research assistant

administrative assistant

postdoctoral fellow

research coordinator

research associate

University of British Columbia

UBC is a great place to work located on the West side of Vancouver near the ocean with spectacular buildings, views and great people who care about each other, Staff, Students and the environment. Everyone enjoys working there and strives to make this one of the best Universities for people to learn, for the wellbeing of the international community that live and study there and the rest of world.   
I have learned that there is great leadership and communication in each department to make us all work together to make progress with the various tasks and business plans that are proposed and carried out throughout each year.
There is a great management team who is knowledgeable about the tasks that lay ahead to provide leadership with the best policies for each department to safely move forward to a sustainable future. They take to lead in sustainability and research in various departments. It has been a pleasure to work as a team member with all the departments, managers, supervisors over the course of my career.
My co-workers were great, professional, successful and had the expertise to carry out many medium and large construction projects that were delivered on time and on budget over the course of my career. The University has truly undertaken a real change, a complete renewal for the existing infrastructure including existing and new buildings that provide the best technology, labs, and research equipment. The buildings are far advanced and up to date with the latest technology, labs, and research equipment to provide the necessary training and learning for all Students. 
The hardest part of the job was to keep up with the many changes over the course of this complete renewal over the last decade with an ever increasing workload that goes along with it, but with the professional Staff, Managers and great co-workers we all enjoyed the challenges that lay ahead and were able to see firsthand what all our hard work produces for this great University and its community.  
The most enjoyable part was the free education and many benefits that included training, health and wellness sessions, barbeques, business plan meetings, learning lunches, health and safety seminars that were freely offered to us and we all were able to attend and enjoy. Furthermore, to be given the opportunity to advance in our careers. It was truly an enjoyable learning and work experience at one of the best Universities I have seen and known...

At this volunteer position I was able to learn a lot and become influenced by some of the smarted people I know. Working in the Riparian and Stream Ecology Lab at UBC, while the work was not as glamorous work, I had the opportunity interact with masters, PhD and Postdoctoral students in the same field of studies I hope to pursuit one day.  

My job entailed sorting through terrestrial invertebrate samples, identifying and organizing them for a PhD student's research project.  In addition to this, I was able to help collect data in the field which helped me to better understand the project.  Once I had spent some time in the lab, I was able to ask each person about their projects, what they have done in the past and what they see for them selves in the future.  This was the best part and the part that allowed me to come up with my own research project as a part of an individual directed studies at UBC. For this directed study, as one of my electives, I had to find a supervisor and write a proposal for for a research project.  I am still in the process of this project and am very exited to see the end result!

This position, while not paid, has really helped to fine-tune my future direction, it has allowed me the chance to work independently and efficiently as well as part of a team.  While the hardest (dullest) part of this position would have to be the lab work of sorting samples, at the same time it is the best part because you know you are helping with research that can be for future capacity building within the scientific community.

Easiest way to 'get in' is to start working for the onsite 'temping' agency (called UBC Hiring Solutions).  Once employed as a temp for about 3 months, you are an 'insider' and have a way better chance of finding a permanent job.  This is what I did.  Otherwise, individual departments with job postings can only review your application if there are no suitable UBC candidates (i.e. insiders).

In my 18 years at UBC, I worked for two different departments/faculties.  There was little in common between the two.  I enjoyed one, and not the other, due to the workplace culture.  The first was very business-like, and a little stiff.  The second was much more 'relaxed' in nature.  With the first, the required dress code was 'business' or 'business-casual'.  The second was completely optional, without 'rules' regarding dress code.  So blue jeans were perfectly acceptable attire.  

UBC is a large corporate entity, and in my view quite hierarchical in terms of the power/organizational structure.  In my view, unless you are management, the pay is not great.  However, you do have job security as it is a unionized environment.  You also have plenty of in-house opportunity for mobility within the organization, since there are many faculties, many departments, many positions.  So if you aren't happy in one department, there are lots of other opportunities.

The benefits are also quite good, and UBC also offers $$$ towards skill/career development.  So for those who are ambitious in that way, I'd say it's a very good place to work.  I would still be there if I hadn't left Vancouver.  

HS is the internal placement agency within UBC. Their mandate is to hire advanced admin and executive support to various departments and schools on and off campus with the intent to eventually find a permanent placement. 

As a HS exmployee, you are often filling an administrative role while the department HR completes the hiring process for a permanent replacement. Each assignment may give you some skills but will lead to you a career dead-end  - standard temp work.

Typical day will depend on your work assignment and where you are assigned. Zoom is heavily used and can be faiguing. Depending on the department there may not be training or documentation so being able to work things out for yourself if a must. (In one case I filled in for someone who quit suddenly after 15 years in the position and didnt document their processes at all) Combine this with underwhelming and boring work, siloed groups, cold/distant work culture, daily parking rates, and last minute assignment changes (3-4 days notice is unacceptable yet it happened every time) it led to an unpleasant sense of being treated as disposable. As a result this was not a good fit for me.

