An assistantship is a type of student employment. Usually, when a student is in an assistantship, they work as an assistant to someone in their degree field. This can include a research assistant to a department head in a college, or a student teaching position.

Students who are in assistantships are not required to be paid by law. Many colleges set up assistantships that pay off a portion of the student's bill in return for their work. Other assistantships work towards college credits, rather than monetary gain. There has to be some sort of reward for participating in an assistantship, but it is not always monetary.

The benefit of using an assistantship is that the student receives hands on training in the field of their choice, supervised by a qualified instructor or mentor. This is often the most valuable training the student will receive while in college, making assistantship one of the best ways to get an education.

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