This qualitative study aimed to explore the issues encountered by research assistants working in music education departments in Turkey during the 2022–2023 academic year. The study was conducted with six research assistants; the interview method was chosen as the research type, and the data were collected using the questions in the interview form prepared by the researchers. The study results showed that no research assistants had been abroad for academic purposes. The most preferred reason for choosing this profession was that it was the profession they had dreamed of. A majority of them were happy because they had chosen this profession. However, they most frequently experienced problems arising from their supervisors, the physical infrastructure of their departments, and difficulties stemming from the lack of financial support for their academic endeavors and the demanding workload.

Music education, problem, research assistant.