A typical day may start out with general customer service requests such as requests to grant access or to give directions but can change quickly into a variety of calls and requests. I have opportunities to attend calls such as first aid, suspicious persons, elevator entrapments, theft reports, and more. 
I have learned so much from this job such as how to interact with all people from all walks of life and how to adapt to unexpected situations and developments.
My colleagues can be the funniest people to be around or the most annoying depending on the given day. We all take care of our own and back each other up when we need assistance on a call. We all depend on each other to help the hours go by. 
The best and hardest part of the job is working with the public. My job does not allow me to always give people access when they want it or when it's convenient; in fact, I say, 'no' most of the time. This is not the most popular answer.
On the other hand, the job can be very rewarding when security can provide accesses and other services that can mean the difference in a passing grade, participating in an active police investigation, and helping someone's family member; this is always very rewarding.

Following lab protocols each day and trouble-shooting errors that later appeared in data were all things encountered on a typical day in cellular and molecular biology labs. With the help of peer mentors and TA's, I was able to acquire a tool kit of skills some of which included the following: being able apply problem-solving strategies to pre-existing research questions that don't have answers yet, being able to independently design experimental proposals and presenting my ideas out to a large scientific audience. The greatest challenge I encountered was being able to accept that data weren't always going to be perfect and then analyzing that data and making connections to the big research question. Moreover, being able to justify data based on the resources and tools used posed another challenge. Ultimately, writing reports to piece together all these challenging aspects of the lab was an enjoyable part of the lab in that it gave me the confidence and motivation to develop a mental mind set for analyzing the world from a different set of lenses

A typical day at work consist of customer service, money handling, and serving food. Working for UBC for two year has no doubt taught me how to become a leader, how to work in the absence of supervision, how to communicate with customers, and handling money accurately. The management there needs some improvement when it comes to communication. My co-workers are amazing, they're one of the reasons that keep me motivated because we all have created a very close relationship and we are willing to help each other out during rush hours. The hardest part of my job is taking orders from customers who aren't paying attention when you repeat the order to them, and those who are very indecisive when it comes to ordering. The most enjoyable part of my job is getting to interact with people. I really enjoy how my job allows me so much flexibility, if i need a break from taking orders, I can help with expo or help serve food instead.

UBC is one of the largest employers in BC. As such it attracts the best and the worst of people. If you land in a spot where your managers and peers are the best, UBC is the best place to work. Geographically beautiful, benefits are astounding, and the culture is positive.  

However, if you get railroaded into a team with toxic managers and disillusioned peers UBC can be an awful to work in. It's location means that either you have a long commute or you pay exorbitant cost of living prices to live near by.  Then add to that the fact that the institution has "Section 9" of the collective agreement. This section gives the employer the right to terminate at any time, for any reason.  I have seen this happen to far too many good people. As mentioned before, run afoul of a toxic manager, and you'll be run out on a rail with absolutely no recourse.  

Overall I give UBC a high rating because of the culture & benefits. But they really need to deal with unfair management practices.

There is immense potential for personal and professional growth in this role. The opportunity to expand your knowledge is vast, as you’ll constantly be learning new skills, gaining insights into various processes, and developing a deeper understanding of the institution's operations. Not only do you have the chance to enhance your expertise, but you also get to meet a diverse group of individuals who come from all different backgrounds. The people you encounter and work alongside are a huge part of what makes this experience so enriching. You'll gain new perspectives and build valuable connections with colleagues and stakeholders. In addition, being part of the university environment exposes you to its inner workings and gives you a unique opportunity to understand its culture, mission, and impact. This combination of growth, learning, and networking makes it a truly rewarding experience. It's the ideal environment for anyone eager to grow and make meaningful contributions.





What is the best part of working at the company?
The staff were amazing but management was absent(very little time at the center, a lot of unnecessary time in administration).  More concerned about appearance than functionality of the daycare.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Job security, lack of support, poor communication and knowing decisions were made against the interests of the children and staff. Ignoring ideas and suggestions.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Tense and stressful.  A lot of favoritism and management constantly gossiping and creating atoxic environment. Pay IT's same as ECE's. No parking incentive, no gas allowance or paid drive time if commuting.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Great parents children and most staff. Rarely see management (program manager had two offices at the daycare and was rarely in either, always on campus at some meeting.. Problems never addressed.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Research assistant 273 salaries reported	$4,879 per month
Administrative assistant 73 salaries reported	$4,898 per month
Postdoctoral fellow 44 salaries reported	$65,751 per year
Research coordinator 104 salaries reported	$5,990 per month
Research associate 110 salaries reported	$79,927 per year

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