Teacher Assistant Job Description (2022)

Free teacher assistant job description. A teacher assistant or teaching assistant is a professional who assists teachers with instructional responsibilities. Such as administrative tasks, classroom management, coursework preparation, clerical duties, and student instruction. A teaching assistant is also referred to as a teacher’s aide (TA), education assistant (EA), team teacher (TT), classroom assistants, education assistant, paraeducator, instructional aides, or assistant teacher.

A teacher assistant can be found in elementary schools, childcare centers (early childhood education), and private schools.

Teacher Assistant Job Description Sample

At Pratt Elementary School, our lead teacher is seeking a teacher’s aide or teacher assistant. To help with lesson plans, classroom activities, lesson material development, managing classroom materials, and other administrative duties. These duties provide efficient student instruction and education.

Teacher Assistant Duties and Responsibilities

Sample job duties and teacher assistant responsibilities include:

• Assist teachers with general classroom management and administration.
• Provide assistance with instructional aides like classroom materials, field trips, and more.
• Assist special education students with learning disabilities.
• Work closely with the head teacher or special education teacher to review students’ progress.
• Schedule parent-teacher conferences.
• Assess individual students’ progress and work one-on-one.
• Take notes from the classroom teacher on lesson plan development, student progress, student feedback, and standardized testing.
• Learn each pupils name, learning disabilities, and other learning needs.

Teacher Assistant Requirements

Qualified candidates should have the following:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Associate’s Degree in Child Development.
• A paraeducator license is preferred (licensed teacher).
• Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA status) is preferred.
• A graduate teaching assistant is okay (education in progress).
• Previous work experience as a teacher aide.
• Motivational skills and organizational skills are preferred.

Teacher Assistant Skills

Top candidates have one or more of the following skills:

• Attention to detail skills.
• Math skills.
• Science skills.
• English skills.
• Presentation skills.
• Classroom management skills.
• Influence skills.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these skills are most important to teaching assistant positions:

• Communication skills. Teacher assistants need to be clear and concise in discussing student progress with teachers and parents.
• Interpersonal skills. Teacher assistants must be able to develop relationships with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators.
• Patience. Working with students of different abilities and backgrounds may be difficult. Teacher assistants should understand students.
• Resourcefulness. Teacher assistants must find ways to explain information to students who have different learning styles.

Teacher Assistant Job Outlook

All numbers and statistics are as of 2019. The teaching assistant job is expected to grow by 4% between 2019 and 2029, about as fast as most other occupations. The main reason for this job growth is the rising student enrollment along with support from federal and state funding for education programs.

In the United States there are roughly 1,446,400 professionals employed as teaching assistants as of 2019.

Teacher Assistant Job Boards

When hiring for a teacher assistant position, it's best to search for prospective teachers using a "niche" job board. Rather than national job boards like Indeed, Monster, or Career Builder. Using a smaller job board can assist in finding a more passionate and higher caliber job applicant. In addition to posting a job description and job advertisement (sometimes referred to as a "job ad") on a smaller job board. Employers and administrators should post available jobs on community job boards.

Community job boards consist of local city and village Facebook groups or community center bulletin boards. Many teaching positions are filled on a local level rather than a national level.

Top teacher assistant job boards

• SchoolSpring
• K12JobSpot
• TeachingJobs.com
• Learn4Good
• SeriousTeachers.com
• TopSchoolJobs
• Teach Away

Teacher Assistant Certifications, Licenses, and More

Teaching assistants need to be licensed as paraeducator professionals. In order to become a licensed professional, a para-certification test must be completed. This 90-question test will ensure that the paraprofessional is proficient in the fundamentals of education that's required to qualify for a teaching assistant certification.

Score requirements by state include:

• Louisiana – 450 test score
• Oregon – 455 test score
• New Jersey – 456 test score
• New Mexico – 457 test score
• Vermont – 458 test score
• Arizona – 459 test score
• Utah – 460 test score
• Washington – 461 test score
• Wyoming – 462 test score
• U.S. Virgin Islands – 466 test score

Teacher Assistant Resources

Helpful resources for job seekers and employers looking to place a paraprofessional, paraeducator, or teaching assistant position.

• The Personal Planner and Training Guide for the ParaEducator
• Book: Let's Team Up
• Paraprofessional Interest Group
• National Resource Center for Paraeducators
• Home Room

Related job descriptions

• Teacher Job Description
• Teacher Assistant Job Description
• Substitute Teacher Job Description
• Administrative Assistant Job Description