There are many jobs in this world but some offer more value than others, as in the case of teaching positions. These professionals take on a huge responsibility in today’s society by educating children, providing support and guidance, and in many instances, doing whatever it takes to ensure safety. Workload for teachers is incredibly high and unfortunately, salaries do not match up with the volume and type of work provided.
One reprieve comes in the form of assistants who work under teachers, picking up some of the load, filling in when necessary, and helping with a variety of tasks to keep classrooms running smoothly. Although the level of educational services is not the same as for a certified teacher, assistant teaching jobs are critical to school districts. Below we provided more detailed information about job responsibilities, salary potential, career opportunities, and requirements for education and training.
Of course, as with any job, all of these things would be based on varying factors. For instance, some assistant teaching jobs have a much broader range of job tasks, some geographic areas have greater demand for assistants, depending on the school district and other factors, and salary would be higher for some assistants than others. However, benefits associated with assistant teaching jobs are much the same across the board.
Job Responsibilities
Again, the exact job responsibilities associated with assistant teaching jobs vary but overall, the following would be expected when performing this service:
- Provide support to the teacher as needed
- Coordinate educational plans and efforts
- Take and maintain daily attendance records
- Provide supervision to children not only in a classroom setting but also playground, gymnasium, lunch room, hallways, and even on field trips
- Prepare materials for classroom lessons to include coursework, tests, demonstrations, exhibits, and more
- Under direction and supervision of the teacher, provide students with subject matter via oral or written communication or other educational methods
- Prepare daily lesson outlines for different subjects for teacher approval
- Work with children on a one-on-one or small group basis to teach, answer questions, and enforce concepts taught by the teacher
- Distribute textbooks, papers, pencils, workbooks, homework assignments, and tests as requested by the teache
- Help grade homework papers and tests, followed by recording results using the school’s approved process
- Keep classroom materials stocked and organized
- Offer assistance to the teacher for parent-teacher conferences
- Attend staff meetings along with the teacher
- Help get students off and on correct buses
- Maintain and operate classroom laboratories, computers, and other equipment
- Provide general clerical services to include filing, word processing, copying, and so on
Salary Potential
As shown above, job functions for assistant teaching jobs are quite diverse. Because of this, earning potential has a broad range although on average, the annual salary for this type of job is just under $21,000. Keep in mind that just as job responsibilities and assistant demand would play a role in how much a person makes as a teacher’s assistant, the actual school district and geographic location are also important factors.
In addition to location, the type of school and level of education would be key factors for salary. However, we provided salary information for each state, showing just how much earning potential for assistant teaching jobs.
- Alabama – $16,000 to $18,000
- Alaska – $34,000
- Arizona – $20,000 to $23,000
- Arkansas – $17,000 to $21,000
- California – $25,000 to $32,000
- Colorado – $21,000 to $28,000
- Connecticut – $26,000 to $29,000
- Delaware – $26,000 to $34,000
- District of Columbia – $28,000
- Florida – $20,000 to $27,000
- Georgia – $16,000 to $20,000
- Hawaii – $24,000
- Idaho – $21,000 to $26,000
- Illinois – $18,000 to $23,000
- Indiana – $19,000 to $23,000
- Iowa – $17,000 to $24,000
- Kansas – $19,000 to $24,000
- Kentucky – $20,000 to $27,000
- Louisiana – $15,000 to $19,000
- Maine – $27,000 to $28,000
- Maryland – $19,000 to $26,000
- Massachusetts – $23,000 to $29,000
- Michigan – $20,000 to $27,000
- Minnesota – $25,000 to $27,000
- Mississippi – $16,000 to $17,000
- Missouri – $19,000 to $23,000
- Montana – $18,000 to $19,000
- Nebraska – $20,000 to $23,000
- Nevada – $26,000 to $28,000
- New Hampshire – $25,000 to $28,000
- New Jersey – $23,000 to $28,000
- New Mexico – $17,000 to $22,000
- New York – $20,000 to $27,000
- North Carolina – $17,000 to $21,000
- North Dakota – $20,000 to $28,000
- Ohio – $21,000 to $28,000
- Oklahoma – $18,000 to $20,000
- Oregon – $25,000 to $28,000
- Pennsylvania – $18,000 to $36,000
- Rhode Island – $27,000
- South Carolina – $17,000 to $21,000
- South Dakota – $23,000
- Tennessee – $16,000 to $23,000
- Texas – $16,000 to $22,000
- Utah – $21,000 to $23,000
- Vermont – $24,000
- Virginia – $17,000 to $23,000
- Washington – $26,000 to $30,000
- West Virginia – $19,000 to $23,000
- Wisconsin – $23,000 to $27,000
- Wyoming – $24,000
Future Opportunities
Just five years ago, approximately 1.3 million assistant teaching jobs existed. Since that time, significant growth has been seen and experts predict that by the end of 2016, an overall increase of 10% will be realized. As stated earlier, assistant teaching jobs involve various types of schools to include K-12, junior colleges, universities, professional schools, technical and trade schools, development and scientific research services, and giving and grant-making services.
Just as with teaching jobs, there are more assistant teaching jobs than there are people to fill them. Therefore, someone interested in a career in the educational sector might want to consider the wonderful opportunities that come from a job such as this. While providing support to a certified teacher, the assistant can learn and build rapport with a number of school districts. With that, if someone wanted to become a teacher, working as an assistant would be an excellent stepping stone to success.
Education and Training
Only a high school education is required to be qualified for assistant teaching jobs although more and more, people are completing special training or even earning an associate’s degree at minimum, some a bachelor’s degree. However, most education and training for assistant positions come from classroom experience.
