Teacher Assistants
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Teacher Assistants
Do you enjoy working with children from a wide range of cultural backgrounds? Would you be able to handle classroom situations with fairness and patience? Would you enjoy seeing students develop and gain appreciation of the joy of learning? What type of career training do you need to become a teacher assistant? What is the job outlook? What are the salary expectations? Find answers to these questions and more in the career information presented here.
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Learn more in the career education information listed below:
- Job Description
- Employment
- Job Outlook
- Related Occupations
- Working Conditions
- Education, Training & Qualifications
- Salary Expectations
- Associations, Resources & Accreditation
Overview
- Approximately 4 in 10 teacher assistants work part time.
- Educational requirements range from a high school diploma to some college training.
- A growing special education population, among other factors, is expected to cause faster than average employment growth.
Job Description
Teacher assistants provide instructional and clerical support for classroom teachers, allowing teachers more time for lesson planning and teaching. Teacher assistants tutor and assist children in learning class material using the teacher's lesson plans, providing students with individualized attention. Teacher assistants also supervise students in the cafeteria, schoolyard, school discipline center, or on field trips. They record grades, set up equipment, and help prepare materials for instruction. Teacher assistants are also called teacher aides or instructional aides. Some refer to themselves as paraeducators.
Some teacher assistants perform exclusively noninstructional or clerical tasks, such as monitoring nonacademic settings. Playground and lunchroom attendants are examples of such assistants. Most teacher assistants, however, perform a combination of instructional and clerical duties. They generally instruct children, under the direction and guidance of teachers. They work with students individually or in small groups - listening while students read, reviewing or reinforcing classwork, or helping them find information for reports. At the secondary school level, teacher assistants often specialize in a certain subject, such as math or science. Teacher assistants often take charge of special projects and prepare equipment or exhibits, such as for a science demonstration. Some assistants work in computer laboratories, helping students using computers and educational software programs.
In addition to instructing, assisting, and supervising students, teacher assistants grade tests and papers, check homework, keep health and attendance records, type, file, and duplicate materials. They also stock supplies, operate audiovisual equipment, and keep classroom equipment in order.
Many teacher assistants work extensively with special education students. As schools become more inclusive, integrating special education students into general education classrooms, teacher assistants in general education and special education classrooms increasingly assist students with disabilities. Teacher assistants attend to a disabled student's physical needs, including feeding, teaching good grooming habits, or assisting students riding the school bus. They also provide personal attention to students with other special needs, such as those whose families live in poverty, or students who speak English as a second language, or who need remedial education. Teacher assistants help assess a student's progress by observing performance and recording relevant data.
Teacher assistants also work with infants and toddlers who are disabled or developmentally delayed. Under the guidance of a teacher or therapist, teacher assistants perform exercises or play games to help the child develop physically and behaviorally. Some teacher assistants work with young adults helping them obtain a job or apply for community services for the disabled.
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Working Conditions
Approximately 4 in 10 teacher assistants work part time. However, even among full-time workers, nearly half work less than 8 hours per day. Most assistants who provide educational instruction work the traditional 9- to 10-month school year. Teacher assistants work in a variety of settings, including private homes, preschools, or in local government offices working with young adults. But most work in classrooms in elementary, middle, and secondary schools. They also work outdoors supervising recess when weather allows, and they spend much of their time standing, walking, or kneeling.
Seeing students develop and gain appreciation of the joy of learning can be very rewarding. However, working closely with students can be both physically and emotionally tiring. Teacher assistants who work with special education students often perform more strenuous tasks, including lifting, as they help students with their daily routine. Those who perform clerical work may tire of administrative duties, such as copying materials or typing.
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Employment
Teacher assistants held almost 1.3 million jobs in 2000. About 80 percent worked in public and private education, mostly in the elementary grades. Approximately half assisted special education teachers in working with children with disabilities. Most of the others worked in child daycare centers and religious organizations.
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Education, Training & Qualifications
Educational requirements for teacher assistants range from a high school diploma to some college training. Teacher assistants with instructional responsibilities usually require more training than those who do not perform teaching tasks. Increasingly, employers prefer teacher assistants who have some college training. Some teacher assistants are aspiring teachers who are working towards their degree while gaining experience. Many schools require previous experience in working with children. Schools often require a valid driver's license and perform a background check on applicants.
