Choosing to work in education is a noble decision, but it cannot be taken lightly. One of the first places people will choose to work is in the classroom as a teaching assistant. In today’s educational environment, it is more critical than ever to have a fabulous assistant available in the classroom. With virtual meetings from kindergarten through high school, teaching assistants can assist teachers and students when technology fails. In addition, teaching assistants also provide one on one instruction to students who are struggling in the classroom. The number of things that teaching assistants do to help teachers provide quality instruction is nearly innumerable.
What Qualifications Do You Need to Be A Teaching Assistant?
Each place has a different set of qualifications for becoming a teaching assistant. Since the classroom teacher of record will have more advanced qualifications, the teaching assistant usually only needs a few courses up to an associate degree. That said, the qualifications may change depending on the environment or type of classroom where you work. Younger classrooms may want an early childhood education degree, whereas upper elementary may simply require an associate degree in education. Likewise, special education classrooms may prefer that assistants have experience or certifications relative to working with certain types of disabilities and remediation.
Some places may prefer their assistants to have more education or certifications. However, most applicants with bachelor or master’s degrees are hired as regular classroom teachers unless their degrees are not education-related. Sometimes, those applicants are hired as teaching assistants until they get teaching certifications.
Additional professional development is often required outside of school hours. Sometimes, schools will pay for workshops after school or on workdays. However, sometimes, teacher’s assistants are responsible for finding their own professional development opportunities. Check with the school systems you are interested in working with to find their requirements and processes.
How Does A Teaching Assistant Support the Teacher?
There are many things that a teaching assistant may do to assist the teacher. In a classroom with young children, such as in a childcare facility or preschool, teaching assistants may assist with potty training and bathroom skills, feeding, reading, and other basic skills. As children get older, teaching assistants often read to the class, assist struggling students, and prepare lesson materials. A special education teaching assistant may also help students become more independent and work with them on individual skills.
Some teacher’s assistants will fill in when teachers are out, even if there is a substitute. The assistant will act as the teacher, and the sub will assist on those days. Teacher’s assistants are often more familiar with the running of the classroom, and to keep things running smoothly, the assistant will work with the students to ensure they are staying on schedule. This is not the case in every classroom, so you will follow whatever the classroom teacher and principal prefer.
Teacher’s assistants often perform administrative duties as well, but they should not primarily be copy retrievers or researchers. Teaching assistants often help the classroom teacher with these duties, returning things to the office, checking mailboxes, and contacting parents. These tasks mean that teachers can focus on teaching more than doing these side duties. However, teaching assistants should not replace teacher-parent communication or other privacy-related tasks.
Is a Teaching Assistant an Educator?
Absolutely! Teaching assistants are educators that assist the primary educator in the classroom. They are responsible for the safety and well-being of the students in the class. Teaching assistants often work with children who are struggling, but they will sometimes also work with advanced children to offer enrichment services.
Teaching assistants may also conduct small group or large group lessons so that teachers may work with other students or handle other necessary classroom functions. Teaching assistants need training in child development and classroom management so that they maintain the teacher’s classroom environment whether or not the teacher is present. Teaching assistants are invaluable to teachers. Teachers often sing the praises of their assistants because they cannot meet all of their students’ needs without a little help. Educational teams are comprised of many people. Teachers, teaching assistants, media center specialists, physical education, art, music, and counseling specialists all make up the core of educational teams. Teaching assistants play a critical role in these teams.
Do Teaching Assistants Plan Lessons?
Sometimes teaching assistants will plan lessons. However, the general classroom teacher will plan the majority of classroom lessons. Since the teacher and assistant work together to ensure the proper running of the classroom, they will sometimes plan the lessons together. While you may not plan an entire day of lessons, if you normally work with a small group, your classroom teacher may expect you to plan the lessons for that period.
If your teacher expects you to create more than a small portion of the lessons, you should find out what your school expects from assistants. Most schools expect the regular teacher to do the bulk of the planning with only minor help from the teaching assistant. You may be allowed to take a more professional role in professional development opportunities. If you are a student in a teacher preparation program, you may be allowed to perform more of the regular classroom duties.
Can I Be A TA with No Experience?
Many places do prefer that assistants have experience. However, you cannot get experience without a job, and many schools are aware of this. There are several ways to get experience. First, many teacher assistant courses allow students to complete internships or observational learning in a classroom. If your program allows this type of learning, take advantage of your time in the classroom. Be helpful to the teachers, and introduce yourself to the principal and other school personnel. Try to schedule your internships at the same school if possible. The more the school sees your face and notes your helpfulness, the more likely it will be that they will want to hire you once you graduate.
Another key to gaining experience is volunteer programs. Work with schools in tutoring programs, afterschool functions, and simply volunteering in the classroom outside of school hours. This will provide you with experience working with students and finding out what teachers expect in the classroom.
Volunteering can also be done through civic and religious organizations. Teach a Sunday School class or work with your local Big Brothers Big Sisters type program to get experience working with individuals. If you want to work in a special education classroom, there are local chapters of national organizations for children with Autism, Down syndrome, and other developmental needs. They often need volunteers for events and programs they have. See if you can volunteer with them.
While you may be able to get a job with no experience, working with organizations and schools will look great on a CV or resume. Since you will likely be pursuing higher education, you can talk to your professors to find out what organizations they work within the community.
Is It Hard to Get A Teaching Assistant Job?
There is no simple answer to this question. Like most of the other questions, it really depends on what is happening in your community. For example, if you have no education and your community has many low-income schools, it will be much harder to get a teaching assistant job. However, if you have some post-secondary education and experience working with children, getting a job will be far easier.
As stated above, volunteering at schools and local child-centered agencies will help you stand out among applicants. Knowing what type of classroom and age group you want to be with will also help. Special education and non-traditional classrooms often have more trouble attracting teaching assistants and teachers. If you want to work with these classrooms, you may find it much easier to get hired. However, you will want to understand what these classrooms need. Severe-profound disabilities sometimes mean that hygiene education and diapering are necessary. If you do not want to change a 15-year-old person’s diaper, this may not be the classroom for you. However, some people are not bothered by this prospect. Research the types of classrooms in your community where you may find teaching assistant jobs. You may be willing to travel to different counties, so be sure that you understand all of the surrounding areas and school system requirements.
How Much Do Teaching Assistants Get Paid?
Unfortunately, teaching assistants are among the least paid educators. They do not have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, so their income is far inferior to classroom teachers and other school professionals.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook estimates that the average pay for teaching assistants is less than $30,000 per year[1]. This is significantly less than US citizens’ median income, as that is $57,456 for men and $47,299 for women[2]. Since the poverty line for a family of four is $26,200, this will not stretch very far. However, with room for advancement and many families being two- or three-income homes, this may not be a deterrent.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a teaching assistant is a noble career choice. Teaching assistants are probably underpaid, but they achieve so much more than income. They are sometimes the single best influence in a child’s life. Teaching assistants help teachers in invaluable ways, and they provide support in a crucial environment. Every career choice a child makes will require teachers, and some of them have teaching assistants. Education is one of our most valuable resources, and teachers often feel lost without assistants. Education, pay, and requirements often vary by region, and you should research any chosen area before seeking work as an assistant. You will be vital in the life of a child should you choose this path.
[1] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/teacher-assistants.htm
[2] https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p60-270.pdf