How to hire a behavioral assistant

How to hire a behavioral assistant, step by step

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

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

What does a behavioral assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the behavioral assistant you need to hire. Certain behavioral assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A behavioral assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, behavioral 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of behavioral assistants.

   Type of Behavioral Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Behavioral Assistant	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$13-25
   Behavioral Technician	A behavioral technician is responsible for supporting patients to overcome their behavior problems and difficulties. Behavioral technicians evaluate the patient's condition through counseling and administer behavioral treatment plans according to the patients' needs... Show more	$11-21
   Behavioral Therapist	A behavioral therapist is responsible for supporting patients with various developmental disorders and behavioral difficulties. Behavioral therapists conduct counseling to the patients, identifying their personal and social challenges, and administering treatment plans to modify unusual behaviors... Show more	$12-24

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Behavioral Interventions
   • Mental Health
   • Patients
   • Vital Signs
   • Behavior Management
   • Autism
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • CPR
   • Behavior Modification
   • Social Work
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Data Collection
   • Behavioral Strategies
   • Behavior Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work one-on-one with students as well as small groups as instructed by teacher to help achieve goals outline by the IEP.
   • Modele self-help and independent skills to assist autistic and developmentally delay children achieving their establish goals.
   • Develop rapport and trust of physicians and patients to assure confidence and execution of therapy plans resulting in successful patient rehabilitation.
   • Apply behavioral analysis (ABA) and other evidence-base methods are used to decrease challenging behaviors and teach skills.
   • Assist BCBA consultants providing comprehensive educational, social, behavioral, and community services to young children on the autism spectrum.
   • Implement modifications outline in IEP.

   More behavioral assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your behavioral assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A behavioral assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, behavioral assistants' average salary in south dakota is 35% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level behavioral assistants earn 45% less than senior-level behavioral assistants.
   • Certifications. A behavioral assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a behavioral assistant's salary.

   Average behavioral assistant salary

   $39,681yearly

   $19.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level behavioral assistant salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average behavioral assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$45,570	$22
   2	New York	$43,400	$21
   3	Kansas	$40,326	$19
   4	Minnesota	$40,287	$19
   5	New Jersey	$39,643	$19
   6	Massachusetts	$39,332	$19
   7	Michigan	$39,141	$19
   8	Maine	$37,270	$18
   9	North Carolina	$37,250	$18
   10	Texas	$37,166	$18
   11	Maryland	$36,624	$18

   Average behavioral assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$46,312	$22.27	1
   2	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	$45,145	$21.70	7
   3	University of Michigan	$44,034	$21.17	11
   4	Minnesota State Fair	$43,636	$20.98	30
   5	Loma Linda University Health	$43,027	$20.69	9
   6	Northwell Health	$42,662	$20.51	41
   7	Ascension Michigan	$41,812	$20.10	26
   8	Baylor College of Medicine	$41,785	$20.09
   9	Sharp HealthCare	$41,560	$19.98	14
   10	PHMC	$41,051	$19.74	12
   11	Buena Vista University	$40,196	$19.32	7
   12	Eliot Community Human Services Inc	$39,773	$19.12	65
   13	Maine	$39,439	$18.96	11
   14	Imperial County Office of Education	$39,225	$18.86
   15	Arts In Action Community Charter Schools	$38,553	$18.54
   16	Care Plus NJ	$38,232	$18.38
   17	Monroe 2 Boces	$38,016	$18.28	1
   18	Empower U	$37,836	$18.19
   19	UT Health East Texas	$37,764	$18.16
   20	Rialto Unified School District	$37,657	$18.10	1

4. Writing a behavioral assistant job description

   A behavioral assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a behavioral assistant job description:

   Behavioral assistant job description example

   Student Behavioral Assistant positions work with students with disabilities, ages 3- 21, in classrooms and at Work-Based Learning sites in and around the Rochester area. Our classrooms are within the districts that we serve, which include:
   - Brockport - Churchville-Chili
   
   - Gates-Chili - Greece
   
   - Hilton - Holley
   
   - Kendall - Spencerport
   
   - Wheatland-Chili
   
   Our students have special needs in one or more of these categories: Learning Disabled, Autism, Emotionally Disturbed, Multiple Disabilities, Speech and Language Impaired, Visually Impaired, Hearing Impaired, Orthopedically Impaired or Intellectually Disabled. They are in our classes because they need a smaller, more personalized environment offering special materials and techniques in order to learn and to reach their full potential.
   
   Requirements for these positions include:
   
   - No physical restrictions
   
   - Willingness to toilet/diaper students, ages 3- 21, if needed
   
   Hours of these positions range from 7:00 am- 3:30 pm. The length of the paid day ranges from 6- 7 hours.
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   - Implements classroom and behavioral goals as determined by the multi-disciplinary instructional team.
   
   - Provides supervision to student groups during transition times, lunch periods and throughout the day
   
   - Assists the teacher in preparing instructional materials for classroom teaching and implements certain units as directed by the teacher.
   
   - Perform other such duties as assigned by the Special Education Supervisors.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   - Two (2) years of full-time paid or the part-time equivalent experience involving the supervision, counseling or instruction of children in a school facility, institution or agency devoted to the care, education, rehabilitation or detention of children, OR
   
   - Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Associate's degree or completion of 60 credit hours; OR
   
   - Any equivalent combination of training and experience as defined above.
   
   If you are interested in a position at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, you can see openings and submit an application at:
   
   *www.monroe2boces.org/ECjobs*
   
   Under "Jobs by Category at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES", Click on "Other" to view current positions available.
   
   Be sure to click on "*Apply Now*" to apply to a position. You will receive an email confirmation if you have successfully applied.
   
   Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
   
   Pay: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour
   
   Benefits:
   * Dental insurance
   * Employee assistance program
   * Flexible spending account
   * Health insurance
   * Life insurance
   * Retirement plan
   * Tuition reimbursement
   * Vision insurance
   Schedule:
   * Day shift
   * Monday to Friday
   
   Education:
   * Associate (Preferred)
   
   Work Location: Multiple Locations

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find behavioral assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting behavioral 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 behavioral assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the behavioral assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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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How much does it cost to hire a behavioral assistant?