A number of 2-year and community colleges offer associate degree programs that prepare graduates to work as teacher assistants. However, most teacher assistants receive on-the-job training. Those who tutor and review lessons with students must have a thorough understanding of class materials and instructional methods, and should be familiar with the organization and operation of a school. Teacher assistants also must know how to operate audiovisual equipment, keep records, and prepare instructional materials, as well as have adequate computer skills.
Teacher assistants should enjoy working with children from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, and be able to handle classroom situations with fairness and patience. Teacher assistants also must demonstrate initiative and a willingness to follow a teacher's directions. They must have good writing skills and be able to communicate effectively with students and teachers. Teacher assistants who speak a second language, especially Spanish, are in great demand to communicate with growing numbers of students and parents whose primary language is not English.
About one third of all States have established guidelines or minimum educational standards for the hiring and training of teacher assistants, and an increasing number of States are in the process of implementing them. Although requirements vary by State, most require an individual to have at least a high school diploma or general equivalency degree (G.E.D.), or some college training. In States that have not established guidelines or minimum educational standards, local school districts determine hiring requirements.
Advancement for teacher assistants, usually in the form of higher earnings or increased responsibility, comes primarily with experience or additional education. Some school districts provide time away from the job or tuition reimbursement so that teacher assistants can earn their bachelor's degrees and pursue licensed teaching positions. In return for tuition reimbursement, assistants are often required to teach a certain length of time for the school district.
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Job Outlook
Employment of teacher assistants is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. Many school districts report shortages of teachers. If schools continue to experience problems hiring teachers, the demand for teacher assistants to assist and monitor students and provide teachers with clerical assistance will grow. In addition, despite projections of only moderate increases in overall student enrollments, the number of special education students and those who speak English as a second language are expected to grow more rapidly. Because teacher assistants play a large role in helping students with special needs, the rising number of these students will create additional demand for teacher assistants. In addition to jobs stemming from employment growth, numerous job openings will arise as workers transfer to other occupations, leave the labor force to assume family responsibilities, return to school, or leave for other reasonscharacteristic of occupations that require limited formal education and offer relatively low pay.
The number and size of special education programs are growing in response to increasing enrollments of students with disabilities. Federal legislation mandates appropriate education for all children, and emphasizes placing children with disabilities into regular school settings, when possible. Children with special needs require much personal attention, and special education teachers, as well as general education teachers with special education students, rely heavily on teacher assistants.
School reforms that call for more individual instruction should further enhance employment opportunities for teacher assistants. As schools strive to meet new standards, they are hiring more teacher assistants to provide students with the personal instruction and remedial education they need. An increasing number of after-school programs and summer programs also will create new opportunities for teacher assistants.
Demand is expected to vary by region of the country. Where population growth is fastest, such as in areas of the South and West, school enrollments are also rising quickly, resulting in stronger demand for teacher assistants. Teacher assistants, particularly those that can speak a foreign language, are in demand in school systems with large numbers of immigrants.
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Salary Expectations
Median annual earnings of teacher assistants in 2000 were $17,350. The middle 50 percent earned between $13,930 and $22,080. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $12,260, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $27,550.
Teacher assistants who work part time ordinarily do not receive benefits. Full-time workers usually receive health coverage and other benefits.
About 4 out of 10 teacher assistants belonged to unions in 2000 - mainly the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association - which bargain with school systems over wages, hours, and the terms and conditions of employment.
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Related Occupations
Teacher assistants who instruct children have duties similar to those of preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers, special education teachers, and school librarians. However, teacher assistants do not have the same level of responsibility or training. The support activities of teacher assistants and their educational backgrounds are similar to those of childcare workers, library technicians, and library assistants. Teacher assistants who work with children with disabilities perform many of the same functions as occupational therapy assistants and aides.
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Associations, Resources & Accreditation
For information on teacher assistants, including training and certification, contact:
- American Federation of Teachers, Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Division
For information on a career as a teacher assistant, contact:
- National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals in Education and Related Services
School superintendents and State departments of education can provide details about employment requirements.
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School superintendents and State departments of education can provide details about employment requirements.
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Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition, Teacher Assistants, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/
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