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The differences between graduate student assistants and student instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student instructor has an average salary of $49,436, which is higher than the $37,164 average annual salary of a graduate student assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate student assistant include cell culture, R and chemistry. The most important skills for a student instructor are kids, professional development, and classroom management.
Graduate student assistants are graduate students who are employed as support personnel in universities. They assist professors as teaching assistants, research assistants, or aides, depending on their assigned instructions. Their duties include assisting professors in administrative tasks, organizing undergraduate events, and conducting research as well as analyzing data. During the assistantship period, instead of wages, they are given a stipend as compensation to the service provided. This graduate assistantship gives graduate students relevant experience and more employment options in the future.
Typically, a Student Instructor engages students in learning the assignments, materials, pacing, resources, and activities. Student Instructors learn and enforce questioning and discussion strategies in promoting knowledge acquisition and student participation. Typically, they are studying at a graduate or college level. They eventually assume most responsibilities of teachers in the class like lesson planning, class management, and assessment.
Graduate student assistants and student instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Instructor | |
| Average salary | $37,164 | $49,436 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $64,000 | Between $32,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Bakersfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Security LLC | Kern Community College District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate student assistant and a student instructor in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Biology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | - |
Here are the differences between graduate student assistants' and student instructors' demographics:
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Instructor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1% | Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 11.1% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |