What does an educational assistant do?
An educational assistant, or often called teaching assistant, assists teachers in instruction delivery and provides learning support to students. Educational assistants may perform classroom duties such as class preparations, taking attendance, and paperwork management. They help students by reviewing materials presented by teachers through one-on-one tutoring or in small groups. They may also supervise and monitor the educational activities of children, such as playing and other primary care. Educational Assistants can work in elementary, middle, and high schools while others work in preschools and childcare centers.
Educational assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real educational assistant resumes:
- Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
- Perform basic administrative tasks like photocopying student work displays etc.
- Support class teachers in photocopying and other tasks in order to support teaching.
- Used CPI blocks, restraints, and escorts when necessary to ensure the safety of students and staff.
- Serve special needs Pre-K students in a PPCD classroom, under the direction of a certify classroom teacher.
- Provide assistance to non-English speaking students
- Create PowerPoint presentations to accompany class textbooks.
- Extend specific remediation of literacy and mathematics deficits.
- Perform documentation of student evaluations for ESOL department.
- Tailor instruction for small groups in balance literacy and mathematics.
- Used specialized medical adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs and mechanical lifts.
- Provide creative and adaptive solutions for bridging communication gaps and disabilities.
- Work individually with student to develop organizational skills, communication skills and language skills.
- Supervise para-professional staff in planning, coordinating and overseeing initial and ongoing assessment activities.
- Facilitate connections between the consulate and local education institutions to develop and support long lasting Italian language programs.
Educational assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Educational Assistants are proficient in CPR, IEP, and Direct Supervision. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Educational Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPR, 12%
Provided crisis intervention for all medical needs/emergencies, by keeping up to date with CPR and First aid certification.
- IEP, 7%
Communicated with supervising instructional staff and professional support personnel for the purpose of assisting in evaluating progress and/or implementing IEP objectives.
- Direct Supervision, 6%
Maximize student interaction by providing opportunities to participate instruction with their non-disable peers under the direct supervision of the teacher.
- Behavioral Issues, 6%
Helped students with physical disabilities and behavioral issues.
- Clerical Support, 6%
Assisted grade-level teachers with diversified clerical support in areas of documentation proofreading, duplication, collating and distribution.
- Autism, 6%
Provided one-on-one instruction and life skills assistance to students on the autism spectrum and the significant emotional disabilities spectrum
Common skills that an educational assistant uses to do their job include "cpr," "iep," and "direct supervision." You can find details on the most important educational assistant responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an educational assistant to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "teacher assistants need to be clear and concise in discussing student progress with teachers and parents." Additionally, an educational assistant resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "assist teachers/educators/specialists in maintaining a positive classroom environment with open lines of communication between myself, the educators and the families. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling educational assistant duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "teacher assistants must be able to develop relationships with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators." According to an educational assistant resume, here's how educational assistants can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "addressed student issues dealing with behavior management and interpersonal skills. "
Patience. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of educational assistants is patience. This skill is critical to many everyday educational assistant duties, as "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds may be difficult." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "create a classroom environment that presents students with challenging materials, high expectations and the guidance and patience to achieve them. "
Resourcefulness. educational assistant responsibilities often require "resourcefulness." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "teacher assistants must find ways to explain information to students who have different learning styles." This resume example shows what educational assistants do with resourcefulness on a typical day: "showed resourcefulness and teaching effectiveness in meeting the needs of individuals with limited english language proficiency as well as learning disabilities. "
The three companies that hire the most educational assistants are:
- Albuquerque Academy29 educational assistants jobs
- Robbinsdale Area Schools28 educational assistants jobs
- Columbia University in the City of New York16 educational assistants jobs
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Compare different educational assistants
Educational assistant vs. Esl teacher
An ESL teacher specializes in teaching the English language to non-native speakers of all ages, usually in a virtual setting. Their responsibilities revolve around devising lesson plans, organizing learning materials, evaluating progress, and coming up with strategies to make learners feel comfortable. Furthermore, they must maintain a healthy and safe learning environment, whether the lessons are in a one-on-one or group setting. When it comes to virtual learning, an ESL teacher must have the necessary equipment, a stable internet connection, and an obstruction-free teaching location.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between educational assistants and esl teacher. For instance, educational assistant responsibilities require skills such as "cpr," "iep," "direct supervision," and "behavioral issues." Whereas a esl teacher is skilled in "kids," "whiteboards," "curriculum development," and "english language." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Esl teachers tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,367. In contrast, educational assistants make the biggest average salary, $30,851, in the non profits industry.The education levels that esl teachers earn slightly differ from educational assistants. In particular, esl teachers are 10.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an educational assistant. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Educational assistant vs. Classroom aide
Classroom aides or teacher's aides are found in special education centers and schools. Some of their many roles include supervising field trips, attendance checking, and preparing classroom materials. They help the teachers by assisting students who need extra attention to keep up with the lessons. Being very patient and proficient in ASL are skills that all of them need to have, especially when working with students in the special education spectrum. They should be very critical to detail to accurately track the progress of the student under their supervision and discuss them with the teachers and parents.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that educational assistant responsibilities requires skills like "direct supervision," "clerical support," "kindergarten," and "provide clerical support." But a classroom aide might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "applied behavior analysis," "paraprofessional," "behavior analysis," and "aba."
On average, classroom aides earn a lower salary than educational assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, classroom aides earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $28,909. Whereas educational assistants have higher pay in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $30,851.In general, classroom aides achieve similar levels of education than educational assistants. They're 2.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for educational assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Diana Jones
Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University
Educational assistant vs. Teacher associate
A teacher associate is responsible for assisting the teacher in classroom operations and providing teaching support for the students. Teacher associates develop learning materials according to the instructions of the headteachers, helping them to track students' progress and observing class behaviors. They also take class responsibility if the teacher is away, ensuring to keep activity records and attendance for reference. A teacher associate must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling students' difficulties and working with the teacher to develop techniques to address those challenges.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from educational assistant resumes include skills like "direct supervision," "behavioral issues," "clerical support," and "autism," whereas a teacher associate is more likely to list skills in "child care," "child development," "cleanliness," and "math. "
Teacher associates earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $32,745. Comparatively, educational assistants have the highest earning potential in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $30,851.Most teacher associates achieve a similar degree level compared to educational assistants. For example, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Educational assistant vs. Assistant daycare teacher
An assistant daycare teacher is responsible for performing support tasks in a daycare center. Most of the duties primarily revolve around maintaining a safe and healthy environment for children, preparing meals and learning materials, assisting children during bathroom or hygiene-related activities, and keeping the classroom clean and sanitized. Furthermore, there are instances when an assistant daycare teacher must come up with recreational activities, maintain student records, and help children improve their motor skills and basic knowledge in concepts such as recognizing the alphabet or coloring.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between educational assistants and assistant daycare teachers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an educational assistant might have more use for skills like "iep," "direct supervision," "clerical support," and "autism." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of assistant daycare teachers require skills like "child care," "kids," "child development," and "open communication. "
In general, assistant daycare teachers hold lower degree levels compared to educational assistants. Assistant daycare teachers are 6.5% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of educational assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
