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The differences between education paraprofessionals and teacher assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an education paraprofessional has an average salary of $31,158, which is higher than the $27,103 average annual salary of a teacher assistant.
The top three skills for an education paraprofessional include autism, behavioral issues and mathematics. The most important skills for a teacher assistant are CPR, child care, and mathematics.
| Education Paraprofessional | Teacher Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,158 | $27,103 |
| Hourly rate | $14.98 | $13.03 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 53,164 | 77,358 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An education paraprofessional's role is to carry out support tasks for a teacher in a school setting. They are responsible for creating learning materials such as visual aids and presentations, participating in devising lesson plans and assessment methods, grading and evaluating student performances, and even maintaining order in the classroom. There are also instances where they must assist students who are having difficulties catching up with the lessons. Furthermore, an education paraprofessional may also teach under the supervision of a more experienced educator.
Teacher assistants are responsible for aiding teachers in their needs inside the classroom. They help teachers prepare for lessons in class, set up equipment, distribute educational materials to students, and monitor the progress of the students. Teacher assistants also help in managing the children in the classroom, as well as providing the necessary assistance a child may need. This may include helping with the lessons by going table to table, assisting in writing exercises, and tutoring kids one-to-one. Teacher assistants are required to have patience, flexibility, and classroom management skills.
Education paraprofessionals and teacher assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Education Paraprofessional | Teacher Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,158 | $27,103 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $21,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Coventry, RI |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an education paraprofessional and a teacher assistant in terms of educational background:
| Education Paraprofessional | Teacher Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between education paraprofessionals' and teacher assistants' demographics:
| Education Paraprofessional | Teacher Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% | Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |