Explore Jobs

Find Specific Jobs

Explore Careers

Explore Professions

Best Companies

Explore Companies

Best Jobs For Former Teaching Assistants [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Jul. 13, 2022
Last Modified and Fact Checked on: Feb. 2, 2026

Best Jobs for Former Teaching Assistants in 2026

In 2026, the landscape for teaching assistants has transformed significantly. Many former teaching assistants are seeking new career paths as confidence in traditional educational roles continues to shift.

Although enrollment in programs that train teaching assistants remains stable, the number of individuals pursuing these positions has decreased, leading to a notable gap in the workforce.

This raises an important question:

What career paths are former teaching assistants exploring now?

To find out, we analyzed the resumes of former teaching assistants to uncover the jobs they transitioned into after leaving the field. We sifted through thousands of responses and narrowed it down to the top 100 roles.

Among these roles, some stand out as particularly intriguing and relevant to the skills developed as a teaching assistant. Below, we spotlight a selection of these promising career options.

Best Jobs for Former Teaching Assistants

  1. Research Associate Jobs

  2. Graduate Researcher Jobs

  3. Fellow Jobs

  4. Research Fellow Jobs

  5. Adjunct Professor Jobs

  6. Researcher Jobs

  7. Research Scientist Jobs

  8. Adjunct Faculty Jobs

  9. Adjunct Instructor Jobs

  10. Scientist Jobs

While some of these positions may be more appealing than others, they each represent unique opportunities for growth and development, showcasing the versatility of skills acquired as a teaching assistant.

The complete list of these roles is available below.

Detailed Ranking of the Most Common Jobs of Former Teaching Assistants

Rank Job Title %
1 Research Assistant 10.27%
2 Graduate Research Assistant 3.04%
3 Internship 2.4%
4 Instructor 1.08%
5 Teacher 1.06%
6 Research Associate 1.04%
7 Graduate Assistant 0.76%
8 Volunteer 0.76%
9 Graduate Researcher 0.74%
10 Fellow 0.72%
11 Research Fellow 0.7%
12 Substitute Teacher 0.7%
13 Sales Associate 0.69%
14 Adjunct Professor 0.65%
15 Administrative Assistant 0.61%
16 Software Engineer 0.57%
17 Tutor 0.55%
18 Researcher 0.54%
19 Research Scientist 0.53%
20 Consultant 0.52%
21 Adjunct Faculty 0.48%
22 Adjunct Instructor 0.47%
23 Graduate Teaching Assistant 0.44%
24 Server 0.43%
25 Scientist 0.37%
26 Assistant Professor 0.37%
27 Associate 0.36%
28 Project Manager 0.35%
29 Laboratory Technician 0.35%
30 Customer Service Representative 0.34%
31 Graduate Student Assistant 0.34%
32 Postdoctoral Research Associate 0.33%
33 Data Analyst 0.32%
34 Lecturer 0.28%
35 Research Internship 0.26%
36 Senior Scientist 0.26%
37 Mechanical Engineer 0.25%
38 Registered Nurse 0.25%
39 Special Education Teacher 0.25%
40 Post Doctoral Researcher 0.25%
41 Assistant Manager 0.24%
42 Engineer 0.24%
43 Laboratory Assistant 0.23%
44 Cashier 0.23%
45 Engineering Internship 0.23%
46 Software Engineering Internship 0.23%
47 Office Assistant 0.22%
48 Postdoctoral Research Assistant 0.22%
49 Student Research Assistant 0.22%
50 Analyst 0.21%
51 Office Manager 0.21%
52 Program Manager 0.21%
53 Assistant 0.21%
54 Project Engineer 0.2%
55 Graphic Designer 0.19%
56 Electrical Engineer 0.19%
57 Design Engineer 0.19%
58 Professor 0.19%
59 Student Assistant 0.18%
60 Research And Development Internship 0.18%
61 Software Developer 0.18%
62 Manager 0.18%
63 Specialist 0.18%
64 Process Engineer 0.18%
65 Marketing Internship 0.18%
66 Teacher Assistant 0.17%
67 President 0.17%
68 Research Technician 0.17%
69 Writer And Editor 0.17%
70 Web Developer 0.17%
71 Owner 0.16%
72 Chemist 0.16%
73 Coordinator 0.16%
74 Pharmacist Technician 0.16%
75 Editor 0.15%
76 Team Leader 0.15%
77 Student Teacher 0.15%
78 Faculty 0.14%
79 Lead Teacher 0.14%
80 Private Tutor 0.14%
81 Program Coordinator 0.14%
82 Director 0.14%
83 Laboratory Manager 0.14%
84 Data Scientist 0.14%
85 Research Analyst 0.14%
86 Technician 0.14%
87 Vice President 0.14%
88 Systems Engineer 0.13%
89 Software Developer Internship 0.13%
90 Mentor 0.13%
91 Research Engineer 0.13%
92 Receptionist 0.13%
93 Research Specialist 0.13%
94 Math Teacher 0.12%
95 Math Tutor 0.12%
96 Geologist 0.12%
97 Business Analyst 0.12%
98 Preschool Teacher 0.12%
99 Founder 0.12%
100 Supervisor 0.12%

Most Common Jobs for Former Teaching Assistants

  1. Research Assistant

  2. Graduate Research Assistant

  3. Internship

  4. Instructor

  5. Teacher

  6. Research Associate

  7. Graduate Assistant

  8. Volunteer

  9. Graduate Researcher

  10. Fellow

These roles are not only viable options but also leverage the skills and experiences developed during a teaching assistantship, serving as stepping stones to diverse career trajectories.

How We Determined the Best Jobs for Former Teaching Assistants

Utilizing data from our extensive database of over 7 million resumes, we focused on those that included teaching assistant as part of their work history. We then tracked the subsequent positions these individuals held, ranking them based on frequency.

For our list of more unique roles, we identified jobs that:

  • Appeared in fewer than 1% of all new job listings
  • Were not included in the top 100 most common jobs in our database

In conclusion, if you are a former teaching assistant considering a career shift, the options presented here can provide valuable direction for your next steps in the evolving job market.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Related posts