The Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowship (OGSAF) is here to help you succeed in your new assistantship position! If you have any questions about these onboarding requirements, please contact OGSAF at [email protected].