Jobs for Music Graduate Students

You have a number of work opportunities at our school, around McGill and off campus. To maintain full-time graduate student status, work a limited number of hours per week.

Research and teaching assistantships, course lecturer positions

  • Teaching assistantships: We advertise TA positions each semester on our website. We typically have few, if any, TA positions available for first-year students. First-year students cannot apply for a TA position within their first term.
  • Research assistantships: Several faculty members offer research assistant (RA) opportunities to students. Look into faculty research interests and contact a professor with whom you are interested in working. We post a small number of research positions online. You can also contact the Director of Graduate Studies for more information. 
    • Assistantships are paid as employment income with an hourly wage.
  • Course lecturer positions: We advertise course lecturer and teaching instructor positions on our website.

Work Study and exam invigilation

  • Work Study positions: All Work Study positions are posted on McGill's Scholarships and Student Aid website. To be eligible, you must demonstrate financial need. Typical Work Study positions in Music include: apprentice writers for program notes, sound recording technicians, library assistants, stage hands, opera studio assistants, software programmers, research assistants, front-of-house staff, etc.
  • Exam invigilation: You can be hired by McGill during exam periods in December and April. Opportunities are posted online by McGill.

Paid performance opportunities

  • Montreal community: Opportunities for paid performances in the community for soloists, choristers, chamber ensembles, organists, orchestral and jazz musicians, and piano collaborators are facilitated through the booking office.
  • Pianists: Collaborative piano students may be hired by students through the subsidized accompanying program. Contact the Department of Performance for more information. Other qualified pianists may apply to the Department of Performance by supplying their CVS and two letters of reference from two McGill performance faculty.
  • Opportunities for studio teaching exist within the community, McGill Conservatory, and other small music schools.

Other student and summer jobs (on and off campus)

  • MyFuture: The Career Planning Service (CaPS) maintains a database of job opportunities on and off campus. Log in to MyFuture with your McGill username and password, and use search words such as "music" to narrow down the listings.
  • CaPS also has links to other sites containing job postings and guides for finding work.

Internships (paid and unpaid)

  • The Career Planning Service (CaPS) website has comprehensive information about internships and how to evaluate potential internship opportunities.
  • The Internship Offices Network also has a database of internship programs.
  • Mitacs is a non-profit organization that provides research and training opportunities to students and postdocs. 

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to develop marketable skills, meet new people and explore different interests.

  • Visit our Community webpage for information about volunteer opportunities managed through our school.
  • CaPS is a great resource for volunteer information, within and outside of McGill.

Career planning

Get in touch with Jan Bottomer, our Career Advisor, early in your program to explore career options and resources.

Read our alumni profiles to find out what career paths a few of our former graduates have chosen.

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