How to hire an academic assistant

How to hire an academic assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step academic assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an academic assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new academic assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The academic assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An academic assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, academic assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of academic assistants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Academic Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Academic Assistant	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$12-28
   Academic Coach	Primarily, an academic coach collaborates with college or high school students to further develop and achieve their goals in academics. Academic coaches help cultivate good habits among the students... Show more	$12-27
   Academic Tutor	An academic tutor is responsible for assisting the students' learning goals and development by helping them with school work and related academic tasks. Academic tutors implement effective learning strategies to improve the student's academic standing, such as identifying areas of improvement and addressing those difficulties by administering learning activities to evaluate the student's progress and adjust the learning approach as needed... Show more	$10-24

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Academic Support
   • Mathematics
   • Student Athletes
   • Course Materials
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Financial Aid
   • Chemistry
   • Academic Assistance
   • Telephone Calls
   • Academic Resource
   • Academic Programs
   • Blackboard
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help troubleshoot public computers according to directions and also manage database of library.
   • Grade papers for remedial mathematics courses.
   • Serve as liaison to colleges, universities and vendors.
   • Strengthen students' academic weaknesses within science and mathematics fields at their request.
   • Used overhead projectors, Powerpoint and blackboards to demonstrate mathematical processes to students.
   • Assist in maintaining students' GPA'S, ensuring their performance in championship meets.

   More academic assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the academic assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. An academic assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an academic assistant in Oklahoma may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level academic assistant. Additionally, an academic assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average academic assistant salary

   $40,904yearly

   $19.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level academic assistant salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average academic assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$56,781	$27
   2	Connecticut	$51,933	$25
   3	New York	$44,927	$22
   4	Massachusetts	$44,787	$22
   5	California	$44,049	$21
   6	Maryland	$40,572	$20
   7	Delaware	$40,220	$19
   8	Illinois	$38,901	$19
   9	Nebraska	$37,289	$18
   10	Georgia	$36,888	$18
   11	North Carolina	$36,861	$18
   12	Missouri	$35,390	$17
   13	Florida	$35,077	$17
   14	Tennessee	$33,282	$16
   15	Iowa	$30,611	$15

   Average academic assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Staten Island Academy	$74,385	$35.76
   2	University of Connecticut	$61,915	$29.77	1
   3	Yale University	$57,202	$27.50
   4	Union University	$55,456	$26.66
   5	Boston College	$54,722	$26.31	2
   6	The Chicago High School for the Arts	$54,187	$26.05
   7	State University of New York College at Cortland	$53,955	$25.94	10
   8	Duke University Health System	$53,943	$25.93	1
   9	Mercy College	$53,509	$25.73
   10	University of Delaware	$49,642	$23.87	5
   11	Syracuse University	$47,893	$23.03	3
   12	University of Alaska	$47,638	$22.90	61
   13	Dartmouth	$45,184	$21.72	4
   14	Georgia College	$44,334	$21.31	5
   15	Pacifica Christian High School	$42,953	$20.65	2
   16	University at Buffalo	$42,877	$20.61	4
   17	Bucknell University	$42,828	$20.59
   18	Delaware Systems Technology, Inc.	$42,279	$20.33
   19	Goucher College	$41,851	$20.12
   20	The Medicus Firm	$41,810	$20.10

4. Writing an academic assistant job description

   A good academic assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an academic assistant job description:

   Academic assistant job description example

   At Central Carolina Community College, we create transformative lifelong learning opportunities! We expect all employees to find ways to remove barriers to student success and provide all students a pathway to achievable dreams. Our employees are charged to recognize the challenges we face and to respond to them with empathy, understanding, and a willingness to help.
   
   CCCC is recruiting for the position of temporary part-time Tutors in the Academic Assistance Centers.
   
   The CCCC Student Learning Team is empowered as educators to provide exceptional resources to our students as they advance along their educational journey. Working across three campuses, as a collaborative team, we play a crucial role in each of our student patron's achievement.
   
   Your role as a tutor comes with considerable perks: you'll share your knowledge while encouraging students to master their lessons, you'll enjoy a collaborative, energized team, and you can take advantage of professional development and tutor referral and award opportunities. We invite you to join our team!
   
   Academic Assistance Center tutors provide students with targeted assistance to help them master difficult material, and achieve success in their courses. Tutors enhance student comprehension of subject matter, support study skill development, and provide exam preparation assistance when requested.
   
   Diversity Policy: Central Carolina Community College believes the college experience is greatly enriched through diversity; therefore, the college encourages diversity of thought within the student body and staff. Furthermore, the college seeks to promote awareness of diversity and the respect for all individuals, and the college pledges to adhere to this mission in its relationship with the community.
   
   Positions may be located on the Lee Main Campus in Sanford, Harnett Main Campus in Lillington, or Chatham Main Campus in Pittsboro.
   
   * Serve students as a representative of Central Carolina Community College, abiding by all college policies
   * Engage students in one-on-one or small group academic assistance in area(s) of expertise
   
   * Manage regularly scheduled sessions with tutees
   
   * Maintain required records (session schedules, material covered, hours worked, etc.)
   
   * Attend training sessions and scheduled meetings
   
   * Handle sign-in and sign-out of supplies and equipment
   
   Minimum Requirements
   
   * High school diploma or equivalent is required.
   * Candidate must have demonstrated successful collegiate course completion (no less than a "B") and must have a recommendation from satisfactory source in area of subject matter.
   * A transcript is required for coursework completed outside of Central Carolina Community College.
   * Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered
   
   Required knowledge, skills and abilities:
   
   * Demonstrated ability to work as a team and utilize interpersonal skill.
   * Strong oral and written communication skills
   * Basic computer skills, familiarity with online learning
   * Flexible schedule
   * Desire and willingness to help others
   
   Preferred Requirements
   
   * Associate's degree or higher preferred

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find academic assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any academic assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level academic assistants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your academic assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit academic assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting academic assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new academic assistant

   Once you've found the academic assistant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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