> They were there for their PhD, not as a professor in training which would have made your position more understandable. Right. Not all TAs become professors.

> They were there for their PhD, not as a professor in training which would have made your position more understandable. Right. Not all TAs become professors. But at a first approximation all professors have TA experience; it's generally their first experience of teaching. I was paid for my time as a TA, in the UK. It would be illegal for them not to pay.