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English teaching assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an english teaching assistant. English teaching assistants usually study english, area studies, or political science. 81% of english teaching assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,151 real english teaching assistant resumes to see exactly what english teaching assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for english teaching assistants are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are also many online english teaching assistant courses to help get the education required to be an english teaching assistant.

There are certain english teaching assistant certifications that you should consider. These english teaching assistant certifications include Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Certificate to Teach English as a Foreign Language (CTEFL).

What education do you need to become an english teaching assistant?

What degree do you need to be an english teaching assistant?

The most common degree for english teaching assistants is bachelor's degree, with 81% of english teaching assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 81%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Associate, 3%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an english teaching assistant?

You should major in english to become an english teaching assistant. 24% of english teaching assistants major in english. Other common majors for an english teaching assistant include area studies and political science.

Most common colleges for english teaching assistants

English teaching assistants often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, Ohio State University, and Boston College. Here are the most common colleges for english teaching assistants in the US based on their resumes.
English teaching assistant common collegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara8.60%
Ohio State University6.79%
Boston College5.88%
New York University5.43%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill5.43%

Best majors for english teaching assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1English23.9%
2Area Studies8.9%
3Political Science8.1%
4Linguistics6.3%
5Psychology5.3%

Best colleges for english teaching assistants

The best colleges for english teaching assistants are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University.

An english teaching assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for english teaching assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become english teaching assistants.

1. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

6. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for english teaching assistants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for english teaching assistants

The most affordable schools for english teaching assistants are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - fullerton, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for english teaching assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for english teaching assistants.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

8. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for english teaching assistants

The hardest universities for english teaching assistants to get into are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for english teaching assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for english teaching assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

14%

SAT average

1,423

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for english teaching assistants

The easiest schools for english teaching assistants to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an english teaching assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for english teaching assistants.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

5. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average english teaching assistant salary by education level

According to our data, english teaching assistants with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $44,558 annually. English teaching assistants with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $43,257.
English teaching assistant education levelEnglish teaching assistant salary
Master's Degree$43,257
High School Diploma or Less$36,731
Bachelor's Degree$38,788
Doctorate Degree$44,558
Some College/ Associate Degree$37,364

English teaching assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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