What Do Teacher Assistant Do?
Career Description Perform duties that are instructional in nature or deliver direct services to students or parents. Serve in a position for which a teacher has ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.
Daily Life Of a Teacher Assistant
- Requisition and stock teaching materials and supplies.
- Assist in bus loading and unloading.
- Prepare lesson outlines and plans in assigned subject areas and submit outlines to teachers for review.
- Monitor classroom viewing of live or recorded courses transmitted by communication satellites.
- Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils to students.
- Observe students’ performance, and record relevant data to assess progress.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Teacher Assistant?
When polled, Teacher Assistants say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Related Job Titles
- Instructional Aide
- Para Professional
- In School Suspension Aide (ISS Aide)
- Bilingual Teacher Aide
- Visual Aid Expert
Is There Job Demand for Teacher Assistants?
There were about 1,308,100 jobs for Teacher Assistant in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 8.4% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 109,500 new jobs for Teacher Assistant by 2026. The BLS estimates 147,900 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Teacher Assistant are Utah, Colorado, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Maine, or Connecticut. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Teacher Assistants Salary
The salary for Teacher Assistants ranges between about $18,670 and $41,020 a year.

Teacher Assistants who work in Alaska, California, or Washington, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Teacher Assistants in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $21,190 |
Alaska | $39,640 |
Arizona | $25,620 |
Arkansas | $21,190 |
California | $35,350 |
Colorado | $29,900 |
Connecticut | $34,650 |
Delaware | $31,400 |
District of Columbia | $35,300 |
Florida | $25,010 |
Georgia | $21,770 |
Hawaii | $30,230 |
Idaho | $24,000 |
Illinois | $27,710 |
Indiana | $23,510 |
Iowa | $25,320 |
Kansas | $24,650 |
Kentucky | $27,290 |
Louisiana | $21,510 |
Maine | $33,600 |
Maryland | $33,280 |
Massachusetts | $35,680 |
Michigan | $27,570 |
Minnesota | $32,120 |
Mississippi | $19,940 |
Missouri | $27,220 |
Montana | $26,630 |
Nebraska | $26,540 |
Nevada | $31,080 |
New Hampshire | $30,770 |
New Jersey | $29,150 |
New Mexico | $22,180 |
New York | $31,330 |
North Carolina | $23,960 |
North Dakota | $32,550 |
Ohio | $27,290 |
Oklahoma | $19,900 |
Oregon | $32,210 |
Pennsylvania | $26,640 |
Rhode Island | $32,840 |
South Carolina | $23,240 |
South Dakota | $24,580 |
Tennessee | $24,890 |
Texas | $23,290 |
Utah | $26,230 |
Vermont | $32,630 |
Virginia | $28,000 |
Washington | $35,130 |
West Virginia | $24,940 |
Wisconsin | $29,320 |
Wyoming | $31,310 |
What Tools do Teacher Assistants Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Teacher Assistants may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Web browser software
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Blackboard
- Children’s educational software
- Text to speech software
- Screen reader software
- Screen magnification software
- Student information systems SIS
- Hand held spell checkers
How do I Become a Teacher Assistant?
Learn what Teacher Assistant education requirements there are.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Teacher Assistant?

Who Employs Teacher Assistants?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Career changers with experience as a Teacher Assistant sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: IMCBerea College via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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